Diversity on Campus Portrayed Through Art

The Green Mountains of Vermont have been brought to the Advising Resource Center at Lyndon State College.

Daniel Haycook, a senior liberal studies major, explained that he wanted to create a diversity mural in order to depict the diversity on campus. The new diversity mural, painted in the Advising Resource Center, is the product of a grant funded project headed by Haycook who works for director of advising resources, Kathleen Gold.

"We focused on the diversity of our students, faculty and staff; our diverse interests and how our unique qualities make the tight-knit community that Lyndon prides itself on," said Haycook.

The goal was to decide how to best depict the diversity on campus, while also tying it into academics. According to Haycook, the challenge was depicting Lyndon's diversity without stereotyping anyone.

"Art breaks down barriers and creates conversation which is important when dealing with diversity," Haycook stated. Consequently, the idea of a mural was born.

The ridge of the Green Mountains is the only thing that has been painted so far and was done so by Alen Turajlic, a December '11 graduate of LSC. Starting Tuesday, Feb. 7 through the middle of March, however, students will have the chance to add their own handprint to the mural on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Haycook stated that the handprints would be done with red, orange, and yellow colors to represent Vermont's foliage.

Haycook proposed that the mural be painted in the Advising Resource Center because of the influence of the people who work there.

"We thought it was really important to have it in the Advising Resource Center because the people who work in that space are the people who see students when they first come for student orientation, in the first year experience office," Haycook said. "Everybody, at some point during their college career, is influenced by somebody in that office."

Students will have to take a quick questionnaire about themselves and Lyndon's impact on them before they place their handprint on the mural.

The responses will be reviewed and then written on the wall in blue as the "sky" of the mural.

Gold explained that she hires a student and assigns them a project to help fill in the gaps on campus.

The mural and survey together will work to recognize the diversity on the campus, while instilling a sense of ownership to the students.

"We want a clear, broad representation of the reasons why students are here" said Gold.

Haycook stressed the need for involvement from the Lyndon community.

"It is really reliant on student involvement.," Haycook said. "Without the students participating it really isn't going to work. We wanted the people who are representing the college to make it happen."