In a workshop on diversity for Ithaca College freshmen and transfer students, Dr. Maura Cullen told students how their words and actions can have an impact on others, saying that we make others “disappear” when we do not treat them with courtesy and dignity.
“It is through our acts of kindness, through inclusion, that we make people reappear,” said Cullen.
Cullen was the speaker for the First-Year Experience Diversity Lecture, held on Aug. 24. The annual lecture helps new students transition into the campus community by offering ways to feel at ease in a number of settings, with people from a variety of backgrounds, and with ideas new to their experience.
During her speech, Cullen spoke to students about a variety of issues, including decision making, treating others with respect, race, mental health and eating disorders.
Cullen has delivered the FYE Diversity Lecture at Ithaca College for over 12 years. She is the founder of the Diversity Student Summit, a founding faculty member of the Social Justice Training Institute and the author of “35 Dumb Things Well-Intended People Say.” She has over 25 years of experience as a diversity trainer and has consulted with over 500 organizations.