{"id":377405,"date":"2018-09-15T19:36:44","date_gmt":"2018-09-15T18:36:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/newswire\/prison-planet-com-university-announces-white-awake-safe-space-for-white-students\/"},"modified":"2018-09-15T19:36:44","modified_gmt":"2018-09-15T18:36:44","slug":"prison-planet-com-university-announces-white-awake-safe-space-for-white-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/newswire\/prison-planet-com-university-announces-white-awake-safe-space-for-white-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Prison Planet.com \u00bb University Announces \u201cWhite Awake\u201d Safe Space For White Students"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Campus Reform<\/strong><\/a>
Sept 15, 2018<\/p>\n

The University of Maryland at College Park announced Friday a new diversity support group to create a \u201csafe space\u201d for white students to discuss their feelings about \u201cinteractions with racial and ethnic minorities.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The support group, called \u201cWhite Awake<\/a>,\u201d will help white students who may \u201csometimes feel uncomfortable and confused before, during, or after interactions with racial and ethnic minorities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis group offers a safe space for White students to explore their experiences, questions, reactions, and feelings<\/strong>,\u201d the description explains. \u201cMembers will support and share feedback with each other as they learn more about themselves and how they can fit into a diverse world<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The description asks students if they want to \u201cimprove [their] ability to relate to and connect with people different from [themselves]\u201d or if they want to become a better \u201cally.\u201d The new group is now one of four in the university\u2019s \u201cDiversity Issues\u201d program series.<\/p>\n

The group is being led by Noah Collins, who works for the UMD Counseling Center, and will be held once a week. Collins specializes in group therapy and is interested \u201cespecially in the areas of racial and cultural awareness,\u201d according to his faculty bio<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The safe space has been met with harsh criticism from students on social media.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am ashamed over the execution of white awake nor do I fully understand its clause. \u2018How they can fit into a diverse world\u2019? Why do they need to attend therapy sessions on how to be a decent human being in society?\u201d a UMD student wrote on Twitter<\/a>. \u201cWhy do they need to have these sessions to learn how to coexist?\u201d<\/p>\n