Hello! I know you are probably over the construction site Olin Hall has become, but hang on for a second with me. Look at this ginormous blank slate. Look at this temporary pathway. Look at this chance to be something new. As we continue into March, take inspiration from this that you too can change, grow, and start over. March on!
Updates
Strategic Plan for Diversity and Inclusion
The time has come for Centre College to develop a strategic plan for diversity and inclusion. To that end, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Diversity and Community Committee, and the Intercultural Council have worked on a Statement of Community, Diversity and Inclusion, on a Mission Statement, and on a set of Goals.
Now we invite the larger Centre community to speak their minds. What do you want to see happen in the next three years as concerns diversity and inclusion on our campus?
Please read the statements and goals below. What are your suggestions for strategies to accomplish the mission and goals? In what ways will the campus transform as we implement these strategies? Have some thoughts?
Then attend one of the following LISTENING SESSIONS:
- Student Listening Session on Monday, March 16th from 4:00p-5:00p in the Ewen Room;
- Student Listening Session on Tuesday, March 17th from 11:30a-12:30p in Campus Center 202;
- Staff and Faculty Listening Session on Wednesday, April 8th from 3:30p-4:30p in Evans Lively;
- Staff and Faculty Listening Session on Tuesday, April 14 from 11:30a-12:30p in Evans Lively.
Statement on Community, Diversity and Inclusion
We pledge continuing efforts to build and strengthen a community enriched by our differences and founded upon our common humanity. Centre respects the right of all members of the community to express their individuality in a manner that is consistent with the dignity and welfare of others. Centre strives to create an environment where differences are celebrated rather than discouraged, where individuals have the opportunity to exchange ideas and share in the richness of mutual experience. By valuing the individual’s total character over any single characteristic, Centre will maintain its unique community.
Centre embraces the values of diversity and inclusion as integral to the college mission. Diversity and inclusion are central to teaching, learning, service, scholarship, and community to stimulate creativity, critical thinking, leadership, discovery, love, and global citizenship.
- Diversity is the complex representation of factors such as ability, age, citizenship status, class, ethnicity, faith background, gender expression, gender identity, geographic region, national origin, neurodiversity, political belief, race, and sexual orientation that comprise individual and group expressions of identity (alphabetized and not ranked).
- Inclusion is diversity activated. Inclusion empowers and supports the community. It requires identifying barriers and exclusions in structures, policies, practices, decisions, and norms and addressing them in a way that allows diverse individuals to see themselves reflected in the classroom and on campus.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion is to promote and sustain a diverse and inclusive learning, living, and working environment in which all members thrive and succeed. We work to provide students, staff, and faculty with the knowledge, skills, and resources to nurture a campus climate in which all are respected and valued. We are committed to eliminating power imbalances, institutional biases, and systems of oppression that stand in the way of any community member achieving their potential. Looking beyond the Centre community, we seek to prepare lifelong critical thinkers and leaders able to contribute to a just, inclusive, and diverse world.
Goals
Build a Diverse and Equitable Community
Recruit and retain a diverse community of students, faculty, staff, administrators, and stakeholders that represent and support a broad spectrum of identities, abilities, interests, expressions, cultures, and worldviews. Identify and remove barriers and exclusions in structures, policies, practices, decisions, and norms that hinder or deny equitable access to opportunities and resources.
Foster Communication and Trust
Provide space for all voices to be heard. Create an environment where consistent communication and transparency foster cohesion and understanding. Cultivate the skill of active listening and reinforce the values of empathy and mutual respect.
Nurture a Thriving Community
Create and sustain an environment that acknowledges, celebrates, and supports the full spectrum of differences and identities. Deepen belonging within the community; further accessibility to all arenas of the community. Provide opportunities, resources, and spaces for individuals to explore, grow, and flourish.
Provide Skills for an Inclusive Culture
Implement and make available campus-wide diversity and inclusion training, programs, and events. Promote courses, curricula, and learning opportunities that contribute to the practice of diversity and inclusion. Encourage collaboration toward and provide opportunities for individuals, groups, and offices to increase their understanding of a diverse array of people, ideas, and areas of intellectual inquiry.
Advocate for Justice
Confront words and actions of harmful discrimination, marginalization, and alienation. Provide protections from and remedies for assaults on the dignity and safety of individuals and groups. Address and correct social injustices. Intentionally engage the principles of equity, recognition, and inclusion.
Achieve Inclusive Excellence
Develop and sustain a comprehensive and collaborative approach that embeds diversity and inclusion practices into every effort, aspect, and level of the college. Recognize, as a matter of habit and principle, that the college’s success is dependent on how fully it values and engages the rich diversity within the community; and how deeply it configures inclusivity into the curricula, policies, procedures, and organizational structures.
Please make your voice heard as we work towards a campus where all are welcome and they truly belong!
Recap
On Monday, February 24th, JoJo Marcellon and Dr. Andrea Abrams faciliated an unfiltered panel discussion with four Black alumni about their experiences at Centre College. This Diversity and Inclusion Convocation was well attended, and many students engaged the panelists afterwards.
This discussion was part of the "Pathways to Diversity" project. This project seeks to develop and sustain a website of materials and oral histories related to desegregation at select southern institutions. Student interns will present highlights from the curated archival collection. The interviews and archival works include interviews of the first black students’ experiences integrating Centre and the panel discussion will continue that conversation by engaging later generations of Black Centre students on the experience of attending a predominantly white college. The perspectives on diversity and inclusion at Centre are of critical importance and this convo will allow for reflection on how generational (classes from 1964-1980 vs. 2020), regional (KY compared to Boston), and ethnic (US born, West Indian, African) differences do or do not make a difference.
February may be a short month, but we made the most of it.
- During Diversity, Service, and Leadership Weekend (Feb 14-15), Jo Teut represented the office during the welcoming dinner, in a session, and during the engagement fair. Phoenix Staten, a New Horizons Scholar, led a session on Microaggressions. Phoenix and Brandon Clay, another New Horizons Scholar, hosted a table during the engagement fair to talk to prospective students about what New Horizons is and what to expect when they come to campus in the fall, fingers crossed!
- Jo Teut led a CATS: Pronouns and Gender Inclusive Language for Kappa Delta during their Spirit Week before Spring classes started. You can see the proud KDs holding their new CATS stickers and pronoun cards above.
- ODI partnered with the Community Service Office to take students to Frankfort for the annual Statewide Fairness LGBTQ Lobby and Protest at the State Capitol. Students learned about the process of lobbying, ate at the capitol cafeteria, and witnessed history as the governor attended the rally, a first in KY's history.
- Jamie Shenton and Jo Teut facilitated a Green Dot Training for students. It was a small but mighty group as we worked developing our bystander intervention tools for power-based interpersonal violence. Thank you to the Title IX Office for creating this opportunity.
- We rounded out the month with the Posse Plus Retreat at Lake Cumberland. According to Bob Nesmith, there were around 135 attendees, and we explored our personal connection to a variety of issues, and learned and practiced tactics for productive dialogue of difficult topics.
Quick Takes
Interested in being more involved with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion? Check our Diversity Updates page for an events calendar, information about programming, and the ODI Matters archives.
In a colossal cross-campus collaboration, we've compiled student resources in one, easy-to-find location on Centre's website! From academic advising to the Writing Center, and everything in between, you can find information, resources, and contacts to help you be successful at Centre.
The Centre Ally Training Series has two wonderful events this month.
- Thursday, March 12th, 11:30a-12:30p. Supporting LGBTQIA+ Students, open session for campus. Please register for headcount by clicking this link. This session will be facilitated by Ann Goodwin and Jo Teut.
- Tuesday, March 17th, 7:30a-9:00a, End of the Rainbow LGBTQIA+ Employee Morning Mixer, Evans-Lively. This space is intended for LGBTQIA+ employees to meet and engage with each other.
Title IX Corner
Thank you to everyone who came to the International Women's Week Extravaganza last week! Over a hundred students participated in this event!
Thank you to everyone who attended the most recent Green Dot workshop. If you are interested in getting certified in the D’s of bystander intervention, OTIX will host another Green Dot workshop on April 11 10 AM-4 PM. All participants receive lunch, Centre Green Dot merchandise, and strategies to prevent violence on campus and beyond. Fill out this short form to register.
For this year’s Women’s History Month, Centre Feminists is planning to perform a performance piece by the Chilean local feminist collective Las Tesis “A Rapist in your path” (Un violador en tu camino) “The Rapist is You” to protest violence against women. This piece has been performed all throughout Latin America, the USA, and Europe, becoming the anthem of feminist movements worldwide. One of the main goals for joining this global movement is to garner attention to sexual violence, victim blaming, and discriminatory cultural practice that exists everywhere in the world. The performance will be on March 12 during common hour in front of the campus center. Here are some ways you can help Centre Feminists:
- Be a part of the demonstration and encourage others to be a part of the cause. Here’s the link to sign up.
- Help us facilitate one of the practice sessions that involves learning the song in Spanish and English. There will be a maximum of 2-3 one hour practices before the 12th (depends on how long it takes). Dates for the practice will be finalized as soon as we hear from you.
- We will also be fundraising through Candy Grams and collecting donations the week that leads to the performance. All the money collected will go to https://women-lead.org/, an organization in Nepal that works with young girls and provides them with leadership and advocacy training.
Interested in joining Students for Prevention, Education, and Advocacy in the Community (SPEAC)? Fill out this interest form!
We are preparing a whole line up of events for April SAAPM- Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. Be on the look out for the calendar, coming to you soon!
HERConnect
Register for the HERC member community portal, HERConnect, where Centre employees can access all the HERC tools and resources and also engage in community conversation, ask questions, get ideas, etc. from other HERC member institutions.
Webinar: Return to Work/Stay at Work Strategies: Retaining in Lieu of Retraining
March 19, 2020 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Millions of people exit the workforce each year after an injury or illness that occurs either on or off the job. In higher education, this has a myriad of implications for not only the employee and family, but also for provision of high quality postsecondary education. This webinar will provide an overview of Return to Work / Stay at work (RTW/SAW) strategies and application of multi-systems change projects that are addressing this issue.
Learning Goals: As a result of participants in this webinar, participants will understand the value of RTW/SAW, be familiar with a range of RTW/SAW strategies, understand the strengths and challenges of said strategies, and be able to assess how/if those strategies could be implemented at their home institution.
Kathy Sheppard-Jones, Ph.D., C.R.C. (Educational Psychology, University of Kentucky) is an adjunct assistant professor in the Counselor Education program at the University of Kentucky. She is also the Executive Director of the Human Development Institute, Kentucky’s University Center on Disability. In that role, she oversees one of the University’s largest Centers under the Office of the Vice President for research, with approximately 240 professional staff and $25 million in annual external grant and contract funding. She developed the University’s Undergraduate Certificate in Universal Design, a first for a Research I university. She is also responsible for several projects in collaboration with the US Department of Labor, Administration for Community Living, Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, and the Kentucky Division of Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities. Her research interests include inclusive employment, transition, postsecondary education, quality of life, and universal design. She teaches courses around rehabilitation research, transition, supported employment and independent living. Dr Sheppard-Jones has served on the National Return to Work/Stay at Work Toolkit Leadership Team, and is currently on the Governor appointed Kentuckyworks Collaborative. She has received the AUCD Young Professionals Award for contributions to the field of developmental disability.
HERC teams up with Military Spouse Employment Partnership
We are thrilled to announce that HERC is now a formal partner of the Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP). Part of the broader Department of Defense Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program, MSEP is an employment and career partnership that serves spouses from all military branches. MSEP's partner network includes corporations, small businesses, nonprofits, and, now, HERC!
This partnership is wonderful example of our collective commitment to veterans and military families. Join us on March 26th for a HERC Member Webinar: Tapping Into the Military Spouse Candidate Pool, below!
Webinar: Tapping Into the Military Spouse Candidate Pool
March 26, 2020 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Military spouses are a rich – but underutilized – talent pool. They bring experience, training, and dedication to our college and university campuses. In addition, they can help fill critical and hard to fill roles, and diversify our candidate pools. However, bias during the selection process influences the evaluation of their experience and training. In this webinar, participants will learn how to tap into the military spouse job seeker pool, how to market your institutions and positions; and how to effectively evaluate and hire military spouses.
Speaker Bio: Mika Cross is a widely-acclaimed human capital expert, speaker, strategist and innovator and thought leader for transformational workplace practices. She regularly speaks and teaches at industry and government events and contributes her expertise on flexible and remote work topics to various news outlets. Mika is currently the vice president of employer engagement & strategic initiatives at FlexJobs and also serves as the 1 Million for Work Flexibility director. Mika’s prior employment included both the private and public sector, including positions with the U.S. Department of Labor, the Office of Personnel Management, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Mika is also a veteran of the United States Army with 20 years of dedicated public service.
Maximizing your membership with HERConnect
Spend 30 minutes diving into HERConnect! You'll learn where to find resources, which communities to plug into, and how to get the most out of HERC's job board. This webinar is geared towards human resources, diversity and inclusion, and academic affairs staff, and is accessible at any time. Click the button below to get started!
Five Tips to Combat Ageism in Hiring
HERC's job seekers consistently rank workplace ageism as a major concern. Melissa Dobbins, CEO and founder of Career.Place—one of HERC's partners—shares insights on how you can minimize ageism in your hiring processes.
The Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC), Human Development Institute, Postsecondary Work Team and Commonwealth Council on Developmental Disabilities are pleased to present the Inclusive Higher Education webinar, Taking the Leap: Design & Development of Problem-based Online Learning. This webinar will take place on Thursday March 5, 2020 at 12pm ET. Follow this link to register for access to the materials.
This effort will continue throughout the academic year as part of the Kentucky Inclusive Higher Education webinar series. You can view the first three webinar recordings as well as other resources at our postsecondary page.
The election date for ISA officers is Wednesday, April 1, 2020. Students may listen to candidates and then vote in Crounse 301 from 4:15pm to about 5:15pm. (Time may run a little longer depending on the number of candidates.)
Religious Life
Religious Life hosted a Mass on campus for Ash Wednesday. Fr. Anthony McLaughlin of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church presided for Ash Wednesday Liturgy at 4:15 p.m. in the Evans-Lively Room in Old Carnegie.
Other News
You can view the Religious Life Office's web page from the link below to see more information about local congregations, religious fellowship on campus, and religious holidays & activities. For more information about Religious Life, please contact Dr. Rick Axtell at rick.axtell@centre.edu.
Calendar
Visit our ODI Calendar to see events, holidays, and important dates. You can view this calendar and our archives of ODI Matters at our Centrenet Site.
March 6, 5:00p-7:00p, open house/walk-in International Women’s Week event, Ewen Room. Many student organizations have been invited to host a table celebrating diverse women on campus and in the world. There will be photo booths, crafts, and activities.
March 8, International Women's Day
March 10, 11:30a-12:30p, Voices from Mariel: Oral Histories of the 1980 Cuban Boatlift, Diversity and Inclusion Convocation. Vahlkamp Theater. This is a 50 min talk with time for questions afterwards. The lecture includes clips from the documentary film “Voices from Mariel” by Dr. Jose Manuel Garcia. On April 1 of 1980, five individuals seeking political asylum crashed a bus through the gates of the Peruvian embassy in Havana, Cuba. Over the next several days up to 10,000 people stormed that embassy’s grounds. Fearing that continued civil unrest might cause further violence or even a coup d’état, Fidel Castro proclaimed that any Cuban who wished to immigrate to the United States could board a boat at the nearby port of Mariel. Thus were born “Los Marielitos.” Told through the previously unheard stories of ten Cuban-American families, “Voices From Mariel” brings new insight into the lives of over 100,000 Cuban-born immigrants who came to the United States thirty years ago as the survivors of the “Mariel Boatlift.” “Voices From Mariel” explores the legacy of the brave and committed people who risked their lives for a new chance in the United States. Where has that short but dangerous 90-mile sail across the Straits of Florida taken “Los Marielitos?” In 1980, Dr. Jose Manuel García was 13 years old and came to the U.S. as part of the Mariel boat lift from Cuba. He wrote “Voices from Mariel” and participated in the filming of the documentary of the same name, in order to give voice to other “Marielitos” as well as family and friends who remained in Cuba.
March 10, 6:00p, Purim Party hosted by JSO, Brock Commons. Purim is a fun Jewish holiday, all about the triumph of good over evil. There’s lots of food and merrymaking, people even dress up in costumes! It’s also common to send gifts to friends, or donate charity to those in need. This celebration will be complete with a costume contest (with prizes for the winners), traditional cookies called Hamantaschen, and a variety of other snacks and treats as well!
March 10, 7:30p, Che Malambo, Newlin Hall, Diversity Convocation. Presenting a thrilling, percussive dance and music spectacle, Che Malambo’s work celebrates the unique South American gaucho tradition. The Argentine-based company excites audiences through precise footwork, rhythmic stomping, drumming of the bombos, and singing and whirling boleadoras. Danced solely by men, the "Malambo" began in the 17th century as competitive duels that would challenge skills of agility, strength, and dexterity. Che Malambo brings these fiery traditions and virtuosic dancing to the contemporary stage for an exhilarating and entertaining show that is perfect for the entire family.
March 12, 11:30a-12:30p, CATS: Supporting LGBTQIA+ Students, open session for campus. Please register for headcount by clicking this link. This session will be facilitated by Ann Goodwin and Jo Teut.
March 16,4:00p-5:00p, Student Listening Session for Strategic Plan on Diversity and Inclusion, Ewen Room.
March 17, 7:30a-9:00a, End of the Rainbow LGBTQIA+ Employee Morning Mixer, Evans-Lively Room. This space is intended for LGBTQIA+ employees to meet each other, engage around community/identity issues, and socialize.
March 17, 11:30a-12:30p, Student Listening Session for Strategic Plan on Diversity and Inclusion, Campus Center 202. See above for more information.
March 19, 7:30p, Bounties of War, Aesthetics of Exile, and Reimaginations of Justice in Global Sri Lankan Cinema, Diversity and Inclusion Convocation, Vahlkamp Theater. Through a study of films including Shadows of Silence by Pradeepan Raveendran and Dheepan by Jacques Audiard, Dr. Nalin Jayasena examines legacies of the Sri Lankan civil war as captured by diasporic and international filmmakers. While mainstream cinema turns migrants’ trauma into a spectacle and commodity, alternative cinematic modes represent a muted aesthetic that disrupts the pleasure of visualizing migrant bodies. Dr. Jayasena investigates how the displaced populations from the Sri Lankan conflict are ushered into the discourse of neoliberalism where market logics determine the migrant subject’s necessity and survival in the West. He relates contemporary migration policies—that are increasingly restrictive yet no less opportunistic—to the global security industry, paying attention to such issues as the privatization of criminal justice system and border enforcement.
March 20, Midterms. Rest, Study, Excell.
March 21, International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
March 21, Spring Break. Be Safe! We'll miss you!
March 31, Cesar Chavez Day
March 31, 11:30a-12:30p, Venezuelan Emigration and Regional Responses, Diversity and Inclusion Convocation, Vahlkamp Theater. João Carlos Jarochinski Silva will give an overview of the history of Venezuelan emigration and its recent spike amid the current political and economic crisis in Venezuela. He will then place Brazilian immigration policy in a comparative perspective, showing how emigration in Latin America is affecting countries besides the United States, and comparing the response of one such country to the response of the U.S. Dr. Jarochinski Silva is a Professor of International Relations at the Federal University of Roraima in Brazil. He will be a Research Fellow at American University starting December 2019. Dr. Jarochinski Silva’s research focuses on Venezuelan migration to Brazil, analyzing both immigration policy and the reception of these migrants, particular in the border state of Roraima.
This calendar is meant to capture events on campus addressing issues of diversity, inclusion, and equity. It is not an exhaustive list. If you have events in upcoming months that you would like to see featured, please email them to Jo Teut at jo.teut@centre.edu prior to the 25th of each month.