Weekly Three 09/08/21
Greetings Miami University,
Here is this week's diversity, equity, inclusion "weekly three" from the Office of Institutional Diversity:
Special Invitation from VP of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion
I invite all Miami community members to register and attend Miami’s Third Annual Across the Divide Conference: Achievement and Opportunity on October 8, 2021. This year’s hybrid conference features a joint keynote address, panel presentations, workshops, and research on diversity, equity, inclusion at Miami University.
This year we have an exciting lineup of Miami students, faculty, and staff including a special keynote, “We Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: Re-envisioning Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education”.
One: DEI Implementation
Miami University Heritage Month Programming Launch
We are excited to launch a new Heritage Month Programming structure and webpage to promote and coordinate more systematic programming year-round. We invite all to learn more about the diversity within the Miami community and visit the new Heritage Month Programming site.
We are kicking off the Fall semester with Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month, and invite all to check out the calendar of events and more resources.
View Heritage Month Programming
Expanded Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion "Behind the Scenes" Town Hall
In line with Pillar 5: Inclusion and Accountability, Recommendation 3, OIDI hosts “Behind the Scenes” Townhalls to provide insights and details of how DEI is embedded in the decision-making processes and practices of each division. This fall we invite the Miami community to join an expanded DEI Behind the Scenes Townhall Series, featuring College Deans.
Save the date for the upcoming three webinar events:-
- College of Engineering and Computing, Tuesday, September 28, 12-1pm Register Now
- Graduate School, Tuesday, October 5, 11am-12pm Register Now
- College of Liberal Arts and Applied Sciences, Wednesday October 20, 12-1pm Register Now
Two: Community Updates
Remembering 9/11
This week marks the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Our thoughts are with those who lost loved ones and who continue to be impacted by the events of 9/11. In remembrance of those who lost their lives, Miami will hold a moment of silence on 9/11 at 8:46 a.m. EST, the time when the first plane hit the World Trade Center.
Miami University offers a variety of resources and support, including Student Counseling Services, the Center for Veterans Services, and Green Zone Training, which “helps faculty and staff understand and empathize with veterans by educating them about military culture and the struggles that veterans face as they transition from active duty military service to becoming a college student."
As a community committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, we also want to ensure that all in our community feel safe and that they belong, and we condemn acts of bias and discrimination. Students, faculty, and staff who feel they have experienced an incident of bias or discrimination may report it.
Diversity Officers Leadership Council
The goals of this new council are to identify, discuss and support unit-based and cross-unit efforts; develop new collaborative ways forward to foster inclusive excellence; share and coordinate programming; identify and proactively support the work and ongoing professional development of DEI leaders; provide a space for those directly engaged in DEI work to constructively discuss challenges and opportunities, and ensure broad-based input and discussions about university-wide DEI planning and strategies. The Diversity Officers Leadership Council meets monthly starting Fall Semester 2021.
Evidence-Based, Anti-Racist Strategies for Leveraging Diversity and Empathy in the Classroom
Friday September 17th 10:00 am-11:30 amRegardless of class size and academic discipline, diversity in the classroom is both an opportunity and a challenge. Faculty and students often experience tension related to the different perspectives and lived experiences represented. In this workshop, you will learn three strategies to leverage this tension to enhance teaching and learning. These strategies draw on 30+ years of intergroup dialogue (IGD) research conducted by the University of Michigan and several years of experience with IGD at Miami.
Miami University Launches New DEI Student Advisory Council
Students are invited to nominate themselves or their peers to be a part of the new DEI Student Advisory Council at Miami University. This fifteen (15) student member Council will meet with the Vice President of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion regularly and will be critical in providing insight, and working in partnership, on DEI issues based on the experiences, concerns, and goals of students. The goals of this Council are to help maintain regular lines of communication with both undergraduate and graduate students; to ensure students are empowered to provide regular input and recommendations related to student experiences with campus climate, new DEI-related initiatives, and DEI more broadly; and to proactively and collaboratively examine university efforts to address these concerns. Students will serve 1-year terms.
Deadline for submissions: Friday, September 17th
Graduate School’s Professional Development Series Advances Pillars of DEI Task Force
The Miami University Graduate School in advancing the DEI Task Force recommendations launches its fall Professional Development series, all graduate students are encouraged to attend. Sessions are 1-2pm in the King Library AIS Room or through Zoom. This series features sessions on “Strategies to Negotiate Dialogue Across Difference,” “Why Implicit Bias and Microaggressions Awareness Matters,” and “Writing Diversity Statements for Job Applications.”
Questions? Contact gradpd@MiamiOH.edu. An informational flyer will be attached to listserv email.
Three: Celebrations & Recognition
National Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month at Miami University
Check out our new Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month page, with a calendar of events and more resources! According to the 2020 Census, the Latinx population makes up 18.7% (62.1 million) of the U.S. population and growth in Ohio reached a new record of 4.4%. The Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion invites you to submit programming content (lectures, events, and initiatives) connected to Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month. We encourage all members of our community to promote and participate in these events; please submit your event to the University Calendar and complete the Weekly Three Submission. Upcoming events include:
Being Latinx in 21st Century Higher Education
September 15, noon-1pm
Register to join this Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month webinar featuring Miami University faculty and staff as they engage in dialogue around questions such as: "Why is it important to discuss Latinx experiences when we speak of higher ed today?" and “What does Hispanic and Latinx mean to you?"
Miami Alumni Association Presents: The Kissing Bug - A conversation with author Daisy Hernández
October 7, 2021, noon-1pm
Gabby Rivera
The Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion is proud to host Gabby Rivera as a guest speaker for Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month. Rivera is an outgoing, outspoken creator invested in fostering better dialogue, inspiring radical creativity, and improving our most vulnerable communities. The author of Juliet Takes a Breath, she’s also the writer of the Marvel series America—featuring the first queer, Latinx teen-girl superhero, ever. The New York Times, Vogue, and beyond: and Marvel Studios and Disney+ just announced a new show based on the series. A small intimate meet-and-greet will be hosted virtually for a select group of students/student organizations at 8pm. CSDI, UNIDOS, Spectrum, and Sigma Lambda Gamma are co-sponsoring this programming.
Annual Latin American and Caribbean UniDiversity Festival
This year's UniDiversity Festival will take place on Friday, September 17, 2021, 5:30-9:00 pm, Oxford Uptown Parks High St. & Main St., Oxford, OH. (Following the university's new COVID-19 policies, we won't have an alternative location as promoted earlier for the festival. The event will be canceled in case of severe weather conditions.) The UniDiversity Festival is a collaborative initiative to promote diversity and inclusion in our community, and it is also a chance to learn more about the valuable contributions of the Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean peoples and cultures. Every year the UniDiversity festival is the kick-off of a month full of activities at Miami University and Oxford Ohio. This community event is a portal for intercultural connections and civic engagement.
The full program is now available on UniDiversity Festival | GLI FB
Upcoming Religious Holy Days and Holidays & Inclusive Scheduling
- September 3: Paryushana Parva (Jain)
- September 7-8*: Rosh Hashanah (Jewish)
- September 10: Ganesh Chaturthi (Hindu)
- September 15-16*: Yom Kippur (Jewish)
- September 20-27*: Sukkot (Jewish)
- September 22: Mabon (Pagan/Wiccan)
- September 28*: Shemini Atzeret (Jewish)
- September 29*: Simchat Torah (Jewish)
“*” denotes holidays that start sundown the day before. Please note that individual practices may vary.
Please see the academic affairs calendar and complementing interfaith narrative calendar for policies and for more information, and regarding religious holy days and holidays observed by Miami Community members during the month of September.
With Love and Honor,
Cristina Alcalde, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Vice President for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion
Professor, Global and Intercultural Studies
vpDiversity@MiamiOH.edu