As recently outlined in emails to all students, employees, and university affiliates, the Social Equity and Title IX Office has compiled a listing of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives organized so far this academic year. Please note that this list is not exhaustive of all the efforts campus partners have planned. If your department or group has something you'd like to share, please let us know! Please also remember that all web maintainers should be adding their events to the various online calendars in the CMS.
Recent correspondence from Elise Glenn, Chief Diversity and Inclusion officer and Title IX coordinator:
This summer was a time of reckoning in our country about racism in policing, in criminal justice, in other institutions such as education and healthcare, and in everyday American life. We, too, are working to better understand how racism affects our IUP community and how we can best address these problems. Many students, employees, alumni, and IUP partners reached out this summer to engage in culture building at IUP. Our shared goal is to make us a community in which all students and employees can learn, grow, and work in an environment that respects each person's dignity, promotes and fosters a diverse, inclusive, and equitable community life, and supports the success of its members to achieve their goals. In addition to my conversations with many university-related personnel, we also met with students over the summer, to listen and understand their perspectives as we strategize moving forward. We will continue to listen and to work directly with students and employees.
There are many areas where we can act now to grow a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture at IUP. We in the Social Equity and Title IX Office will continue to work with administration and student leaders, as well as the President's Commission on Diversity and Inclusion, the President's Commission on the Status of Women at IUP, the Commission on GLBT Issues, the Hispanic Heritage Council, the Native American Awareness Council, the Center for Teaching Excellence, Women's and Gender Studies, the Fredrick Douglass Institute, the Elephant in the Room Series, the Difficult Dialogues Project, the Office of International Education, the Center for Multicultural Student Leadership and Engagement (MCSLE), the Department for Disability Access and Advising, academic colleges and departments, student groups, and many others. We are collaborating to provide the best policies and procedures to address race, color, ethnic, and other discrimination and bias incidents; to bring qualified, quality training for employees and students; and to facilitate access to engaging relevant educational programming.
Some of this year's work and future plans include:
Leadership and Work Groups
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The Cook Honors College created a new website that publicly affirms their vision for the program and values that reflect a commitment to DE&I.
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The Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance, in the College of Fine Arts, posted a Statement of Solidarity with Black Students, Colleagues, and Citizens.
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The Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice posted a strong statement on their website reading: “IUP's Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice is ‘No Place for Hate.' As educators and students of criminology and criminal justice, we are committed to preventing and fighting racism, discrimination, and injustice with action, knowledge, and courage.”
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The Social Equity and Title IX Office will create a bank of syllabus statements for faculty to share regarding DE&I, respect for others' perspectives, and polite discourse.
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The President's Commission on Diversity and Inclusion was active this summer working with our office to identify the best trainings on support for students in marginalized groups, anti-racism, and identifying and mitigating bias.
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Student Affairs, especially through work by MCSLE, was active this summer listening to and working with students and training. This year, MCSLE will re-establish Diversity Peer Educators to learn and teach other students on topics of anti-racism, diversity, multiculturalism, and social justice. Student Affairs also has opened clear lines of communication with various student organizations and student government to support IUP's students of color.
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IUP Police are working with a student advisory board this year to facilitate communication between officers and students.
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Athletics, the Student Affairs leadership team, and the Social Equity and Title IX Office are dialoguing with alumni student athletes to improve academic and social support for student athletes of color.
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IUP is implementing a protocol to address bias incidents that includes investigation, discipline, organized counter-speech, restorative justice, and ongoing communication to the IUP community as we work together through bias/hate incidents and their aftermath.
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The Racial Justice Coalition for Change has released a short video via email to employees and students regarding their “Stand Against Racism” events.
Training
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This year, IUP will provide in-person and video training for all students and employees on anti-racism, identifying and mitigating bias, and support for students in marginalized groups, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, color and others, and intersectionality.
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IUP's new Difficult Dialogues Project is conducting training workshops throughout the year for students and employees.
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Faculty in the Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance will lead a campus-wide Forum Theatre session to engage students and employees in direct role-playing of real-life scenarios.
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The GLBT Commission and LGBTQIA Support Office will explore expanding Ally training to include other demographics.
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MCSLE will provide ongoing diversity training for all student organization executive board members and all Greek Council members.
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Student Affairs staff will participate in a series of ongoing training sessions around anti-racism, social justice, and inclusion topics on a monthly basis.
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The IUP Criminal Justice Training Center developed a training called “Principled Criminal Justice and Police Legitimacy” that will be offered at a minimal cost to police departments and civic leaders in our region; IUP police will participate.
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IUP's Cultural Competencies Certificate through the Anthropology Department provides students the opportunity to grow their skills to work effectively with people from different cultures. This is an opportunity we can encourage a broad range of students to access.
Programs
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A panel discussion with alumni professionals in healthcare, law enforcement, and corporate law is planned and will be facilitated by IUP faculty to discuss with students how DE&I initiatives benefit the workplace.
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The Hispanic Heritage Council plans to host a conference on Latin American culture, identity, and diversity.
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Pre-med and Nursing students are working with faculty and departmental leaders on a presentation/discussion by healthcare practitioners regarding combating racism in healthcare.
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Our office is hosting a year-long series on the history of the civil rights movement.
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Faculty in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice and personnel in our office are developing programs on policing in America and combating injustice in the criminal justice system.
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The Elephant in the Room Series and CTE will present programs dealing with DE&I issues again this year.
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Faculty from the Department of Anthropology are planning programming about race and ethnicity.
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The College of Fine Arts will bring programming through art, music, and theater to address race, gender, and other DE&I concepts.
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MCSLE has many programs planned this year, including Lunch and Learns, Social Justice Leadership workshops, Building Bridges, Breaking the Barrier, Queer Conversations, and the Six O'Clock Series.
Our office newsletter, Weekly Digest, and our social media highlight accomplishments, activities, and events. Please also follow us on FaceBook and Instagram to know the many activities in which students and employees can participate. In this time of remote learning, many of these programs will be virtual and recorded, allowing for greater access.
This is a time of urgency for change. Together we can make that change a reality. Please reach out if you want to discuss opportunities to work with us this year: social-equity@iup.edu.