Greetings From the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:
We reached our goal of making it to Thanksgiving without a major outbreak of COVID-19 on our campus! Many thanks to each one of you for taking our collective health seriously and adopting the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of the community. Although we are now functioning in a fully remote environment, we remain a unified community. I encourage each one of you to continue to keep practicing social distancing, proper mask wearing and frequent hand washing.
We continue to make great strides in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. We supported the recognition of Native American Heritage Month, Transgender Awareness Week and First-Generation College Students. Our student-based conversation, “First Fridays,” focused on the experiences of our student veterans.
We are doing—and will continue to do—the work.
Upcoming for December
December promises to be another robust month in our office. Our “First Fridays” event on December 4 focused on the topic of goal setting, just as our thoughts are turning to the new year ahead and the changes that we would like to implement in our lives. Our Allies Conversation on December 8 explored the ways in which we can best support and serve as allies to our neurodiverse community members. December 16 is the final meeting of our Trauma and Healing Conversation series, facilitated by Dr. Laura Quiros and Chotsani Williams West, and it promises to offer us just what we need after this most difficult year. We hope that you will be able to join us.
Looking Ahead to 2021
Our office will be offering an informative monthly newsletter that will highlight some of the robust diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism work that is underway all around our campus. There is a great deal going on; if you have been impacted by some of these excellent efforts and initiatives, please let us know so we may share your experiences. Stay tuned!
We encourage you to visit our website for frequent updates from our Unit Diversity Councils, task forces and committees.
Long-Term Goals
I am appreciative of all the work that has been done during this unusual and painful time. I know that it has not been easy. This is only the beginning of a more sustained effort by our community to examine who we are and what we need to thrive in 2021 and beyond. We have already begun to examine the offerings in our curriculum, to pay attention to the needs of all, and to make greater efforts to foster a climate of openness, respect and collaboration.
Have a safe and restful holiday season.
Take good care,
Jacqueline Jones LaMon, JD
Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion