Tunnel of Oppression information sessions set for October 22 and 23

Thursday, October 18, 2012 - 254 hits

Penn State Altoona will present the Tunnel of Oppression diversity event in February 2013. Students, faculty, and staff members who may be interested in helping to plan the event or just want to know more are encouraged to attend an information session either on Monday, October 22 from 3:00 - 3:30 p.m. in the Fireside Lounge of the Slep Student Center or Tuesday, October 23 from 6:00 - 6:30 p.m. in the Titelman Study of the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts.

Tunnel of Oppression is an interactive program that highlights contemporary issues of oppression in its various forms. The program is designed to introduce participants to the concepts of oppression, privilege, and power as well as educate and challenge them to think more deeply about related issues.

The Tunnel of Oppression initiative, which was originally developed at Western Illinois University, stemmed from a homogeneous campus environment searching for a way to represent the realities of oppression into a full sensory experiential manner. The creators of the Tunnel of Oppression wanted to give participants the opportunity to see, touch, hear, and feel the realities of oppression as a stepping stone towards creating diversity awareness. The first Tunnel of Oppression was loosely based on the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, CA.

The event is sponsored by the Mosaic Diversity committee, the Office of Residence Life, and the Office of Institutional Equity, Diversity, and International Student Services.