Forum to Examine Race Relations
	College and community representatives will examine the issue of race and stereotypes in a special forum at Ithaca College on Tuesday, April 14. Titled "Student Leaders Speak Out On President Clinton's Race Initiative," the forum is being held in conjunction with a town meeting Clinton will host in Houston on the topic of race and athletics. The Ithaca program, which is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. in the Emerson Suites, Phillips Hall, is free and open to the public. "We're doing this because it is critically important for each of us who is committed to the concept of democracy in a multiracial society to engage in an honest dialogue," says forum organizer Ethel David, director of opportunity programs at Ithaca College. "Dialogue is a bridge that helps us get to know one another and that can bind us in a relationship, so that we can work together on important concerns that have debilitated our communities." The forum will open with greetings from Ithaca College president Peggy R. Williams and Ithaca mayor Alan Cohen. Two 45-minute panel discussions will follow, focusing on the topics "Who Are We," Where We Are," and "Where We Want to Go." Panelists will include students from Ithaca College, Cornell University, Ithaca High School, and the Alternative Community School; the discussion will be facilitated by associate professor of sociology Anne Brous and Sean Eversley-Bradwell, social studies teacher at the Alternative Community School. This portion of the event will conclude with questions from the audience and a wrap-up by Tanya Saunders, assistant provost for special programs. Participants will then adjourn for dinner, to be followed by a viewing from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. of the Houston town hall meeting, which will be aired on the ESPN cable television network. The forum will close with a half-hour campus discussion on race and stereotypes in athletics. "We are disappointed that the President's Initiative on Race was unable to send a representative from Washington to Ithaca to participate in our program," says David. "Nevertheless, we feel we must move forward in recognition of our responsibility to educate --- and encourage --- student leaders, who are this nation's future leaders. We are also committed to including the local community in this interracial dialogue, to further the development of relationships and enhance our collaborative activities." Attendance at the panel discussion is required for those wishing to participate in the dinner portion of the program; to reserve seating call 274-3658 or 274-1222.