Race Mediators Appointed

Eighteen students, tutors and faculty members accepted membership yesterday to the Harvard Mediation Service, a pilot program to mediate racial conflicting in the College.

"We are going to help people communicate and start dialogue," said student member Austin W. So '96.

The program, which was founded by Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III, will hold its first training session for selected mediators next weekend.

Prior to their training session, the mediators must prepare a written essay about a past situation in which they dealt with a racial conflict.

"We had homework," So said. "We had to write a case based on our personal experience."

Forty students, tutors, and faculty applied to the program three weeks ago. The initial selection process was completed by Doug Stone, a first-year proctor, and members from two professional companies conflict Management Group and Conflict Management, Inc. The same selection committee will also be training the mediators.

The mediators were selected according to the quality of their applications, their essays, and "to some extent on prior experience," Epps said.

So said he thinks he was chosen because he does not have a busy schedule.

"I guess I have the time to put in" said So, who is a member of the Undergraduate Council. "I know some qualified people that were turned down."

Epps said students were not involved in the selection procedure because he felt it was more objective to rely on professional outside "the internal politics of the college." For this same reason, Epps said he did not take part in choosing the applicants.

Epps said he did not look at the applications, but he did review the profiles given to him by the selection committee.

The mediators will attend two weekend trainingsessions before they become active mediators.

Mediators Kereem H. Crayton '95-96 said thatalthough the two weekends of training may beinconvenient, they are necessary to initiate theservice as soon as possible.

During the training sessions, the mediatorswill learn how to teach conflicting groups ofanalyze their situations from differentperspectives, said Robert Rosigliono, a consultantfrom Conflict Management Group, in an interviewlast month.

"Several groups have complained on variousissues dealing with minority groups," said So."And in places like that we could come in handy."

Applications who were not selected for theservice can also take part in the first trainingsession as affiliates. They can participate in a"working group on dialogue" to create a hand-bookon discussion about race, according of Epps.

Other students selected as mediators are JoanR. Cheng '95, Allyson V. Hobbs '97, James Miller'95-96, Dara Orenstein '96, Sarah S. Song '96, andSeda Yalcinkaya 95.

"[The Mediation Service] is supposed to helppeople manage relationships," So said. "This groupis going to make a big difference.

The mediators will attend two weekend trainingsessions before they become active mediators.

Mediators Kereem H. Crayton '95-96 said thatalthough the two weekends of training may beinconvenient, they are necessary to initiate theservice as soon as possible.

During the training sessions, the mediatorswill learn how to teach conflicting groups ofanalyze their situations from differentperspectives, said Robert Rosigliono, a consultantfrom Conflict Management Group, in an interviewlast month.

"Several groups have complained on variousissues dealing with minority groups," said So."And in places like that we could come in handy."

Applications who were not selected for theservice can also take part in the first trainingsession as affiliates. They can participate in a"working group on dialogue" to create a hand-bookon discussion about race, according of Epps.

Other students selected as mediators are JoanR. Cheng '95, Allyson V. Hobbs '97, James Miller'95-96, Dara Orenstein '96, Sarah S. Song '96, andSeda Yalcinkaya 95.

"[The Mediation Service] is supposed to helppeople manage relationships," So said. "This groupis going to make a big difference.