Eighty-six-year-old Don Roberts loves to talk to people and found just the right event on the University of Wisconsin-Stout campus recently with the Talk to Stranger Series.
“I am isolated as a senior,” said Roberts, of Menomonie, who regularly visits the University Library, site of the event. “I have never been somebody to live in isolation. I will go out to meet people in any way I can.”
UW-Stout dietetics junior Crissy Peterson had a chance to talk with Roberts, telling him about her love of cooking. Peterson joined in as part of her sorority Sigma Sigma Sigma, which encouraged members to attend.
“I’m not a people person,” said Peterson, 20, of St. Thomas, Jamaica. “I’ve had some really good conversations with people here. It was fun. I learned a lot about different people.”
Peterson, president of the International Relations Club, hopes the event will help break down stereotypes. “Knowing about different people and cultures you are better able to connect with people,” she said.
Talk to Strangers started last year as a partnership between the University Library and UW-Stout’s Social Justice Programming for Engagement, Action, Knowledge and Understanding People, which is part of the Involvement Center. This year the event expanded to include the Menomonie Public Library to give students and others an opportunity to meet someone new, share stories and discover peoples’ diverse backgrounds.
About 110 people attended the UW-Stout event. They were given seven minutes to talk before rotating to the next person. If conversations waned, there were questions on each table for participants to share. Some examples included: Do you have any siblings and what are they like? Where would you like to live? How far are you from home?
“We just want people to talk to each other and meet new people,” said Ann Vogl, UW-Stout academic librarian.
Jackie Bisson, inclusion and peer outreach coordinator for SPEAK UP, hopes students will feel more connected to the Menomonie community. “UW-Stout is part of the community, and it’s important students see they are a part of the community outside of the campus,” Bisson said.
“Often people are focused on their electronic devices to communicate with people within their current social circle,” Bisson added. “I believe it is important for students to have face-to-face conversations with new people who have different identities and experiences than them.”
Rundi Myklebust, Menomonie Public Library adult services assistant, said part of the goal is so community members don’t think UW-Stout is secluded from the community. “We are always trying to get UW-Stout students and the community to mix and feel comfortable interacting with each other,” Myklebust said.
Dolly Catlin, Dunn County Transit Commission manager, attended the series in part to share information on bus routes but also to meet new people. “Meeting people here — it’s great,” Catlin said. “I love to talk and expand my social group.”
Carissa Shern, 21, a junior majoring in hotel restaurant tourism management from Eagan, Minn., also attended as a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority. “It was interesting to see not just students taking part,” she said. “There were a couple of awkward moments, but I would say it is a good way to get to talk with people.”
Elizabeth Steans, University Library circulation supervisor, said the Talk to Stranger Series encourages conversation in a structured, safe setting. “It’s giving people an opportunity to talk to someone they wouldn’t in a normal day,” she said.
At first, people were limited to five-minute conversations. Most participants wanted more time, Steans said, so the time was increased to seven minutes.
Roberts believes there should be even more time for each conversation. “I found it a little frustrating,” he said. “I think it is too short of conversation time. I would want at least 10 to 15 minutes.”
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Photos
UW-Stout student Crissy Peterson talks with Don Roberts of Menomonie during a recent UW-Stout Talk to Stranger series. UW-Stout photo by Pam Powers
Jackie Bisson
Elizabeth Steans
