Expanding Access Quarterly Office of Access, Inclusion, and Compliance, Division of Extension

Fall/Winter 2022

Milestone approaches as OAIC celebrates 3rd anniversary

By Dominic Ledesma

OAIC’s top priority is to empower our colleagues with resources and services that support accessible, inclusive, and equitable programming. This is why our service-support model has been central to our unit’s identity and vision since OAIC was established three years ago. We manage the bulk of our workflow through the OAIC Service Requests (or “OSR”) intake process, which is an organizational strategy that allows us to operate as partners with colleagues on their projects and programming efforts.

This fall, OAIC is approaching a significant milestone. Through our intake process, our team has supported close to 1000 projects! Requests vary in size and scope and hail from nearly every program area and office in the state. The most common types of requests our team receives include consultations on outreach and engagement strategies, building authentic relationships with community members, coordination of spoken and sign language interpreters, curricula reviews, and the creation of multilingual outreach and programming materials.

Our consultation-based process offers colleagues individualized attention and support that is tailored to the unique context of each effort. The team-based approach we take to supporting Extension colleagues allows our unit to maximize our team members’ specializations while managing the ever-increasing demand for our unit’s work within the Division.

Improving the collective quality, accessibility, and inclusivity of Extension’s work statewide is a tall order. This is why we continually work to improve and evolve our unit’s service-support model. As a relatively new unit within Extension, we continue to strive to provide requesters with a client-centered experience, and one that equips them with perspectives, resources, and services that empower our workforce to grow, engage, lead, and program with confidence.

Apply now for spring cohorts of the Learning Community

Application closes on December 15th

The Learning Community for Inclusive Organizational Citizenship is now accepting applications for our spring 2023 cohorts! Please join us in building community and exploring the ways our social identities shape us and the Extension workplace.

Participants will explore topics that include: Race, identity, intersectionality, and power; Ableism and disability justice; Gender, gender identity, and sexuality; White dominant culture and systemic privilege; Anti-racism; Inclusive leadership; and Generative conflict.

We will be offering two cohorts in the spring. When you apply, you will be able to indicate your preference.

Cohort 1:

• Virtual sessions: Tuesdays, 1-2:30pm, February 7th- April 18th
• Day-long, in-person sessions: February 2nd & 3rd and April 26th & April 27th

Cohort 2:

• Virtual sessions: Thursdays, 1-2:30pm, February 9th-April 20th
• Day-long, in-person sessions: February 2nd & 3rd and April 26th & April 27th

The Learning Community is free and open to all Extension staff – no prior experience necessary. Check out our website for more information and to apply!

Professional development series facilitates deeper understanding of audiences underserved by Extension

The Foundations of Equitable Program Development series is a team-based series of facilitated activities that provides Extension Area teams and statewide project teams with resources and perspectives to explore more deeply who in their geographic and/or program areas are served and underserved by Extension. For those of you who’ve been at Extension for a while, consider this the new and improved version of the old mapping workshops. Transparencies are replaced by an interactive dashboard and discussions are enhanced by multiple capacity-building activities.

Colleagues will learn how to use the Equitable Program Development Dashboard—a customizable visualization tool created in collaboration with the Applied Population Lab—to analyze key demographic variables, make sense of qualitative data, and collaboratively identify gaps in services. Teams practice using the dashboard and other tools and processes to begin to develop a plan for more intentional outreach, engagement, and relationship-building efforts.

The series consists of four modules divided into nine facilitated sessions. Each module includes facilitated virtual-learning sessions, individual online-learning activities, and large-group application and debriefing sessions. These multimodal activities guide Area colleagues and project teams, including administrative staff, in developing a shared understanding of:

• who in their community(ies) is served and underserved by their program(s)
• what assets are available for building and deepening relationships with groups who are underserved by Extension
• actionable next steps for collaboratively advancing relationship building efforts

To register your Area or project team for this series, please complete an OAIC Service Request (OSR) Form. Select “I want to enroll my Area or Project Team in the Foundations of Equitable Program Development series”. OAIC will respond as soon as possible to arrange a consultation session with you and the OAIC team. For additional information, please contact Teresa Curtis, at: teresa.curtis@wisc.edu.

AABERG introduces the official annual report, ‘Brown Paper’, with new milestones!

UW Extension African American Black Employee Resource Group (AABERG) was initially formed in 2009. Employee resource groups are voluntary, employee-led groups aiming to foster a diverse, inclusive workplace aligned with the organizations they serve. AABERG’s mission is to advance the development of African American and Black employees as future national leaders in Extension by supporting an inclusive work environment through networking, education, and events that promote increased learning and collegial dialogue.

AABERG emphasizes that Black History occurs daily; therefore, the group strives to bring black history, black thought, black leadership, and black inspiration to our colleagues through information gathering and professional development events. In 2020-2021, the group developed an Extension Cultural Climate survey to understand the current environment for employees within their institute and local offices. The survey was distributed in the first quarter of 2022 to members of AABERG. The group also led a professional development series with a registration count of more than 700 participants.

When we asked participants to describe how they would use the presentation content in their work, this is what they had to say: "I will use this presentation to continue to educate myself on youth development and social and emotional resources for young men", "I will help others find hope when they may feel there is none", "Remembering to focus on what each individual is uniquely suited to contribute."

One of the things that we learned in reviewing the feedback from the professional development series is that our colleagues want to know "how" they can use this information in their work. The AABERG will be more intentional to ensure we will share a few tips on how our colleagues can use the information to impact change in their communities and their work in Extension.

If you would like to read more about the things AABERG is doing to foster an inclusive work environment, check out the first issue of the annual report, ‘The Brown Paper’. If you are interested in supporting AABERG, please continue to join us during our professional development series, complete our surveys and provide us with meaningful feedback. We are evolving and want to ensure we serve our colleagues ethically and passionately. If you are interested in becoming a member, please use this form to share information with the Executive members of the African American Black Employee Resource Group: JOIN AABERG TODAY.

Kick-off of Extension’s Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) employee resource group

The APIDA employee resource group (ERG) had its inaugural meeting via Zoom on September 14th. The 12 attendees spent part of the meeting getting to know each other before engaging in conversation to further define the group’s purpose. At a November follow-up meeting, the group agreed upon the following description:

The Division of Extension APIDA Employee Resource Group is a space for Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans and allies to support and empower one another, communicate APIDA community and employee issues, educate Division of Extension of APIDA culture and current events, and serve as a resource to help Division of Extension work more effectively with APIDA communities. The APIDA ERG meets on a quarterly basis.

If you are interested in joining and helping to shape this new group, please reach out to a member of the leadership team: Venkata Karri (venkata.karri@wisc.edu), Tounhia Khang (tounhia.khang@wisc.edu), Jen Park-Mroch (jennifer.parkmroch@wisc.edu), Krystina Yang (kyang228@wisc.edu)

Affirmative action case in U.S. Supreme Court: impact to Extension?

By Dominic Ledesma

At the end of October, the U.S. Supreme Court heard two cases related to “affirmative action” practices in higher education: Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina. The central legal question at issue is whether universities can continue to consider race as a factor in admissions applications and decisions. The Court’s previous rulings on this topic determined that race-conscious admissions policies and practices are permissible when considering applicant profiles.

Will the Court’s eventual ruling on these cases impact the Division of Extension? The short answer is “no,” or at least, not directly. Our programming and priorities as a Division will be largely unaffected by the Court’s ruling. This is because Extension is not directly connected to the University’s admissions policies and practices, which fall under the University’s Division of Enrollment Management. More specifically, Extension’s consideration and use of participant and community demographic data (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, and other factors) stems from our compliance with Federal non-discrimination laws and policies (e.g., Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and others).

Even though the Court’s ruling on these cases is not expected until next summer, either outcome would not directly impact our work as Extension. There would likely be, however, some indirect effects if the Court should decide to strike down (rather than uphold) decisions from previous legal challenges to Affirmative Action. One indirect impact I see concerns the general public’s opinion and response to the ruling. During times like these, when issues of racial diversity and questions of access and equity remerge in high-profile spaces that hold national attention, public debate tends to remerge as a topic of mainstream discussion. It is likely that the legal issues will serve as a public referendum on both legal and non-legal issues connected specifically to race, diversity, equity, and inclusion. One example of this concerns the ongoing public debate, not to mention the Court’s own debate, around the very notion of “diversity” and the educational benefits of creating a diverse learning environment.

The Court’s pending decision will unquestionably determine whether university admissions need to adopt a “race-blind” policy in lieu of the current “race-conscious” policy. Whatever the high court rules, Extension remains committed to upholding our own responsibilities and priorities around equitable, accessible, and inclusive programming for all Wisconsin residents.

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Events for Native November

November is Native American Heritage Month (also called Native November). In recognition, public events are happening all month around Wisconsin. Listed below are a few upcoming events, but be sure to check out what other happenings may be taking place near you:

• November 17, 4:30-7:30 p.m.: “Decolonizing Gender: A Two Spirit Celebration", UW-Stevens Point
• November 22, 12:00-2:00 p.m.: "Traditional Feast: Food Sovereignty and Dispelling Thanksgiving Myths", UW-Eau Claire
• November 22, 2:00-3:00 p.m.: Dance Social: Hosted on Bascom Hill by MadTown Singers, the Native drum group at UW-Madison

If you're interested in virtual options, the National Museum of the American Indian’s Native Cinema Showcase will have 10 films by Native filmmakers available on demand from November 18-25.

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Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, language(s), background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

For inquiries related to this publication or if you would like to make a financial gift to support the OAIC’s work, please contact oaic@extension.wisc.edu.