Tarleton State University will host the “Tunnel of Oppression,” a campus grassroots diversity program, beginning at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22 in the Barry B. Thompson Student Center.

The ballrooms will be transformed into an interactive tour of exhibits created by a number of campus organizations giving participants the opportunity to see, hear and feel the realities of oppression as a stepping stone toward creating diversity awareness.

Hosted by Tarleton’s Residential Living and Learning, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Minority Student Leaders, Texans Promoting Tolerance, Sociology Club, Student Government Association, Thompson Student Center, and Freshman Representative Council, the “Tunnel of Oppression” portrays a different example of how oppression impacts various under-represented groups such as those classified by race, gender, sexual orientation, social class, religion or disability.

Groups will be led through the exhibit starting at 6 p.m. with the last group admitted at 9:15. The guided tours last approximately one hour.

Tunnel of Oppression is based off the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. While many university campuses across the nation have constructed their own tunnels, this is a first for the Tarleton community and creates an opportunity to discuss issues of oppression on the historical and campus level.

“For over a decade, this program has been performed at universities across the nation and has had great success in educating and heightening awareness of the many forms of oppression on local and global scales,” said Gary Stout, facilities coordinator in the Residential Living and Learning Office.

Ten different vignettes will be performed as participants make their way through the obstacle course of oppression culminating in a Tunnel of Oppression. Afterward, professional staff and group leaders will facilitate a 15-minute debriefing discussion, giving participants an opportunity to reflect and respond about what they have just experienced. The entire process takes each group about one hour to complete.

“This program will give our campus community the opportunity to think critically about daily situations that involve some form of oppressive mentality or behavior. Afterwards, students will participate in a focused discussion, unpacking the motives, processes, cycles, effects, and methods of resistance to the various forms of oppression,” said Dr. Moumin Quazi, interim director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

“The Tunnel of Oppression has had great success in educating students about oppression, while encouraging them to take an active stance against any oppressive behavior,” added Stout. “As we seek to celebrate our unique diversity, the Tunnel of Oppression’s purpose is congruent with our mission statement’s three guiding principles: learning, citizenship, and diversity in hopes of building a better Tarleton experience for all people.”

For more information about Tarleton’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion and programming, visit http://www.tarleton.edu/diversity/index.html.