Coffee Chat with Community Leaders

Domestic Terror, Racialized Trauma: Af-Am Males' Mental Wellness & Academic Resilience

Wednesday, November 1 | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm Central

Educational policies and regulations as well as carceral laws have been and continue to be used to dismiss, discredit, dehumanize, and destroy black people. It is this experience African American males bring into the academy. Equity research indicates a strong correlation between the mental health of underrepresented minorities and their overall academic performance (Okpych, Cortney & Villalobos, 2018; Wilbur & Roscigno, 2016). More importantly, the research suggests that African American male students experience greater degrees of anxiety, depression, stress, difficulties adjusting to academic/social demands, unidentified or unmanaged mental health, and well-being challenges. 
The presenters apply leading trauma research and theories to the phenomenon of white supremacy, political terror, and anti-blackness. An examination of internalized and externalized white supremacy that ignites critical thought, constructive dialogue, and reflective discussion among faculty, staff, and African American male students is critical.  It is through this praxis faculty and staff can more effectively optimize engagement and support to African American male students throughout their educational journey. 

This presentation will provide attendees with trauma-informed strategies, practical interventions, and approaches that will improve their skills and effectiveness in optimizing and supporting African American males' academic engagement, retention, socio-emotional management, and overall mental wellness associated with the vestiges of political terror and social trauma borne out of white supremacy, anti-blackness, and internalized oppression. The combination of a unique, targeted application of skill-based trauma strategies to college-age African American males will enhance their academic and socio-emotional skills to better navigate the inherent systemic anti-blackness embedded in the academy. It is designed to benefit faculty, staff, students, conduct/disciplinary officers, and groups associated with student leadership and coalition building.

Shannon Cooper, PsyD | Licensed Psychologist, Alpha Consultation & Training, LLCS─Sacramento, CA
Kenya Sullivan, LCSW | Licensed Cinical Social Worker, , Alpha Consultation & Training, LLCS─Pleasanton, CA

Don't Talk about Implicit Bias Without Talking About Structural Racism

Wednesday, November 1 | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm Central

It is now commonly known that unconscious or implicit bias plays a primary role in the development and perpetuation of racialized beliefs, the treatment of individuals and groups in our nation, and life outcomes in education, health and well-being.  However, what is less understood and still highly invisible is how our institutional structures perpetuate unconscious bias.  It is critical that any learning about implicit bias includes both clear information about the neuroscience of bias and the context of structural racism that gave rise to and perpetuates inequalities and harmful racial bias.  This session will build on an article by the same title written by the co-presenters.  In this session participants will examine and unpack their own implicit biases and explore how they can identify and dismantle policies and structures that hold inequities in place in our societal institutions in general and more specifically, in educational institutions.  Presenters will share examples of how structural racism can be addressed and engage participants in imagining how they can address it in their own institutions.  This session will benefit those who lead and/or participate in working to disrupt inequitable practices in their institutions and those who wish to design new structures to eliminate bias.

Addressing implicit bias starts with individuals understanding how they have been primed to make unconscious associations and assumptions based on race. Research has shown that implicit bias can be addressed through interrupting individual biases and changing institutional structures. Strategies include interrupting one's own biases and building capacity to act differently, as well as redesigning systems to promote equity. 

Hugh Vasquez, MSW | Director, National Equity Project and SpeakOut-Oakland, CA

Mission Visible in Higher Education: A Pilipino/x/a Case Study

Wednesday, November 1 | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm Central
 

Despite the growing numbers of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students entering higher education, experiences of being invisibilized continue to occur. This session will provide resources on how to transform higher education so invisibilized and minoritized communities are no longer working from the margins, but are the focal point inside and outside the classroom. 
 

Using the Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi American (APIDA) community as a case study, this session aims to dismantle the "model minority myth," a construct rooted in white supremacy that functions as a wedge between APIDA communities and other communities of color (Poon et al., 2015). Generally, higher education were constructed as tools of white supremacy, remain Euro-centric, and often disregard the diverse experiences of the APIDA community, specifically Pilipina/o/x Americans (PAs) who are largely omitted altogether. PAs are the third largest APIDA in the U.S., with approximately 4 million individuals in 2019 (Pew Research Center, 2019). Furthermore in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a marked increase of Anti-Asian violence (Gover et al., 2020; Le et al., 2020). PAs are also one of the fastest growing immigrant groups with a longstanding and complex history of immigration in the U.S. dating back to the 1700s in Louisiana, yet are persistently invisibilized both in and outside of the classroom. 

As we continue to navigate the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and ever increasing racism, it is necessary that higher education increases retention efforts responsive to the needs of marginalized communities to cultivate inclusive learning experiences for BIPOC students. This session will share strategies that create inclusive learning environments for BIPOC students. We will share tools that can be incorporated in the classroom such as ethnic studies pedagogy, which centers diverse epistemologies in coursework (Tintiangco-Cubales et al., 2015). We will also share strategies for outside of the classroom such as increasing effective culturally embedded resources that support the whole identities of BIPOC students via funding, including the federal Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) designation. Attendees will engage in small group discussions to strategize on how to forge systemic changes to center BIPOC students at their home institutions. 

Gabrielle Aquino-Adriatico, MSW | Graduate Research Assistant, Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston─Houston, TX
Joanna La Torre, MSW, LCSW | Predoctoral Research Assistant , School of Social Work , University of Washington─Seattle, WA
Kirin Macapugay, MSW | Associate Professor, Program Director , School of Behavioral Sciences , San Diego City College ─San Diego, CA
Lainey Sevillano, MSW, PhD | Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, Portland State University─Portland, OR

Tarot for Antiracist Reflection, Dialogue, and Community Building

Wednesday, November 1 | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm Central
 

Tarot has the potential to provide individuals with an opportunity to ground in the present, engage in mindfulness, and work through difficult situations and conversation. It does this by aiding practitioners in constructing narratives that name and describe current situations and explore potential pathways forward. Thus, tarot is an excellent tool (which many of our students are familiar with) to explore difficult topics such as race, racism, and anti-racist activism for ourselves and with the students we work with. 

This interactive workshop explores how tarot can be used as a narrative tool to engage in self-reflection that supports anti-racist understandings of the world, identities, and practices. We will provide a general overview of the tarot and explore how we can link this metaphysical practice to identity development, the construction of counternarratives, and an ongoing commitment to antiracism. To deepen participants' understanding of these links, we guide participants through a self-reflective journey using the wisdom and imagery from several tarot cards. For this workshop, we will explore cards that (a) encourage us to nurture our inner child in order to explore vulnerability, criticism, and liberation, (b) link to somatic healing work and invite us to let go and release in order to draw boundaries and nourish the selves that oppression has taught us to devalue and (c) encourage us to dream beyond systems of oppression in order to demand and co-create a more equitable world.
 

Throughout the session, participants will develop an understanding of the tarot as a metaphysical and antiracist practice, see how tarot can provide opportunities for antiracist self-reflection and create opportunities for antiracist conversations to begin, and understand how tarot can help us develop an embodied understanding of important antiracist lessons from scholarly and activist writings. Finally, participants will be provided with tips and resources on how to incorporate tarot into daily practices and student activities to cultivate antiracist commitments and practices.

Daniel Eisen, PhD | Associate Professor/Department Chair, Sociology, Pacific University-Forest Grove, OR

The Assault on Critical Race Theory (CRT) in Higher Education

Wednesday, November 1 | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm Central
 

As of November 2022, at least 548 anti-Critical Race Theory (CRT) measures have been introduced at the local, state, and federal levels following the now-rescinded Executive Order 13950, oftentimes referred to as the Equity Gag Order. These anti-CRT measures have impacted teaching and learning at institutions of higher learning as well as government agencies, private business and K-12 education. Paused diversity trainings. Cancelling of courses in ethnic studies. Reduction in funding. Removal of school officials from their positions. These are just a few examples of the wide-reaching, well-funded attack on access to truthful information about race, racism and CRT as a tool to dismantle systemic racism. 

Up until now, little was known about the patterns, trends, and comprehensive scope of the overwhelming pervasiveness of the assault on CRT. The recently launched CRT Forward Tracking Project, an initiative of UCLA School of Law's Critical Race Studies Program, has demonstrated that the assault on CRT and antiracist teaching, training, and research is significantly impacting higher education. As a result, this session will: (1) define CRT; (2) provide an overview of the CRT Forward Tracking Project; and (3) outline trends and patterns of anti-CRT activity impacting higher education. 

Attendees who will get the most out of this presentation are administrators who lead and coordinate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and policies on their campuses.

Taifha Alexander, JD, LLM | CRT Forward Project Director , Critical Race Studies Program, UCLA School of Law ─Los Angeles, CA

Queer Antagonism and Colonization: A Brief Exploration

Wednesday, November 1 | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm Central

Join Mycall Akeem Riley (Director Gender and Sexuality Resource Center For Queer and Trans Life, University of Minnesota Twin Cities) for a brief exploration of the roots of colonization as the foundation for Queer Antagonism. Trans Misogyny, Homophobia, and more are the many manifestations of queer antagonism and throughout our campuses and communities. Often, surface-level solutions are thought to eliminate these systemic problems, often failing. In this workshop participants will be given a brief introduction to the ways colonization is vital to our current systems of inequality facing our QTPOC communities and how to center this in our work towards liberation.

This workshop with benefit intermediate to advanced practitioners and anyone invested in a deeper excavation in LGBTQIA+ issues.

Presenter: 

Mycall Akeem Riley

DEIJ Remix - Back 2 Basics 2.0: From Boomers through Gen X, Y, Z and A

 
Wednesday, November 1 |  11:00 am – 12:30 pm Central
 
For this 2-part workshop DEIJ Remix 2.0 will be responsive to the current landscape that diminishes DEIJ and deems it unnecessary in our institutions, classrooms and literary texts.  Our focus will be: How are we working within existing systems to create equitable change? What pedagogical approaches work for which environments? Are we aware of our learning edges? When might our own triggers show up? How do we manage them, and gather the courage to heal?  And, if you have not fully dealt with these questions, then might you be practicing cultural voyeurism and or DEI tourism?
Moving from “code shifters” to “code weavers” (Pegram and Bonner, 2021) involves: 1) being versed in environmental scanning, 2) being culturally aware of our intersectional identities and academic interests, 3) understanding and engaging one’s own emotions, values and motivations in a decolonized healthy, self reflective manner (Laenui, 2000), and 4) exercising cultural humility (Tervalon & Murray-Garcia, 1998). 

How do practitioners engage in praxis that builds connections across the generations versus causing further division within our fields of work/scholarship/institutions? For example, are DEIJ current job descriptions being set up for failure? Can we reasonably expect institutional change in these virtual and/or hybrid environments? While the old ways of knowing and implementing DEI 1.0 initiatives (in an era of funding and support) are still applicable, we also need to embrace new ways of service delivery as the landscape shifts, post-Floyd, post-COVID and now post-SCOTUS (DEIJ 2.0). 

Joining us are Sharon Washington, PhD., Executive Coach (https://www.sharonjwashington.com/), Kathleen Wong(Lau), PhD., CDO at CSU Hayward State University in California (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleen-wong-lau-phd-8a87b4b5/), Pamela Chao, MS., Chair, Sociology, Coordinator, Equity Action Institute, American River College, California (https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-chao-5b41851a2/) and Joe-Joe McManus, PhD., Executive Coach and Consultant (https://drjoejoe.com). Our panelists collectively have over 100 years in higher education centering DEIJ work at the national level.

Presenters:

Catherine Wong, M.Ed. | Director & Founder, Catherine Wong Consults: Education, Training & Research ─ Boston, MA
Patricia Lowrie, MS | Director Emeritus and Executive Consultant, Michigan State University ─ East Lansing, MI
Jacquelyn Reza, PhD | Professor & Director of Professional Development, Emeritus, De Anza College & USF ─ Newark, CA
 
 

Unscheduled Caucus Meetings

Affect-Informed D.E.I. Workshops that Promote Belonging: From Competencies to Connection

Wednesday, November 1 | 3:00 – 4:30 pm Central
 

This session will cover how to design diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings for students and student employers with a focus on centering belonging and connection as a primary strategy for building more inclusive communities. This session will be particularly valuable for student affairs professionals or student-facing offices that implement D.E.I. trainings or are interested in doing so in the future. 
 

Presenters will explore the concept of belonging through data and inviting attendees to participate in individual and small group reflections. They will then discuss how they have centered belonging in their work through a combination of models including Intergroup Dialogue (Dr. Ratnesh Nagda), Designing for Belonging (Dr. Susie Wise, Stanford University), and Story Circles and Healing Cards (Charlene Martinez). By creating opportunities for connection, trainings can complement the cognitive (consciousness raising) with the affective (bridge building) to have a greater impact on participants. This will include examples of specific activities that organizations can incorporate into their own training curricula.  
 

Presenters will ground the discussion by looking at specific case studies at Johns Hopkins University and Whitman College regarding how D.E.I. trainings have been implemented over time, including the evolution of a 9-year annual workshop on Identity and Race, training for Resident Assistants, and training for student employers. 
Presenters will also discuss the changing terminology in "diversity" training and community development (D.E.I., D.E.I.A., D.E.I.B, J.E.D.I., D.B.J., etc.) and how adopting or responding to different terms can help guide the design and implementation of various training strategies. 
 

This session will be presented by Associate Director of Residence Life and Housing Andrew Padilla Johnson, M.A. (He/They) and Associate Director of Hire Hopkins Emma O'Rourke-Powell, M.B.A. (She/They).
 

Andrew Padilla-Johnson, MA | Associate Director of Residence Life and Housing , Residence Life and Housing, Whitman College ─Walla Walla, WA
Emma O'Rourke-Powell, MBA | Associate Director, Hire Hopkins, Johns Hopkins University ─Baltimore, MD

Authenticity at Work for Black Professionals

Wednesday, November 1 | 3:00 – 4:30 pm Central

This session will focus on how we, as Black professionals, manage our own image with the desire to show up authentically in the workplace. What does it mean to bring your whole self to work when there are also dominant narratives around professionalism? How do we make space for folks who historically have not been considered in the general office culture and practices? In this session, we will discuss the realities of the workplace culture and highlight what we can leverage and offer in authenticity, recognizing that the image we portray will come with expectations and assumptions. This discussion will dive into how we make space and negotiate it all. 

Alyscia Raines, Med | CEO and Lead DEI Strategist, , ADR Consulting Group LLC─Katy, TX
Omari Keeles, PhD | Associate Consultant, , ADR Consulting Group LLC─Brooklyn, NY

LGBTQIA+ MENA Students: Three Generations Share Their Narratives
 

Wednesday, November 1 | 3:00 – 4:30 pm Central
 

MENA/SWANA LGBTQIA+ experiences are varied and diverse. Students grappling with their sexual and gender identity often have to contend with tremendous other systems of oppression that impact their lives in the US and globally. These include anti-muslim racism, xenophobia, sexism, imperialism, class-based oppression, and more. While homophobia and transphobia are common in the MENA region and within diasporic communities, there is also a rich tradition of gender and sexual diversity that many people draw on for inspiration and legitimacy. Researchers underscore this historic diversity and its decline in large part due to colonization and processes of nation-state building. In the US, our experiences are diverse and embedded in the communities we live in and the ways we embody our identities. A strong history of organizing for queer rights in the region has also been reflected and supported by community building and organizing in the US. This visibility has at times generated backlash within close communities and a sense of urgency to support LGBTQIA+ youth in particular. In this workshop, speakers from three different generations share what it's like to live as an MENA LGBTQIA+ individual, organize inclusive programming, and interactively discuss with the audience strategies for support.

Zeina Zaatari, PhD | Director, UIC Arab American Cultural Center, Arab American Cultural Center, University of Illinois at Chicago─Chicago, IL
Curtis Taylor, MEd | Associate Director, Multicultural Organizations and Programming, Division of Equity , Diversity, and Inclusion, Creighton University─Omaha, NE
Roksana Alavi, PhD | Associate Professor of Integrative Studies, Women and Gender Studies Department, Oklahoma University─Norman, OK
Cassandra Alavi, BA | Undergraduate Student in Psychology, Psychology, University of Oklahoma─Norman, OK

Positioning Faculty of Color for Success: A Panel Conversation

Wednesday, November 1 | 3:00 – 4:30 pm Central
 

This session focuses on how Faculty of Color can confront and navigate the structural inequities inherent in community college and university settings. These hurdles include double standards in academic appointment processes such as promotion and tenure; identity-centered bullying; invisibility; tenuousness surrounding inclusive teaching, instructor identity, and positionality; an expectation of additional labor/ "other duties as assigned;" and more. Members of the NCORE Faculty Interests and Needs (FIN) Committee will address these topics while reflecting on their own personal experiences and encounters. The FIN panel will move to discuss strategies for underrepresented faculty to navigate oppressive higher education systems and politics, and their application to teaching, research, and service practices. Space will be provided to engage in interactive dialogue. This session should particularly benefit both tenure- track and non-tenure-track faculty.
Participants are invited to continue conversations and the application of content at the corresponding FIN Mixer networking opportunity immediately following the panel. 

Beth Durodoye, EdD, NCC | Dean, College of Arts, Sciences, and Education, Montana State University-Northern-Havre, MT
Alisha Davis, PhD | Assistant Vice President for the Social Justice Centers and Director of the Office of Multicultural Affair, The Social Justice Centers, Grand Valley State University-Allendale, MI
Gyasmine George-Williams, PhD | Assistant Professor of Race, Sports, and Social Justice, Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion and Ethnic Studies, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona-Pomona,CA
Jennifer Kelley, MFA, MLS | Professor and Faculty Chair of Professional Development, Library, College of DuPage-Glen Ellyn, IL
Browning Michael Neddeau, MA, EdD | Jointly Appointed Associate Professor of Elementary Teacher Education and American Indian Studies, School of Education and Department of Multicultural & Gender Studies, California State University, Chico-Chico, CA
Paris Ryan, EdD | Professor of English and Author, Department of English, San Diego Community College District and Southwestern Community College District-San Diego, CA

What Do I Say Now?: Strategies for Addressing Microaggressions

Wednesday, November 1 | 3:00 – 4:30 pm Central
 

What can we do when we receive, witness, or enact a microaggression?  What do we need to consider when deciding on the most appropriate and effective response? How can we be less defensive and more open to hearing feedback when we have committed a microaggression? Many people want to say something when they hear statements they find offensive or ill-informed, but are at a loss for how to do so. Ignoring such behavior can allow it to perpetuate and foster environments that feel unwelcoming and harmful. 
 

This workshop will provide participants with a range of practical strategies for recognizing and addressing microaggressions. There is no one way to effectively respond in all situations, therefore we need a toolbox of skills at our disposal. We will discuss various considerations when choosing a response, listening to feedback, as well as how to apologize when we enact a microaggression.  Participants will have the opportunity to practice some responses to situations they encounter.  Attendees will leave with a range of strategies they can draw on and share with others. 
 

Ann Marie Garran, PhD | Associate Professor, School of Social Work, University of Connecticut ─Hartford, CT
Diane Goodman, EdD | Equity and Social Justice Trainer/Consultant, www.dianegoodman.com─Nyack, NY

Enacting Intersectionality in Teaching, Research, Engagement, Strategic Planning, and Theory

Wednesday, November 1 | 3:00 – 4:30 pm Central
 

Intersectionality is increasingly referenced in work related to social justice and inclusion on campuses. While we discuss and apply intersectionality, we may not regularly assess or understand how the evolving nature of the framework affects our work. This session uses concrete examples of using and wrestling with intersectionality as "a theory in the making" (Collins, 2019, p. 51). It interweaves intersectional strategies with overarching questions such as: How has intersectionality evolved from its early roots to the diverse ways it is understood and used today? What does the framework offer social justice efforts at this moment? and What new considerations might inform future understandings and applications of intersectionality in diverse areas of campus life? 

The program begins with an intergenerational panel discussion of the use of intersectionality in teaching, research, student organizations and service learning, institutional strategic planning, and identity development theory.
 

Next, attendees dialogue with panelists and each other through a period of questions and answers and small group work. The session concludes with panelists sharing thoughts on what lies ahead for using intersectionality within rapidly changing institutional, social, cultural, and political contexts. Overall, the session invites a lively discussion about where we are in relation to intersectionality now, and where we might go with it in the future.
This session should be useful for faculty, administrators, and staff at colleges and universities as well as practitioners in other settings who are interested in integrating intersectionality into their practice, programs, and institutions.
 

Collins, P. H. (2019). Intersectionality as critical social theory. Duke University Press.

Charmaine L. Wijeyesinghe, EdD | Author and Consultant, Social Identity Theory, Intersectionality, and Social Justice Education ─ Delmar, NY
Antonio Duran, PhD | Assistant Professor, Higher and Postsecondary Education, Division of Educational Leadership and Innovation, Arizona State University─ Phoenix, AZ
Donald (DJ) Mitchell, PhD Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Molloy University ─ New York, NY
Tania D. Mitchell, PhD | Rodney Wallace Professor for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning;
Professor of Higher Education; Department Chair, Organizational Leadership, Policy & Development (OLPD); Affiliate Faculty, Center for Race Indigeneity Disability Gender & Sexuality (RIDGS), University of Minnesota ─ Minneapolis , MN
Z Nicolazzo, PhD | Associate Professor, Trans* Studies in Education, University of Arizona ─ Tucson, AZ

Hispanic-Serving Institutions are Latino shamming institutions: Unpacking the Belongingness and Mean

Wednesday, November 1 | 3:00 – 4:30 pm Central
 

In this qualitative case study, we interviewed 11 Brazilian college students enrolled at one HSI to make-meaning of servicing and create a sense of belonging. The research questions guiding this study are: 1) How do Brazilian students make-meaning of servingness at a Hispanic-Serving Institution? And 2) How do Brazilian students create a sense of belonging at a Hispanic-Serving Institution? The purpose of this stay is to contribute to how Brazilian college students make-meaning of servingness and create a sense of belonging at an HSI.

Cristobal Salinas Jr, PhD | Associate Professor, Research Methodology, Florida Atlantic University─ Boca Raton, FL 
Marlynn López, MS | Associate Director, LEAD & Serve, Florida Atlantic University─ Boca Raton, FL 

DEIJ Remix - Back 2 Basics 2.0: From Boomers through Gen X, Y, Z and A
 

Wednesday, November 1 |  3:00 – 4:30 pm Central

For this 2-part workshop DEIJ Remix 2.0 will be responsive to the current landscape that diminishes DEIJ and deems it unnecessary in our institutions, classrooms and literary texts.  Our focus will be: How are we working within existing systems to create equitable change? What pedagogical approaches work for which environments? Are we aware of our learning edges? When might our own triggers show up? How do we manage them, and gather the courage to heal?  And, if you have not fully dealt with these questions, then might you be practicing cultural voyeurism and or DEI tourism?
Moving from “code shifters” to “code weavers” (Pegram and Bonner, 2021) involves: 1) being versed in environmental scanning, 2) being culturally aware of our intersectional identities and academic interests, 3) understanding and engaging one’s own emotions, values and motivations in a decolonized healthy, self reflective manner (Laenui, 2000), and 4) exercising cultural humility (Tervalon & Murray-Garcia, 1998). 

How do practitioners engage in praxis that builds connections across the generations versus causing further division within our fields of work/scholarship/institutions? For example, are DEIJ current job descriptions being set up for failure? Can we reasonably expect institutional change in these virtual and/or hybrid environments? While the old ways of knowing and implementing DEI 1.0 initiatives (in an era of funding and support) are still applicable, we also need to embrace new ways of service delivery as the landscape shifts, post-Floyd, post-COVID and now post-SCOTUS (DEIJ 2.0). 

Joining us are Sharon Washington, PhD., Executive Coach (https://www.sharonjwashington.com/), Kathleen Wong(Lau), PhD., CDO at CSU Hayward State University in California (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleen-wong-lau-phd-8a87b4b5/), Pamela Chao, MS., Chair, Sociology, Coordinator, Equity Action Institute, American River College, California (https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-chao-5b41851a2/) and Joe-Joe McManus, PhD., Executive Coach and Consultant (https://drjoejoe.com).  Our panelists collectively have over 100 years in higher education centering DEIJ work at the national level.

Catherine Wong, M.Ed. | Director & Founder, Catherine Wong Consults: Education, Training & Research ─ Boston, MA
Patricia Lowrie, MS | Director Emeritus and Executive Consultant, Michigan State University ─ East Lansing, MI
Jacquelyn Reza, PhD | Professor & Director of Professional Development, Emeritus, De Anza College & USF ─ Newark, CA
 

POC Adoptees Caucus

Please join us for an affinity gathering space to connect with other POC adoptees attending NCORE. This is an opportunity to network, build community, share conference
feedback, and provide a space for processing the POC adoptee experience at NCORE and beyond (i.e. intersectionality, multiracial/multicultural family, unseen identity, proximity to whiteness, adoptee moments, reclaiming racial/cultural identity, etc.).

Contact: Beth Yu Simpson  Email

NDNCORE - Native Delegates of NCORE Caucus

Wednesday, November 1 | 5:00 – 6:00 pm Central (additional meetings held Thursday and Friday from 5:00-6:00 pm Central)

The role of NDNCORE is to provide a conduit for Native American participants of the conference to share workshop ideas, and keynote recommendations and form a national collective agenda to address the needs of Native Americans in higher education throughout the country. The Native Delegation serves as a networking alliance within the National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education to enable its members to support one another in sharing vital information and resources that impact our ability to serve our communities in our respective fields of higher education. 
 

Contact: Ricardo Torres Email

Coffee Chat with Community Leaders

Thursday, November 2 | 9:45 am – 10:45 am Central

"I Belong Here": Examining Black Student Experiences of Belonging and Joy

Thursday, November 2 | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm Central

The Community of Diverse Educators (CODE) is a student organization housed at the Predominately White Institution (PWI), Indiana University (IU). This organization contains both undergraduate and graduate students from minoritized populations who are passionate about getting involved in the community and maximizing their college experience. Students in this organization contribute greatly to the local community through partnerships with school districts, community centers, and other on-campus culture organizations. CODE values community-university partnerships due to the benefits that serve both the university students and local community members. Students in CODE have reported that being part of the organization and being involved in the community have greatly enhanced their college experience. Moreover, students have reported that CODE has provided them with a sense of belonging and purpose, and exposed them to safe spaces where they can be their authentic selves and cultivate relationships with other students. 

The purpose of this presentation is to explore how culturally-focused, community-based student organizations influence the Black student experience on IU's campus. It is essential that Black voices are heard and acknowledged in higher education to promote culture change on campus and provide students with safe spaces. This scholarship will contribute to the academy by providing counter-deficit models of the Black experience on campus through a Black Joy perspective. 

This presentation will provide participants with more detailed information regarding CODE and member involvement while encouraging conservations related to diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and student sense of belonging. Participants will have the opportunity to further discuss the importance of implementing culturally-relevant, community-based student organizations on PWI campuses and how student involvement in local communities is necessary for student and institutional success. 

Da'Ja'Nay Askew, MSEd | Graduate Student, Higher Education and Student Affairs, Indiana University─Bloomington, IN

Advancing DEI on College Campuses: The Role of Employee Resource Groups
 

Thursday, November 2 | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm Central
 

Since 2009, Harper College has engaged and supported underrepresented populations via the leadership of our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). These groups play an essential role in advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in ways such as sponsoring community building programs, elevating employee concerns, initiating recruitment and retention efforts and fostering a more inclusive environment. Harper College currently has three ERGs - DREAM (Diverse Relationships Engaged in Affirming Multiculturalism), LAND (Learning about Abilities, not Disabilities) and SAFE (Staff, Administrators and Faculty for Equality). Facilitated by Harper's Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, panelists will share their journey of establishing and sustaining their respective ERG, the successes and challenges associated with serving their unique communities, how they work collectively as an ERG leadership team and advice for those interested in developing thriving ERGs at their own institutions.

Tamara Johnson, PhD | Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion , Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Harper College─Palatine, IL
Karega Cooper, MS | Associate Professor of Mathematics, Mathematics, Harper College─Palatine, IL
April Maman, MA | Access Advocate, Access and Disability Services, Harper College─Palatine, IL
Sean Warren-Crouch, MLD | Harper Promise Scholarship Manager, Enrollment Services, Harper College─Palatine, IL

Assessing the Impact of Campus Climate Tools, Methods & Resources

Thursday, November 2 | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm Central
 

Since the early 1990s, campuses have been using climate assessments to address racial dynamics on a campus and understand learning environments as part of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives (DE&I). Many public and private institutions now post assessment results on campus websites, as evidence of their efforts, but we do not know how effective these climate assessments have been in fostering dialogue that results in institutional transformation. Furthermore, it is unclear if and how climate assessments focused on race and/or income are linked to institutional transformation efforts. 

The purpose of this session is to demonstrate 1) how campuses assess and use climate data (quantitative and qualitative), 2) how campuses are tracking their progress in terms of change in the climate and educational environment over time, particularly for marginalized racial identity groups, and 3) how climate assessment tools, or organizational processes in incorporating climate data, lead to institutional change or transformation. 

Our focus is on Racial/Ethnic and Socioeconomic (CRESC) climate, which we define as the measure of the racialized and classed ways various racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups perceive a campus climate. Moreover, we define transformation as the realignment of an institution's structures, culture, and business model to create a student experience that results in dramatic and equitable increases in outcomes and educational value.

This session will expand participants understanding of how campuses leverage campus climate data in their transformation efforts, feature examples of institutional transformation, identify where campus climate activities take place and who leads them, highlight campus climate providers and instruments leveraged and connected to institutional transformation, and identify gaps and potential resources for institutions to leverage campus climate data to use in their transformation efforts.

Sylvia Hurtado, PhD | Professor, Education, Higher Education & Organizational Change, University of California, Los Angeles─Los Angeles, CA
Gabriel Gutierrez Aragon, MSEd | Graduate Student Researcher, Education, Higher Education & Organizational Change, University of California, Los Angeles─Los Angeles, CA
David Vargas Ezquivel, MA | Graduate Student Researcher, Education, Higher Education & Organizational Change, University of California, Los Angeles─Los Angeles, CA
Bernard Reyes, MA | Graduate Student Researcher, Education, Higher Education & Organizational Change, University of California, Los Angeles─Los Angeles, CA

I'M Possible: Tools to Overcome Imposter Syndrome for BIPOC & First Gen Professionals

Thursday, November 2 | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm Central
 

The Impostor Syndrome is often experienced by high-achieving and successful people who cannot acknowledge their own greatness. Imposter Syndrome can prevent highly qualified individuals from reaching deserved levels of success and can negatively impact self-efficacy and overall mental health. While many experience Imposter Syndrome, it's not talked about, and BIPOC identified individuals have a higher rate of being susceptible to experiencing Imposter Syndrome. Unaddressed, Imposter Syndrome can prevent BIPOC individuals from achieving milestones and goals in their academic and professional careers. With a focus on how various aspects of identities can be empowering or oppressing, this workshop will help participants embrace their stories and narratives while looking at how they affect all of us as professionals. Participants will begin to understand personal and unique experiences through the lens of intersectionality, hopes, fears, and identity awareness. This workshop will work to disrupt the idea of perfectionism, comparison, and not being good enough-often referred to as impostor syndrome or impostor phenomenon.

Monica Hanna, MEd | Assistant Director, Residential Life, University of California Los Angeles─Los Angles , CA
Markeith Royster, EdD | Community Director , Residential Life , University of California Los Angeles ─Los Angeles, CA

The Evolution of AloHā: Healing the Colonized Mind

Code Switching: Understanding and Addressing the "Double Life" in Higher Education

Thursday, November 2 | 3:00 – 4:30 pm Central
 

Black people and other minoritized populations code switch regularly in higher education settings. Many students, staff and faculty members experience the feeling of living a "double life"- one life in the school/professional setting and another life in the home/community setting. This highly interactive workshop delves into the causes and consequences of code switching while providing tools and resources to understand and address code switching on a deeper level. The presenters address the following questions through dialogue, story-sharing, and research-based inquiry: What is code switching? Can People of Color show up as our authentic selves in higher education settings when we are accustomed to code switching for survival? What are the power dynamics associated with code switching, and how can those dynamics be addressed from an anti-racist framework?
 

We will cover background and scholarly research on code switching (including cultural, linguistic, and behavioral), the meaning and historical significance of the "double consciousness," mental health consequences of code switching, interactive breakout sessions in which participants will be asked to share their experiences, and action steps. 
People of color in higher education and their white co-conspirators will benefit the most from attending this training. Please note that this space will primary center the voices and experiences of people of color.

Alice Ragland, PhD | Assistant Professor of Race & Ethnic Studies, Liberal Arts, Columbus College of Art & Design─Columbus, OH
Shemariah Arki, EdD | Assistant Professor of Africana Studies, Africana Studies, Kent State University ─Kent, OH
Eddie Moore Jr., PhD | Founder & CEO, , America & MOORE─Green Bay, WI

I'm A Good Person! Isn't That Enough? The White Racial Identity Challenge

Thursday, November 2 | 3:00 – 4:30 pm Central

A 2019 study by Paul Gorski and Noura Erakat titled "How white racial justice activists elevate burnout in racial justice activists of color in the United States," is just one study pointing to the harm white progressives - despite good intentions - can cause in DEIJB spaces. In this presentation, Debby uses historical and media images to tell her own story, sharing her how she used her white-skewed belief system to misinterpret the world around her. Socialized on a narrow worldview, Debby explores how she spent decades silently reaffirming harmful, archaic racial patterns instead of questioning the racial disparities and tensions she could see and feel. This presentation is designed to support white people in making the paradigm shift from 'fixing' and 'helping,' to focusing on internalized white superiority and its role in perpetuating racism at the individual, interpersonal, institutional, and cultural levels. This presentation includes pauses for reflection and small group discussion.

Debby Irving, MBA | Racial Justice Educator and Writer, , Deborah Kittredge Irving, LLC─Cambridge, MA

Monoracism, Racism, and Colorism: Exploring a Key Tenet of Critical Multiracial Theory (MultiCrit)

Thursday, November 2 | 3:00 – 4:30 pm Central

In over two decades since the term monoracism was coined in the academic literature (Johnston & Nadal, 2010), the concept of a unique system of oppression targeting those who do not fit monoracial categories is gaining some traction, especially in higher education. The increasing awareness is likely due to it being part of a central tenet of Critical Multiracial Theory or MultiCrit (Harris, 2016). Yet, debate still surrounds whether monoracism is real, and what its relationship is to other forms of racism. For instance, is focusing on monoracism (and in turn pointing out people's monoracial privilege) a distraction from more important racial justice work? Or could monoracism hold the key to dismantling racial hierarchies that depend on policing racial borders? This session aims to further unpack the connections between racism, monoracism, and colorism as one of 8 tenets of MultiCrit in order to further explore how it can be used to further disrupt white supremacy. Panelists will share scholarly and personal perspectives on monoracism in relation to Critical Race Theory in order to move MultiCrit forward in research and praxis.

Marc Johnston-Guerrero, PhD | Associate Chair and Associate Professor, Educational Studies, The Ohio State University-Columbus, OH
Rebecca Cepeda, PhD | Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership, Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi-Corpus Christi, TX
Lisa Delacruz-Combs, MS | Doctoral Candidate and Dissertation Fellow, Higher Education and Student Affairs, The Ohio State University-Columbus, OH
Raven Lynch, PhD | Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, Temple University-Philadelphia, PA

Re-imagining the Office of the CDO: Maximizing Efficiencies for Strategic Diversity Leadership

Thursday, November 2 | 3:00 – 4:30 pm Central

Chief Diversity Officers (CDOs) must be strategic and innovative to effectively meet the evolving challenges of higher education, including those related to changes in student demographics, increasing political pressures (e.g., First Amendment, Affirmative Action), as well as traditional social and cultural factors that influence campus climate and operations. 

How can CDOs (re)establish effective and efficient offices and leadership structures in lieu of today's social, political, and educational challenges, barriers, and constraints? The Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement (DDEEA) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the flagship campus of a large, public university system, will share their strategies on the guiding principles, approaches, and implementation of their work. 

The CDO, and the DDEEA, provide leadership for the university's collective efforts to create an equitable, diverse and inclusive learning and working environment by employing a strategic approach to equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDIB) that is summarized by four foundational pillars for Organizational and Inclusive Excellence: Asset-Based Approaches, Research-Informed Practices, Organizational Excellence, and Campus and Community Engagement. 

The DDEEA focuses on elevating its role as a central campus resource by employing a strategic diversity approach by serving as: Convener, Catalyst, Consultant, and Community Builder (the 4 C's). These approaches align with the core values and missions of the CDO office and the institution and have helped to facilitate and illuminate EDIB exemplars across campus.  

The panelists will share its process of reforming the structure and culture of the diversity office for effectively addressing 21st century higher education challenges, which has translated into positive change related to the culture of the institution, more effectively realizing its EDIB-related goals (e.g., increased diversity across university constituents, supporting sustainable pipelines for student access and representation, securing funding, and cultivating a shared culture that increasingly values equity and inclusion). 
Diversity leaders participating in this session will engage with data-based decision making, sustainable strategies, and practical implementation examples, designed to increase an institution's effectiveness and structural efficiencies to realize diversity-related goals and objectives.

James Yonker, PhD | Director, Office of Strategic Diversity Planning and Research, Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement , UW-Madison─Madison, WI
Raul Leon, PhD | Assistant Vice Provost for Student Engagement and Scholarship Programs , Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement , UW - Madison─Madison, WI
Catherine Chan, PhD | Assistant Vice Provost for High Impact Practices , Division of Diversity, Equity, and Educational Achievement , UW-Madison─Madison, WI
Torsheika Maddox, PhD | Senior Operations Officer and Chief of Staff , Division of Diversity, Equity, and Educational Achievement , UW-Madison─Madison, WI
LaVar Charleston, PhD | Deputy Vice Chancellor for Diversity & Inclusion. Vice Provost & Chief Diversity Officer , Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement , UW-Madison─Madison, WI

You've Acknowledged the Land, Now What?: Creating Credibility and Implementing Post-Land Acknowledge
 

Thursday, November 2 | 3:00 – 4:30 pm Central

On Indigenous Peoples' Day 2022, the University of Texas at Arlington dedicated its Land Acknowledgement Courtyard in the heart of campus. Four years earlier, just 30 minutes away in Fort Worth, Texas Christian University held a similar event in partnership with the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes. These events are critical milestones in their universities' commitment to creating environments that facilitate constructive dialogues about past, present, and future relations with Native communities.  Each university took different paths toward Land Acknowledgement shaped by their institutional contexts. The universities now face the challenge of staying accountable in a post-land acknowledgment environment.  By exploring strategies developed by UTA and TCU, participants will deliberate approaches for their own institutions.  

Examples of the strategies will include:
1.    Understanding institutional environments including the Indigenous populations and histories in the region. 
2.    Identifying and justifying the nature of and rationale for a Land Acknowledgement
3     Creating credibility and authority for Land Acknowledgement statements
4.    Developing and implementing Post- Land Acknowledgement strategies 

This session is ideal for Chief Diversity Officers and other senior leadership officers, as well as student advisors, faculty, and student leaders interested in building institutional diversity and an environment that includes Indigenous communities on and beyond campus. 

Les Riding In, PhD | Assistant Dean and Advisor, College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas at Arlington─Arlington, TX
Scott Langston, PhD | Instructor; Native American Nations and Communities Liaison, Religion, Texas Christian University─Fort Worth, TX
Sampson Dewey,  | President of Native American Student Association , University of Texas at Arlington─Arlington, TX
Stephen Silva-Brave, AA | Student and Community Organizer / Liaison, University of Texas at Arlington─Arlington, TX
Ken Roemer, PhD | Professor of English (retired), Former Advisor, English, University of Texas at Arlington─Arlington, TX
Kristy Willis,  | American Indian Heritage Day in Texas Ambassador, Unversity of Texas at Arlington─Arlington, TX

Self-Reflection: Preparing for Leadership Roles in DEI 

Thursday, November 2 | 3:00 – 4:30 pm Central

This session is intended for professionals interested in truly self-reflecting on who they are as individuals and how this aligns with the demands, expectations and realities of diversity leadership positions. Now more than ever perhaps, there are significantly more senior level diversity roles available within higher education and definitely a need to prepare those interested in these positions with the information needed to consider these important roles. Presenters will provide participants an overview of the growing field; a summary of the skills, education and experience typically needed to succeed and advance in diversity leadership roles; an opportunity to assess their current skill sets; and the chance to reflect on their own identities and optimal work environments.  

Presenters:

Tamara A. Johnson, PhD

Celina Chatman-Nelson, PhD

DEIJ Remix - Back 2 Basics 2.0: From Boomers through Gen X, Y, Z and A

Thursday, November 2 |  Time TBA
 

For this 2-part workshop DEIJ Remix 2.0 will be responsive to the current landscape that diminishes DEIJ and deems it unnecessary in our institutions, classrooms and literary texts.  Our focus will be: How are we working within existing systems to create equitable change? What pedagogical approaches work for which environments? Are we aware of our learning edges? When might our own triggers show up? How do we manage them, and gather the courage to heal?  And, if you have not fully dealt with these questions, then might you be practicing cultural voyeurism and or DEI tourism?
Moving from “code shifters” to “code weavers” (Pegram and Bonner, 2021) involves: 1) being versed in environmental scanning, 2) being culturally aware of our intersectional identities and academic interests, 3) understanding and engaging one’s own emotions, values and motivations in a decolonized healthy, self reflective manner (Laenui, 2000), and 4) exercising cultural humility (Tervalon & Murray-Garcia, 1998). 

How do practitioners engage in praxis that builds connections across the generations versus causing further division within our fields of work/scholarship/institutions? For example, are DEIJ current job descriptions being set up for failure? Can we reasonably expect institutional change in these virtual and/or hybrid environments? While the old ways of knowing and implementing DEI 1.0 initiatives (in an era of funding and support) are still applicable, we also need to embrace new ways of service delivery as the landscape shifts, post-Floyd, post-COVID and now post-SCOTUS (DEIJ 2.0). 
Joining us are Sharon Washington, PhD., Executive Coach (https://www.sharonjwashington.com/), Kathleen Wong(Lau), PhD., CDO at CSU Hayward State University in California (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleen-wong-lau-phd-8a87b4b5/), Pamela Chao, MS., Chair, Sociology, Coordinator, Equity Action Institute, American River College, California (https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-chao-5b41851a2/) and Joe-Joe McManus, PhD., Executive Coach and Consultant (https://drjoejoe.com).  Our panelists collectively have over 100 years in higher education centering DEIJ work at the national level.

Catherine Wong, M.Ed. | Director & Founder, Catherine Wong Consults: Education, Training & Research ─ Boston, MA
Patricia Lowrie, MS | Director Emeritus and Executive Consultant, Michigan State University ─ East Lansing, MI
Jacquelyn Reza, PhD | Professor & Director of Professional Development, Emeritus, De Anza College & USF ─ Newark, CA

Asian American Pacific Islander Caucus

Thursday, November 2 | 5:00 – 6:00 pm Central

The Asian American Pacific Islander Caucus at NCORE (APINCORE) meets during the annual conference to connect AAPI higher education professionals and allies; discuss
issues pertinent to AAPI communities; and represent AAPI perspectives within NCORE through workshops, speakers, and programs.

Contact: Dear Aunaetitrakul  Email

NDNCORE - Native Delegates of NCORE Caucus

Thursday, November 2 | 5:00 – 6:00 pm Central (additional meetings held Wednesday and Friday from 5:00-6:00 pm Central)

The role of NDNCORE is to provide a conduit for Native American participants of the conference to share workshop ideas, and keynote recommendations and form a national collective agenda to address the needs of Native Americans in higher education throughout the country. The Native Delegation serves as a networking alliance within the National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education to enable its members to support one another in sharing vital information and resources that impact our ability to serve our communities in our respective fields of higher education. 
 

Contact: Ricardo Torres Email

Coffee Chat with Community Leaders

Friday, November 3 | 9:45 am – 10:45 am Central

Building UndocuCompetency: Creating an Inclusive Community in Higher Ed - A Framework

Friday, November 3 | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm Central
 

Drawing from the lived experiences of a DACAProfessional and expertise of two practitioners, we will provide attendees with a framework for building undocuCompetency that influences equity and inclusion. Attendees will learn how their roles can influence the inclusivity of undocuCommunities in higher education.    

 
Through a comprehensive presentation and interactive activities, you will learn how a small group of passionate individuals, at a Predominately White Institution, grew into a thriving Dreamers Working Group that garnered institutional support and trained over 500 staff and faculty in a Dreamer/UndocuAlly Training, building capacity and undocuCompetency across campus. Our programs have grown to include an endowed student scholarship, a student advisory board, and more.    
 

This presentation will be delivered as a PowerPoint presentation. Participants will have the opportunity to work in small groups, share ideas, and develop an action plan. This session is suited for intermediate level. Attendees must have a basic understanding of undocuPopulations.

Briselda Molina, EdM | Career and Academic Advisor at University of Oregon , School of Journalism and Communication , University of Oregon─Eugene, OR
Dulce Castro, MS | Second-Year Advisor , Clark Honors College , University of Oregon ─Eugene, OR
Justine Carpenter, EdM | Assistant Dean of Students, Director of Multicultural & Identity-Based Support Services , Office of the Dean of Students , University of Oregon ─Eugene, OR

Chess, Not Checkers: Using Power Mapping to Navigate the Political Terrains of the University Leader

Friday, November 3 | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm Central
 

Advancing diversity efforts in higher education have long been a complicated, nearly impossible political terrain for senior leaders to navigate.  Though still politically fraught, institutional, and organizational investments reflect the growing institutional responsibility and accountability around DEI work (Williams &Wade-Golden, 2013). However, with these investments come heightened expectations, heightened consequences, and heightened discourse. While diversity officer roles are commonly viewed as solutions to improving issues, there are ongoing questions about diversity officers' access and relationship to power and the ability to successfully work toward their institutional charge.   This session will explore this phenomenon and provide frameworks for participants to reflect on their own lived experiences. 

This session is modeled from the recent dissertation study, Chess, Not Checkers: How Chief Diversity Officers Navigate the Political Terrains of the University Leadership Structure, which examined how Chief Diversity Officers understand, experience, and navigate institutional power dynamics within the university leadership landscapes.  
In the session, participants will review how power operates in higher education leadership structures and explore the historical and current positioning of diversity officers in these institutions. For background and context setting, it will highlight the dissertation study's findings as well as other emerging scholarship on the way issues of power, agency, and autonomy shows up within higher education for diversity officers. 
 

After the background, participants will have space to reflect on their own institutional dynamics as thy will utilize power mapping (also known as network mapping) to visualize power dynamics in their institutions. From there, they will be able to discuss and reflect (both in small and large group formats) on power dynamics at their institutions, opportunities and/or constraints for action, and strategies/tactics available for navigation. This session is intermediate. It is for diversity professionals from middle managers to senior leaders who must navigate a broad campus landscape and commonly must navigate with institutional politics and power dynamics. 

Matthew Griffith, PhD | Assistant Director, School Medicine, Stanford University─Palo Alto, CA

Strategic Planning for Equity:  A Framework for Implementing Transformational Change

Friday, November 3 | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm Central
 

Mt. Hood Community College located east of Portland, Oregon, is the most economically-depressed and culturally diverse part of the state. Situated in the east suburb of Gresham, OR, the surrounding community has changed dramatically since the college's founding. Over time we have built a planning culture to effectively and strategically advance the mission of the college to meet the needs of our growing and diverse community. This interactive session will provide actionable strategies to create and implement an equity-centered strategic plan.
 

This session will be most helpful for organizations and professionals who:

• Have a strategic plan in place that is not centered on equity, but would like to create one
• Have an equity plan that is not integrated with the holistic organizational plan
• Have struggled with plan implementation for equity and inclusion
• Have struggled to develop measurable equity goals and metrics within the planning process
• Have struggled to implement systemic inclusive, equity-driven change

This session will be most beneficial to administrators, trustees, practitioners, and senior diversity officers who have a responsibility to set the vision for and advance the mission of the organization through strategic planning within an equity framework. 

Traci Simmons, MEd | Associate Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Mt. Hood Community College─Portland, OR

The Heart of Leadership: Cultivating an Inclusive Climate Begins with Managers

Friday, November 3 | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm Central
 

In the era of the great resignation, the university's turnover data indicates that voluntary separations have increased in recent years and are expected to remain high, particularly if the job market remains strong. As our university aspires to rise in the rankings, our workforce attrition rate has been at an all-time high. Our administrative and staff experienced the highest turnover rate. Administrative at over 15% and staff trailing at 13%. Our 12-month faculty is flat at 12%, and our 9-month faculty has a downward trend of less than 5%. In the analysis of the university community, one of the top reasons employees and faculty considered leaving the university was negative experiences with leadership. 

Being genuinely committed to understanding others' perspectives requires full engagement to bridge racial, ethnic, religious, gender, generational, differently abled, and sexual orientation divides experienced daily. One of the university's DEI-established goals is to "cultivate an inclusive and equitable campus climate, culture, and community."  Cultivating an inclusive and equitable campus climate moves the University through this learning process. In collaboration with the Division of Human Resources and the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, we believe that the heart of leadership is diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The divisions created a unique program to help provide FIU leaders with real, inclusive connections about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and its importance and value at FIU. 

In this presentation, FIU's co-facilitators for a DEI manager's learning series will offer an inspirational model for post-secondary educators and leaders about a blended learning approach to help managers gain knowledge and growth opportunities that are the cornerstone of a successful workplace culture where inclusion and belonging are celebrated. This session is for individuals interested in learning different ways to use learning to assist in moving the DEI forward. Upon returning to their institutions, session presenters challenge participants to find ways to work across campus to develop learning programs focused on improving their campus climate and leaders through a DEI lens.  

Emmanuele Bowles, EdD | Assistant Vice Provost, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Division of  Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Florida International University─Miami, FL
Joliett Vega-Klucevsek, MS | Assistant Director of Strategic Initiatives and Professional Development, Talent Acquisition and Management, Florida International University─Miami, FL

The Tribal Liaison Role: A Panel of University Tribal Liaisons

Friday, November 3 | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm Central
 

Tribal Liaisons from various university institution types will discuss their experiences in these roles on a moderated panel. They will share about the scope of their roles, the challenges they experience, how colleagues ought to work with and support tribal liaisons, and what they envision for the future.
Cori Bazemore-James, PhD | Assistant Vice Provost, Graduate School Diversity Office, University of Minnesota- Twin Cities-Minneapolis, MN

Yolanda Bisbee, PhD | Executive Director, Office of Tribal Relations, University of Idaho-Moscow, ID
Damon Charge,  | Director of Tribal Outreach, Office of Academic Affairs, University of South Dakota-Vermillion, SD
Tana Fitzpatrick,  | Associate Vice President, Tribal Relations, University of Oklahoma-Norman, OK
Daphne Emm-Hooper,  | Director of Indigenous Relations, University of Nevada Reno-Reno, NV

Intersectionalities in the Undocumented Identity: Uplifting and Supporting Undocumented Asian Pacific Islanders

Friday, November 3 | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm Central

Despite growing diversity in the undocumented community, the conversation around undocumented students remains centered on DACAmented Latinx students. The focus is also placed almost exclusively on an outdated "Dreamer" narrative, leaving out a number of individuals who might be older, did not attend high school in the US, and have undertaken multiple pathways to a post-secondary education. Additionally, undocumented Asian Pacific Islanders (API) and Black are often overlooked in this discussion, and understanding of their experiences are limited. Numerous testimonies from these students have highlighted the shared invisibility and barriers in college access and navigation. To address this, Immigrants Rising initiated projects to uplift their experiences, with an commitment to increasing inclusivity for diverse undocumented students through training and education. This interactive session will 1) provide a comprehensive understanding of the undocumented Black and API student experience; 2) showcase Immigrants Rising initiatives to increase the institutional effort in supporting these students; 3) highlight effective practices and strategies in serving them; 4) engage in critical conversations of systematic racism and exclusion facing undocumented students; and 5) empower stakeholders to take action and increase visibility of underseen undocumented students. Join this session to learn the complexities within the undocumented API and Black identities to be better equipped in ensuring these students are effectively reached and served. Understand how uplifting narratives can empower students and foster welcoming environments. Gain an awareness of how to building inclusive spaces in undocumented student programs and Black and API resource centers, as well as cultivate partnerships to create institutional efforts in supporting the diverse identities of undocumented students. Engage with other advocates to identify action steps and name commitments to take back to your campus or organization. This session is designed for those who support undocumented, API, and Black students at colleges and universities, as well as advocates working to increase equity in higher education. By recognizing the intersectionalities within the undocumented identity, campuses can better ensure that all students access and thrive in college. With continuing immigration uncertainty, higher education must work to transform the support for the undocumented community within their campuses.

Presenters:

Shirleen Achieng, BA
Eva-Vera Clollet Burns, MHA
Madeleine Villanueva
Siyue Lena Wang, MA

Queering Your Practice: How to Apply Intersectionality & Queer Theories to Higher Education

Bystander Intervention: Why is This All on Me?!?

Friday, November 3 | 3:00 – 4:30 pm Central
 

Racial Bystander Intervention (training for anyone/everyone)-Have you ever wondered what should you do if you witness public instances of racist, anti-Black, anti-Muslim, anti-Trans, or another form of oppressive interpersonal violence or harassment? As violence is on the rise, it is more important than ever that we know how to keep each other safe. This workshop will cover the 4D's and will give you the training on how to deescalate and dismantle acts of aggression and hate that are racially biased.

Justin Brown, MA | Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Downingtown Area School District─Downingtown, PA

De-Centering and Disrupting Whiteness Within DEI Work

Friday, November 3 | 3:00 – 4:30 pm Central
 

Throughout the 20th century, influential activists, scholars, and civil rights leaders began to rethink race in ways that challenged conventional American (and global) perspectives. One of the more controversial yet understated perspectives was the notion of Whiteness, not as a racial identity, but as a state-of-mind. American thought leaders, such as W.E.B. Dubois, Malcolm X, James Baldwin, and Toni Morrison, all captured this progressive narrative in their anti-racism work as a way to dismantle racist ideologies at their core; by holding a mirror against Eurocentric White racism. Over the years, though, explicit work surrounding White supremacy and Whiteness have become flagged as divisive. As a result, much of the necessary work surrounding DEI has become watered down, performative, and in some cases, perpetuates racism and anti-Black sentiments within Higher Education institutions.  
 

The demand for DEI and anti-racism work exploded in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd.  As Anti-racism education becomes normalized within DEI training and education, DEI practitioners have a responsibility to address racial inequalities and race privilege in a manner that is not white centering or catering to White feelings. Although anti-racism work is being increasingly embraced within Higher Education, it is also being scrutinized and politicized thanks to the media coverage and politicization of Critical Race Theory (CRT). 
 

Participants of this session will: (1) examine key concepts and theories critical to dismantling whiteness, (2) explore the complexities and challenges of disrupting and de-centering whiteness within DEI work, and (3) will learn strategies that work towards unapologetically dismantling the system of White supremacy that is pervasive in most Higher Education institutions. This workshop is ideal for any Higher Education employee working to make their institutions inclusive, equitable, and antiracist, but especially useful for Chief Diversity Officers and those working in DEI offices. 

Cindu Sherard, MA | Associate Professor and Founder of Shakti Diversity and Equity Training, Communication Studies, College of Lake County and Shakti Diversity and Equity Training─Chicago, IL
Sherard Robbins, PhD | Adjunct Professor and Founder of Visceral Change , Education, Vanderbilt University and Visceral Change─Tuscon, AZ

Embedding Restorative Practices into Strategic DEI Efforts in Higher Education

Friday, November 3 | 3:00 – 4:30 pm Central
 

Bellevue College's response to institutional trauma and community harm structurally shifted with its development of a Director of Restorative Practices position within the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In this interactive session, participants will learn how restorative principles foster trust, healing, and accountability, gaining insight into how to strategically embed restorative practices into higher education and DEI initiatives. Participants will examine how restorative practices can benefit their campus, organizations, teams, and classrooms through proactive and responsive measures.

Consuelo Grier, PhD | Vice President of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion  , Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion  , Bellevue College  ─Bellevue, WA
Michelle Strange,  | Director of Restorative Practices, Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, Bellevue College─Bellevue, WA

Engaging Student Voice in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Initiatives

Friday, November 3 | 3:00 – 4:30 pm Central
 

This session focuses in engaging student voice and perspectives when developing and implementing initiatives that surround topics of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. When students attend college, they rely on different interactions and resources to successfully progress through their educational experiences. Student effort and institutional investment contribute to a student's ability to navigate through their academic experience successfully. As students feel more responsibility and obligation to campus, often through participation in intentional educational activities, their commitment to the institution is strengthened. 

Student development theorists encourage educators to consider the effectiveness of practices that encourage student participation and engagement. While it is the institution's responsibility to offer educational, social, academic, and professional opportunities, the student also has some responsibility in taking advantage of such activities. As such, our office has committed to created opportunities to involve students in the brainstorming, planning and implementation of office programming. 

During this session, attendees will become familiar with theories and research studies that illuminate benefits of student engagement in higher education. The session will offer strategies that educators can utilities to promote student involvement in campus programs. Attendees will spend time reflecting and brainstorming action items that can be taken back to their organizations that enable them to be purposeful with student integration in organizational initiatives. 

The session will start with an introduction of the presenters, their professional backgrounds, and information about the relevance of the session. Following, the presenters will give a short presentation with background about student engagement and involvement literature, situated in a higher education context. Later, the presenters will share how they have incorporated student involvement in office, unit, and institutional initiatives. 

There will also be opportunities for audience participation. Through reflection and sharing, attendees will be asked to share their initial thoughts concerning the session content and its connection to their own work. Attendees will be invited to collaborate in brainstorming and develop a list of recommendations for their home campuses to consider how they could be more intentional with involving students in their work.

Steven Johnson Jr, EdD | Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging - School of Business, University of Kansas─Lawrence, KS
Hira Hamirani, MBA | Program Coordinator, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging - School of Business, University of Kansas─Lawrence, KS

Leading with an Anti-Racist Lens

Friday, November 3 | 3:00 – 4:30 pm Central
 

The journey to anti-racism begins with understanding what it means to be racist (Kendi, 2019). At Virginia Commonwealth University's (VCU) School of Education, students and K-20 educators have the opportunity to engage in opportunities where they can discuss ideas around what it means to dismantle systems of oppression through education in order to ultimately approach their practice with a cultural responsive lens. The Becoming an Anti-Racist Educators Series (BARES) offered by the Office of Strategic Engagement (OSE) at VCU's School of Education, was launched in 2020 as a professional development opportunity to deepen educators understanding of race, racism, and systemic inequities. I created the descriptions and content for the seven part series that had three levels. The goal was to challenge the underlying structures that uphold racism and develop dispositions to demonstrate anti-racist actions within personal and professional environments. In a feedback survey, an educator who completed the series said  "this professional development series pushed me to consider the ways in which my own bias as a white woman may impact my worldview. Through examining the biases I am able to think critically about how this may impact my work." 

At The National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education the session, Leading with an Anti-Racist Lens, participants will use ideas and concepts from BARES to introduce racism as a societal construct and unpack how prejudice combined with social and institutional power perpetuates inequities (McIntos & Nenonene, 2022). We will examine factors that contribute to racism and how race intersects with gender, language, class, and religion (Crenshaw, 1991). The break out discussion and activity will include collaborating on ideas around personal education experiences, as well as understanding the spectrum from passive to non-racist to anti-racist advocacy, and demonstrating ways to put ideas into practice and pedagogy (Singh, 2019). Additionally, participants will benefit from this session by receiving leadership strategies that support an anti-racist ideology and mindset, as well as tools and resources to use in their organization.

This session is for higher education faculty, directors, K-12 practitioners, and students who are interested in developing an anti-racist lens. Participants will learn to build an inclusive classroom culture and understand how to have racial equity conversations grounded in scholarship.

Kristen Moore-Brown, EdD | Associate Professor and Project Consultant , School of Education , Virginia Commonwealth University─Richmond, VA
Antwan Perry, EdD | Policy Manager and Adjunct Professor, School of Education, Virginia 

Creating a JEDI Syllabus: Communicating Course Expectations through Inclusion not Trauma

Friday, November 3 | 3:00 – 4:30 pm Central
 

A syllabus, and the way it reflects course expectations, is one of the very first interactions that many professors have with their students. The desire to create a clear expectation set can, however, be read very differently by different students. Those interpretations reflect the diversity of perspectives and expectations of the students in the course. Syllabus content might unintentionally be interpreted as conveying combative, confrontational, or unsympathetic tones that create negative initial course interactions that can perpetuate throughout the semester. This can be particularly true for students such as first-generation college or dual-enrollment students, or anyone who has limited knowledge about successfully navigating a higher education landscape. This session is designed to share methods for inclusive practices for syllabus development that create an expectation of mutual respect, as well as methods to truly engage students in the course and to convey the benefits students will get from the class.

Often, a syllabus can be a way to carry forward our worst interactions from previous semesters. Many professors who have had a student who gamed their rules in previous terms, will add a syllabus statement to "close the loophole" without recognizing that it may not be conducive to setting up an environment of collaborative exploration of a subject. Sometimes a simple rephrasing as a positive can accomplish goals for attendance or to discourage unprepared or distracted in-class behaviors. Additional methods for encouraging interest, such as invitation letters, formatting, accessibility, and diversity and inclusion statements will also be discussed.

Joanna Schwartz, PhD | Professor of Marketing, Management, Marketing, and Logistics, Georgia College and State University─Milledgeville, GA
Stephanie McClure, PhD | Professor of Sociology, Government and Sociology, Georgia College and State University─Milledgeville, GA
Kelley Ditzel, PhD | Assistant Professor of Public Administration, Government and Sociology, Georgia College and State University─Milledgeville, GA

The IDI: A tool, not THE tool for Equity. How to Move from Cultural Competency to Equity Impact

Friday, November 3 | 3:00 – 4:30 pm Central

The Intercultural Development Inventory (the IDI) is being widely used by universities and nonprofits to assess and develop the Intercultural Competencies of staff, faculty, and students, in hopes of it leading them towards more equity and belonging within the organization. The IDI is well researched, provides actionable reports, and can be used to deepen the cultural awareness of individuals and teams. While the IDI is A tool to work towards Equity and Inclusion, it is not THE ONLY tool that is needed to move organizations towards systemic change (i.e. addressing systemic racism and other systems of oppression). But many organizations are not able to connect the IDI to deeper systemic EDI work. 

This session is for participants whose campus or organization is thinking about using the IDI as part of their EDI strategic plan, or is already using the IDI as part of their EDI work. And who want to learn how to use the IDI as one tool among many in their tool box to create a more equitable and racially just organization. We will explore the strengths of the IDI; and also discuss the gaps between the Intercultural Competency framework and Equity frameworks. The participants will learn critical Social Justice skills and concepts to integrate with the IDI to make it a more effective and transformative tool. Specifically, the participants will deepen their understanding of how to connect concepts of identity, power, privilege, and oppression to the concepts of intercultural competency, cultural awareness and ""dominant culture/majority culture."" Participants will leave the session with questions to ask as their organization implements the IDI and with practical strategies to add to the IDI work already being done.

Presenters: 

Alejandro Covarrubias, EdD

becky martinez, EdD

NDNCORE - Native Delegates of NCORE Caucus

Friday, November 3 | 5:00 – 6:00 pm Central (additional meetings held Wednesday and Thursday from 5:00-6:00 pm Central)

The role of NDNCORE is to provide a conduit for Native American participants of the conference to share workshop ideas, and keynote recommendations and form a national collective agenda to address the needs of Native Americans in higher education throughout the country. The Native Delegation serves as a networking alliance within the National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education to enable its members to support one another in sharing vital information and resources that impact our ability to serve our communities in our respective fields of higher education. 
 

Contact: Ricardo Torres Email