Taboo: eXtreme Dialogs
Taboo: eXtreme Dialogs

taboo: extreme dialogues


Are we really those freaks at Mount Holyoke?
thursday, oct. 4 @ 6pm
blanchard lounge 227

MHC party culture discussed.

sponsored by the dean of student division

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Sex & Power: Crossing the Line Part I
DATE TBA
6pm to 7:30pm
blanchard lounge 227

is it okay to have sex with a professor? can a woman be sexually assaulted by another woman? what's okay and how do you know when to stop?

a student-only, peer-led conversation.

facilitators: Sarah Lince and Seema Nanda

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It Takes a Team: Making Sports Safe for LGBT Athletes
monday, oct. 22 @ 7:30pm
blanchard lounge 227

we will discuss lesbian, gay and transgender issues in sport and ways to make sports safe for all. come watch the video from the Women's Sports Foundation, "It Takes A Team."

facilitator: Laurie Priest, Director of Athletics

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Toilet Training: What bathroom do YOU choose

monday, oct 15, 2007
POSTPONED to monday, oct. 29 @ 4:30pm
blanchard lounge 227

transgender people face discrimination, harassment, and violence everyday. come watch the video "Toilet Training" and learn how to become an ally for transgender rights.

sponsored in part by the LGBTQQAA Awareness Month Planning Committee, residential life, and student programs

"Toilet Training" is a documentary video and collaboration between transgender videomaker Tara Mateik and the Sylvia Rivera Law Project. the video addresses the persistent discrimination, harassment, and violence that people who transgress gender norms face in gender segregated bathrooms.

facilitators: Bill Boerner & Eileen Rakouskas

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Spirits, Ghosts, and the After-Life: Is there any proof?
tuesday, oct. 30, 2007 @ 6:00pm
blanchard lounge 227

if there's one right answer we sure don't know it but we'd love to talk about different ideas and beliefs regarding the metaphysical world, haunted campuses, deeply held spiritual practices, and experiences that make us wonder "what else is out there."

facilitators: Beth Gibney Boulden, Kris Bergbom, and maybe some special guests


Silences in our Dialogs on Race and Ethnicity: What's NOT being said and WHY?
thursday, nov. 8, 2007
from 4:00pm to 5:30pm
blanchard lounge 227

what aren't you talking about in classes and with friends about race and ethnicity? this dialogue is an opportunity to explore what you and others are not saying and the reasons for your silence.

facilitator:Anna C. Hope, Ph.D., MHC Counseling Service

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The Other Side of Coming Out
monday, nov. 12 @ 4:30pm
blanchard lounge 227

coming out of the closet can be an impossible choice with devastating consequences. come watch "My Address: A Look at Gay Youth Homelessness with Katherine Moennig" and discuss when your sexual orientation can cost you everything when your family, religion, culture, country, and the law tell you it's wrong.

facilitators: Bill Boerner and Emily Kunstler

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White Privilege for Beginners
wednesday, nov. 14 @ 4:00pm
blanchard lounge 227

come explore the privileges inherently bestowed upon you based on your skin color. you didn’t ask for them, you may wish you could avoid them, but being aware is the first step. paying closer attention and working it out with others is the second step. we will discuss white privilege in an open environment, focused on awareness and personal reflection - breaking the taboos of "don't talk about race" that some of us were brought up with - we'll learn together. take the risk!

facilitator: Maggie Lichter, Res Life

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Democracy Matters - Doesn't it?
thursday, nov. 15 @ 4:30pm
blanchard lounge 227

lets talk about the problems in our government! Democracy Matters – MHC is talking about the Fair Elections Now Act! what problems of representation exist in government; why is so little being done to change it; should we be working to make change?

facilitators: Democracy Matters! (MHC student org)

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Ethnic Notions
tuesday, feb. 5 @ 4:00pm
blanchard lounge 227

ethnic notions is a documentary about the roots of black face minstrels and its evolution as a racial stereotype in American history.

facilitator: Zetta Elliot, Professor, African American and African Studies

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A Girl Like Me
monday, feb. 18 @ 4:30pm
blanchard lounge 227

racism and classicism aren't the only hot discussion topics. get a glimpse of some of the inner struggles such as construction of self-image, which faces young black women on a daily basis.

facilitators: Tanya Williams

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Our MoHo World - Does "No Men" = No Sexism?
friday, march 28, 2008 @ 12:30-2pm
blanchard lounge 227

is sexism possible at a women’s college? what’s your experience? what have you seen? what have you heard? what is sexism anyway? come talk about it!

facilitators: Angela Bruns and Diane Williams, Social Justice Education Program, UMass Amherst

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MoHo vs. MoHo - Competition in our Social Lives
sunday, march 30, 2008 ­ 7-8pm
blanchard lounge 227

have you noticed and/or experienced competition amongst students at MHC? what does it look like? how does it differ across race, ethnicity, social class and sexual orientation? where does it happen? and what does it mean? come talk with us! all are welcome for this interactive and engaging dialogue.

facilitators: Angela Bruns and Diane Williams, Social Justice Education Program, UMass Amherst

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Tell the Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth?
tuesday, april 1, 4pm - 5:30pm
blanchard lounge 227

what are your personal philosophies about Truth Telling? do you think its unethical to tell "small lies"? is 100% honesty possible? desirable? foolish? do ALL politicians lie? should we only be truth tellers "under oath"? is honesty the same as integrity? is "keeping a secret" the same as being untruthful? how do the "rules of truth telling" impact on a community. spend some time with us discussing these questions that have plagued ethicists, philosophers, law enforcers, theologians and lovers for millennium.

facilitators: Kris Bergbom (Student Programs), Jade Logan (Counseling Center)

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A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed: How to be a Supportive Friend and Still Set Good Boundaries
wednesday, april 2, 4:30-6:00 pm
blanchard lounge 227

it is often said "good fences make good neighbors," but how do we decide what "good" is? this discussion will examine ways we have learned to set healthy boundaries with friends, but not walls; how we can be helpful, empathetic, and kind, but not enabling. we'll talk about ways to say 'No' with respect, and we'll talk about ways to value the support and strength that healthy friendships, and neighborly connections, can offer. it's one of those topics that is harder to discuss than it sounds, and we'll have a lot to learn from each other.

facilitator: Liz Braun (Dean of Students) and Penny Gill (MHC Professor of Politics)

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You Don't Look Sick
thursday, april 17, 4:30-6:00 pm
blanchard lounge 227

a conversation about the challenges of chronic illness and how they affect the daily lives of Mount Holyoke College students. what we see and what we don't. let's examine our prejudices and beliefs.

facilitator: Elisabeth Hogan (Dean of Disability Services) and Karen Jacobus (Coordinator of Health Education)

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