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Tunnel of Oppression targets privilege

The Tunnel of Oppression has provided cultural awareness to campus through interactive tours since 2005. The event will return with new features Nov. 10 to 13 in the Student Center Ballroom and is open to students, faculty and staff.

New this year to the program is the chance to tour the tunnel without a guide and with the lights on. Participants will only have this opportunity from 3:30 to 6 p.m. on Nov. 13.

“In the nature of a 20 minute tunnel, there’s no way that you can read and digest all of the information that’s in that space,” Norris Chase, assistant director of multicultural student services, said. “This is a very new aspect of it that will provide students with the opportunity to learn and relax and explore the information.”

Also new to the event is the Tunnel of Hope, which is an area of the tour designed to provide students with ways to combat oppression.

“Usually you go through the program and it’s over, and you’re like, ‘Man, that is overwhelming; I can’t do anything to change that,'” Chase said. “What we want to do is empower students, challenge students and ultimately expose them to ways that they could be the change that they want to see.”

Student volunteers make up the Tunnel of Oppression Committee, which comes up with the themes of the tunnel and organizes and constructs the areas. According to Chase, there are about 12 subjects highlighted by the tunnel, including sexual assault, racial discrimination and human trafficking. The overall theme for the year, however, is recognizing individual privilege.

“We, as Americans, and as people on a college campus, have a variety of privileges that we don’t think about,” Chase said. “This experience is a really great way to recognize, think and reflect on those [privileges].”

After each tour, participants will have the chance to discuss the tour with faculty and staff.

“[Faculty and staff members] are excited about it,” Chase said. “We will have counselors on call as well and a wide variety of resources that students can have or check out if they need.”

When event planning began in April, Chase said he and his committee volunteers were able to find encouragement on campus.

“The support from the community, the EHS classes, the vice president of student affairs, the executive director of student involvement and the overall support from the entire Bradley community is always so encouraging,” he said.

There are still positions open for students to volunteer to be actors or tour guides and help with setup and teardown. Students can sign up by visiting the Tunnel of Oppression page on Bradley’s website.

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