"Hope cannot be said to exist,
nor can it be said not to exist.
It is just like roads across the earth.
For actually the earth had no roads
to begin with, but when many people
pass one way a road is made."
--Lu Hsün, China 1921

Where we're coming from
-- a history & genealogy of this journal
[ reflecting a lot of creative thinking going on across campus & the nation, including: intercultural communication and conflict-resolution workshops at Cal Poly sponsored by FSMP (Faculty/Student Mentoring Project), The Center , the Faculty Center for Professional Development, the Office of Student Life, and others; broad-based discussions centering around groups from the Equity Forum to the current WASC Self-Study Group; and much more]

Spring 1990: Birth of the multicultural club MADILA, the brainchild of students and staff from across the campus and differing cultures who wanted a chance to talk, share experiences, and create change.

Fall 1990: "Teaching for Diversity Symposium" (Cal Poly Fall Conference): students and faculty discussing their own college experiences of roadblocks they encountered, influences that made the difference, and things they wished someone had told them from the beginning.

Spring 1993-1995: Students in MADILA, along with Deirdre Lashgari and Leanne Sowande, wrestling with the barriers faced by students of color on campus particularly, and first-generation college students generally. Concern about the effect of the high drop-out rate on the possibility of hiring a more diverse faculty at Cal Poly, since there were so few students in the "professional pipeline." Development and distribution of narrative surveys to gather students' experiences , impressions, and suggestions for change for a prospective print journal, tentatively entitled (Coming Through! Voices of Faculty and Students Who 'Weren't Supposed to Be Here').

Fall 1997: Campus climate survey designed by the CLASS Diversity Committee and administered to faculty and staff; informal narrative responses by students in Rafael Rondón's classes

Summer/Fall 1999: Several wonderfully creative meetings between Leanne Sowande and Deirdre Lashgari in crevices of available time. Decision to gather material into a web journal rather than print journal.

Winter 2000: With student assistance, development of the first issue of an on-line campus journal fostering dialogue on community & diversity.

If you like what you see here, great; if not, don't blame Cal Poly Pomona.
Send your comments to us.