Six seminars sponsored by the Diversity Policy Institute will explore "The Meaning of Race" over a 10-week period and will feature discussions from five different disciplines to help students, faculty and staff become more comfortable with the topic of race.

"The concept of race has been a dominant social theme in the United States for the past two centuries," said Charles Payne, director of the Diversity Policy Institute. "As it has been in the past, race continues to be a major dividing force within our country."

The series of six seminars will be held at 6 p.m. in Teachers College, room 102. These seminars are free and open to the public. The schedule is as follows:

• "Biology and Race: How An Understanding of DNA Can Inform Us," Jennifer Metzler, assistant professor of biology, Feb. 4
  
• Evelyn Bowers, associate professor of anthropology, Feb. 18
  
• Lone DeOllos, associate professor of sociology, March 3
  
• Sharon Bowman, chairwoman of the counseling psychology and guidance services department, March 17
  
• "Race and Religion," Daphne Rolle, assistant professor of philosophy, March 31
  
• "What is Race Anyway? Is Understanding Genetic Differences Important for Addressing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities?" Vence Bonham, Genome Project, National Institutes of Health, April 8.
  

For more information, contact the Diversity Policy Institute at 765-285-5316 or dpi@bsu.edu.

By Jennifer Strempka