Michigan University has held a special seminar for white members of staff who feel 'uncomfortable' being white and tackling race issues on campus.

During a two-day professional development conference at the University of Michigan, staff were asked to attend a session entitled The Conversations on Whiteness.

Held on December 5 as part of the university's Student Life Professional Development Conference, it asked: 'Do you feel uncomfortable as a White person engaging with students or colleagues about social justice issues? Do you want to help students and staff as they work through the difficulty of campus climate issues related to race, but don’t know how?'.

The Conversations on Whiteness session on December 5 was part of the University of Michigan's Student Life Professional Development Conference

'Using the Privileged Identity Exploration Model (PIE), participants will have the opportunity to recognize the difficulties they face when talking about social justice issues related to their White identity, explore this discomfort, and devise ways to work through it.'

The session used the Privilege Identity Exploration Model - introduced by Sherry Watt (pictured) - which looks at how people react to being confronted with their privilege

The goal was to support students and staff on topics surrounding identity and social justice.

First introduced in 2007 by University of Iowa professor Sherry Watt, the Privileged Identity Exploration Model works to understand how people react to being confronted with their privilege by identifying 'eight defensive reactions often displayed in difficult dialogues when one is being encouraged to reflect on their social, political and economic position in society.'

Different examples of the eight reactions are: denial, deflection false envy, and rationalization.

The University of Michigan session was carried out by Abby Priehs: associate director of residence education; Steve Bodei: associate director of Student Life Leadership Education; and Nick Smith: director of campus involvement.

According to the student life website, the overall theme for the professional development was Identity, Wellness, & Work: Healthier, Happier, & More Efficient.

The University of Michigan session was carried out by Abby Priehs: associate director of residence education; Steve Bodei: associate director of Student Life Leadership Education; and Nick Smith: director of campus involvement (left to right)

Other sessions included: Building and Strengthening Your Assessment Muscles; Empower, Safety and You; Making Meaning: the Role of Spirituality in higher Education; I Don't Feel Safe Talking About Race; and more.

Universities across the country have worked to address intersectionality and privilege in the classroom and on campus.

American University had an event earlier in the year dedicated to staff learning more about their identities.

In 2015, the University of Vermont held a 'white privilege' retreat for students to learn about how to foster a more diverse and inclusive community.