By KERSTIN SMIT
Traditional exchange programs are designed to make other cultures less foreign. And an exchange program in its fourth year between BYU's Communications Department and Howard University in Washington, D.C., does just this.
Participating faculty say the exchange with Howard, which is 90 percent African-American, has been valuable for both schools, especially for BYU.
'It's actually a far richer experience for our faculty and students,' said Laurie Wilson, associate professor of communications, who is on exchange to Howard this week.
'We gain a better understanding of the African-American experience,' she said, 'and hopefully they understand (Caucasians) a little better as well.'
The first student to intern was Genet Orme Slagle during Winter Semester 1994.
'No one had gone before me so I didn't know what to expect,' she said. 'It was a big risk, no one knew what could happen.'
She said her parents were supportive but they were concerned it wouldn't be valuable.
'They were worried I wouldn't relate or fit in, that it wouldn't be a good experience. Everyone worried that Howard and BYU were at two opposite ends of the spectrum,' Slagle said.
'The first month I felt like I was in a different country, it wasn't an easy experience by any means,' she said. 'I didn't expect them to be as interested in learning about me as I was in learning about them, but we had a lot of questions for each other and we all found out we were more alike than we realized.'
A goal is to get a Howard University student to study at BYU, Wilson said, and she said a faculty member from Howard may visit later this year.
Michael Tucker, a lecturer in Howard's journalism department visited for two weeks in 1994. He said it's vitally important that the exchange continue because today's white students will be in the newsrooms of tomorrow.
'It's important they understand the need for diversified sourcing and storytelling and provide adequate and fair coverage of minority communities,' he said.
He said he enjoyed the opportunity to talk openly and honestly with students through the exchange.
'Not only is journalism better for it,' he said, 'but individuals are better. We both share the benefit because we each get an opportunity to share each others' cultures.'
'It's very important to us to get a different perspective,' said Barbara Hines, acting communications department chair at Howard.
She said they get requests from many universities to do student and faculty exchanges, but they can't do everything because Howard is already a diverse environment.
'We have to pick and choose,' she said. 'We've maintained our relationship with BYU because we have seen some good relationships and ideas come from it,' she said.
A student exchange from Howard University is being worked out currently, Wilson said.
'The faculty exchange is the most active part, but our goal is to get a student exchange going,' she said. 'Right now we're working on an agreement to exchange students for a full semester.'
Some Howard students are interested in a BYU exchange, Hines said, but it is difficult to finance.
'If I want to send someone from Howard, I have to cover the air fare and other expenses,' she said. 'I have to decide if the perspective they gain is going to be worth it.'
No BYU students have been full-time students at Howard yet, but students have interned at Howard's public broadcasting station, Wilson said.