Common Ground trains FLCers to help others find cultural common ground

The annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebrates Dr. King’s contributions to equality and understanding in our country. But that one-day commemoration is 364 days too few for the Fort Lewis College anti-bias organization Common Ground.

“Common Ground is about knowing and learning from each other,” says Nancy Stoffer, coordinator of Diversity Programming, which manages the Common Ground program. “It’s about finding ways to heal those who have been injured by a society that marginalizes and oppresses certain groups, and bringing awareness to those who have been part of a more privileged class.”

FLC is, thanks to its history and location, a multicultural institution -- it is one of only two schools in the United States to offer a Native American Tuition Waiver, and for the 2015-2016 academic year 46 percent of the student body population is minority students.

To better serve those campus populations most often marginalized by society, Fort Lewis College created its own anti-bias and diversity training, called Code Red, in 2007. Today known as Common Ground, the training program prepares students, faculty, staff, and community members to lead intercultural dialogues that create awareness of self-identities and biases while learning skills to fight discrimination.

Common Ground’s workshops and trainings enhance the rich cultural diversity on campus by providing opportunities for the college community to learn about and embrace differences, preparing faculty, staff, and students to better interact in an increasingly diverse world. In addition to the trainings and organizational workshops, Common Ground facilitators take part in a number of events both on- and off-campus.

There are two main aspects of Common Ground’s mission: to engage the campus community in cross-cultural conversations, and to train volunteer facilitators to guide that process in classes and for on-campus organizations. Common Ground trains faculty, students, and staff at weekly facilitator sessions and an annual three-day intensive training. Most recently, the program graduated 18 volunteer facilitators from the Fall 2015 training.

“It’s both introspective and interactive,” Stoffer says of the workshop experience. “You get the chance to look at and explore your own biases and identity. It expands the way you’re able to see the world.”

Because the topics discussed in a workshop can be so intense – “Having old wounds recognized can be painful,” Stoffer recognizes – it’s critical for the facilitators to be well prepared. But this structure produces powerful transformations, she says.

“The activities can be eye opening,” Stoffer says. “Sometimes we don’t want to see things. Sometimes the work takes a while. But watching people connect is really rewarding. It can be emotional and, at the same time, healing.”

“I think leaving our comfort zone is an important part of growing our compassion,” Stoffer adds. “That is what Common Ground asks people to do.”

For Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on January 18, Common Ground and the Diversity Programming Office will be hosting a series of events with a “Black Lives Matter” theme. The March of Solidarity begins at 12:15 p.m. at the Center of Southwest Studies, and ends at the Student Union with a rally and a series of social justice workshops. The evening program features a variety of speakers and performers.