Students took part in a roundtable discussion Thursday as a part of the One Mizzou Week activities.
The roundtable discussion was held in the Women’s Center and featured eight students from different areas of MU life. The theme of the discussion was “I Am One Mizzou.”
The eight members of the student panel consisted of student athletes, veterans, Greek life members, LGBT students and participants from the audience.
Most of the discussion was centered around stereotypes and how people are perceived by them.
The first topic was a time in which people were judged.
Senior Justin Cook, the leader of the discussion, answered the question first by recalling a time in which he was judged due to his tattoos and his race. He told of an experience in which people would look at him and think he was uneducated because of how he looked.
Another topic was a perceived privilege that was given to each group.
Senior Katelyn Trevin, a Missouri gymnast, discussed perceptions of athlete privilege. She made the point that people frequently assume athletes throw away scholarship money.
A member of the audience brought up religious privilege that many students are unaware of, such as having school off for Christmas and Thanksgiving without needing special permission.
The last topic of discussion for the panel was “What is your favorite Mizzou experience?”
Cook discussed first joining a fraternity. The brotherhood he found and the friends he made were the best thing that he has experienced at MU, he said.
An audience member brought up the night Missouri beat No. 1 Oklahoma. The audience member said that moment brought people together from everywhere and every angle of life. She said it did not matter who you were, how you looked or your age — everyone just rushed the field as one.