This past August, incoming freshmen experienced an entirely new Bear Beginnings designed by the First Year Center. The program focused on inclusivity in a diverse community by using many of the activities described in Stonehill College’s book “Practicing Inclusion: Icebreakers and Team builders for diversity”, including an activity called “Step Into the Circle.” This activity is designed to show participants that they share an experience with at least one other person by listing statements the participants may identify with. If they identify with a statement, the participants are asked to step towards the center of a circle of their peers, moving back to their original position when a statement they do not identify with is read.

Choosing “Step Into the Circle” as an icebreaker activity among Wash. U. undergraduates was an extremely ignorant decision made by the First Year Center. Asking students to identify with statements like: “You have a visible or non-visible disability,” “You are a member of a minority group,” “You are a first-generation or low-income student” and “You identify as LGBTQ+” in a new environment with people you barely know can be extremely emotionally draining. Some students may not feel comfortable identifying with certain statements in a group of strangers because they have previously been emotionally or physically targeted because of their identity.

This activity also isolates minority students because of the way the First Year Center decided to implement it. The class of 2023 is 46% white and only 15% of students qualified for a Pell Grant. Only 9% of the class identifies as a first-generation student. As one of the 15% who is considered low-income and one of the 9% that is a first-generation student, asking me to identify with the statement “I have worried about where my next meal will come from” in a group of mostly upper-class students is humiliating. Participating in this activity felt like the school was putting on a diversity pageant to pat themselves on the back for being inclusive, especially because students were asked to physically single themselves out by stepping into the circle.

The Deneb STARS had their freshmen participate in a similar activity at the beginning of this semester as a reflection on their experience during the fall. Deneb STARS is a diverse community dedicated to the success of low-income and first-generation college students at Wash. U. In order to help students feel more comfortable during this activity, Deneb changed the questions to better reflect the experiences of the students involved. Instead of asking about a student’s personal identity, they asked about how they felt as a member of the larger Wash. U. community. Deneb also asked students to identify with statements about their academic and social success and their concerns about their future at Wash. U.

The intended function of this activity was to enable students to not feel alone in their experiences, to let them know that there is someone among them who has or is living under similar circumstances. However, the activity was not successful in its attempt, as it felt more isolating than inclusive. It is possible to implement this activity in a positive way if it is adjusted to fit the experiences of the students instead of solely focusing on a student’s identity, thereby isolating them from their peers.