This new initiative solicits student's real life experiences and shapes them into performances pieces that serve as a catalyst for substantive, actionable dialogues on diversity and inclusion. The program is designed to expand UMD students’ capacity for dialogue, inquiry, reflection and action about critical issues facing their campus and broader community. The It/That Happened Project uses performance based art in the form of theatrical plays, spoken word, poetry, visual arts and dance as a platform to stimulate difficult conversation about pressing issues related to identity and difference. The ultimate goals of these conversations are to create new learning opportunities for UMD students to build community and develop ways to promote a safe and inclusive campus climate through individual and collective actions.