Catching Up with Kathy

On behalf of the staff of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, I would like to welcome our returning Spartan students, faculty, and staff to another Fall. We are also welcoming new first year and transfer students as well as new-to-the-campus-location second year students from last year. And we are welcoming employees hired from the last year and half who have worked remotely and are also new to campus. And of course, we want to acknowledge those staff and administrators who have been working throughout the summer on campus in order to keep the campus running, safe, and able to gear up for another academic year.

At ODEI we had an active summer working on different initiatives across campus and providing professional development for employees, particularly staff and administrators. As we start this new academic year we want to acknowledge that even though Fall is usually a time of renewal in higher education, that many of us have been running hard as we work to support the well-being of our students, our colleagues, our communities and our families. Among our own staff, we know that this return to campus is at times bittersweet---excited to see our colleagues, joyous to see the energy of students on the Paseo and in our buildings, yet anxious about COVID-19, and tired from adjustments to a new routine for our families and whole communities as everyone transitions to work and school. We worry not only about people here but our families and friends across the country and around the world. We share in your joys and share in your concerns. We look forward to working together on addressing systemic change on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging for our campus communities in the coming year. Please drop by our new space as we have moved from Tower Hall to a suite of offices on the first floor of the ADM (Administration) Building, Room 104 near Clark Hall. We wish you a good start to the academic year.

ODEI in Action

Highlights from a Busy Summer!

ODEI continues to engage with Students, Staff and Faculty in social justice educational events in the service of increasing our collective capacity across our community and work towards creating a more inclusive and welcoming environment. ODEI has furthered it's work that started the Summer of 2020 by engaging with approximately half of all SJSU's MPPs and Managers that have participated in trainings on Racial Microaggressions. ODEI has continued this work this summer beginning to engage with SJSU Staff with approximately 54 participants from the Division of Student Affairs.

This summer ODEI has also had the opportunity to continue to work with a number of academic units, such as with the Summer 2021 Antiracism Action Summer Institute, as well as with the Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering. Specific to Engineering, Dr. Kathleen Wong(Lau) lead the college chairs in a review of belong@SJSU assessment results; Dr. craig John Alimo had the opportunity to work with incoming first year and transfer students in the EXCEED program, and Peer Educators/Ambassadors in MESA/MEP. Fernanda Perdomo-Arciniegas and craig helped welcome new students with a training that was part of the School of Social Work MSW orientation, as well. ODEI's collaboration with the PRIDE Center and the Center for Faculty Development continued with a repeat offering of a Gender Inclusive Pedagogy workshop for both Faculty and Staff.

Dr. Patience Bryant co-facilitated a one day Informal Resolutions in Title IX Mini-Track for the Association for Student Conduct Administration’s Donald D. Gehring Academy. Participants were exposed to foundational information on informal resolution options and the application to Title IX and Sexual Misconduct cases.

Under the leadership of The BLOC and in partnership with ODEI, African American Studies, and Institute for the Study of Sport, Society and Social Change, SJSU hosted in the 2021 New Black Spartan Institute. The program hosted 60 first time fall 2021 students, fall 2021 transfer students, and fall 2020 new and transfer students. ODEI also co-hosted a Black Parent and Family Support Space.

A highlight of the summer for Dr. Kathleen Wong(Lau) was participating as a panelist in a Chief Diversity Officer Roundtable hosted by UC Berkeley as part of their Chief Diversity Officer Academy, a virtual one-day immersive academy for Chief Diversity Officers.

ODEI also loves to provide a variety of trainings for Student employees, as well. We always enjoy our work with our students in Peer Connections, and for the second summer worked with RA and Housing staff in the International House.

For the first time, SJSU   celebrated faculty and staff  with a two-week calendar of events. Felicia McKee-Fegans sat on the planning committee with faculty and staff from across the university. She also volunteered during several of the sponsored events. 

Welcome Gathering of Academic Indigenous Native Americans (GAIN)

Employee Affinity Group Update

We are excited to welcome a new Employee Affinity Group to campus. GAIN is the Gathering of Academic Indigenous and Native Americans and their organization seeks to build community, promote visibility, and provide support for SJSU’s Indigenous and Native American Faculty and Staff through campus activities and initiatives. GAIN's specific objectives are to ensure that the university:

1. Increases access, retention and graduation rates of Native students.
2. Recruits, retains, promotes and tenures greater numbers of Native and Indigenous faculty and staff.
3. Provides increased opportunities for faculty and staff to advance to administrative and policy-making positions.
4. Improves its linkages with and service to the Native American and Indigenous community.
5. Provide a forum for Native American and Indigenous Peoples to address both campus and community issues related to inclusivity and equity.

For more information about GAIN or to learn how you can get involved, contact Dr. Maria Cruz or Dr. Soma de Bourbon.

If you are interested in starting a new Employee Affinity Group for historically underrepresented or underserved faculty and/or staff, please contact our office. In ODEI we understand that there is a need for faculty and staff to share inclusive space to discuss and promote retention and community-building efforts, inclusive excellence, and the success of our students as well as themselves. Transformation 2030’s Goal 3: Grow and Thrive outlines SJSU’s growing effort to “be an inclusive, welcoming and well-balanced community and institution that ensures long-term financial sustainability and effectiveness and also attracts, retains and sustains faculty and staff members and students.” In order to do this successfully, we support the efforts of all faculty and staff on campus. These groups are just one way we hope to strengthen that support.

SPOTLIGHT ON THE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM

Now Recruiting Faculty Mentors

UROP is an exciting and new opportunity for students to gain research and mentorship experiences with SJSU faculty in their discipline or project of interest. Currently launching its pilot cohort this semester, the program provides students hands-on engagement in research, scholarship, and creative activity throughout the academic year. Participating students will receive directed guidance from designated faculty, regular meetings with a peer mentor, and the opportunity to present their research at the UROP end-of-year symposium. UROP is currently available to faculty and first year, second year, and transfer students from non-STEM disciplines in its pilot year, with the goal of launching the program campus-wide in the fall of 2022. Interested faculty can learn more about the program here and submit projects here. Student-faculty pairings will begin in early October.

Employee Connections is a monthly meeting created by ODEI for staff, faculty, and administrators where they can share a virtual lunch or coffee break with their colleagues and talk about anything and everything that may be of interest to them and/or the group. This initiative was born last year as a result of the feedback received during the pre and post election sessions that ODEI held in partnership with University Personnel, Center for Faculty Development and LifeMatters EAP by Empathia where attendees suggested the creation of a space where people could meet over zoom and connect with each other since the pandemic had limited our interpersonal interactions. The intention of the Employee Connections sessions is to help facilitate meeting new people, learning from each other, and creating community. These sessions are for all SJSU employees, including those who work for our auxiliaries. Join us!

REGISTER FOR SEPTEMBER 21

The readings and resources in this section are designed to help our campus learn about theories, frameworks, research and resources that are helpful in addressing our key goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion by building our intellectual muscle to help us see our world, analyze our world, and apply this learning from where we are to increase equity. The readings are chosen because they are able to overview or introduce complex concepts in ways that promote understanding among a wide variety of readers, occupational foci, and time constraints. This month we include more offerings, including a book, for your summer reading.

Watch a Never-Before-Aired James Baldwin Interview From 1979
Buried by ABC at the time, the segment reveals a unique glimpse into Baldwin’s private life—as well as his resounding criticism about white fragility, as blisteringly relevant today as it was in 1979.

"White People Stress Me Out All the Time": Black Students Define Racial Trauma

Neuroscience (and a Small Dose of Emotional Intelligence) Reveals the Simple Trick to Learn a Lot More--With a Lot Less Effort
Learning more efficiently is a matter of time--but not in the way you might think.

Black professionals less likely than whites to miss the office
Why are white professionals 7 times more likely than their Black colleagues to want to return to the office full-time?

Jul. 9, 1954 | After Brown Ruling, AL Education Board Votes to Continue Segregation
Learn more about our history of racial injustice

Trucks are Banned on Oakland's I-580. These Sixth Graders Wondered Why | KQED
A 70-year-old ban on large trucks on Interstate 580 pushes diesel-burning vehicles, and their pollution, to Interstate 880. Students living along the 880 corridor want their elected officials to do something about it.

A sense of belonging is what drives well-being—and it’s disappearing
Our social connectedness drives our happiness; after more than a year of social isolation, there’s a clear opportunity for brands that can build belonging.

The new Indigenous TV series coming your way
‘Reservation Dogs’ is the latest product of an exciting new era of Native self-representation.

The podcasts provided will address issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion and are also designed to help us learn about theories, frameworks, research and resources. These podcasts will help us see our world, analyze our world, and apply this learning from where we are to increase equity. We are also looking to be more inclusive and share a wide variety of learning resources that can be consumed while we are doing other things, like walking the dog, driving, exercising, making dinner, or washing the dishes. We hope you enjoy this regular posting.

Lord of the Rankings
A good listen on how college rankings are created

Project Dillard
A historically Black university in New Orleans is beloved by everyone – except the US News best colleges rankings. We hack our way back into the algorithm and show how Dillard University can rise to the top

1619

The Anti-Oppression Network: allyship

The Swan Center for Advocacy & Research, Inc  - Care Care — The Swan Center for Advocacy & Research, Inc.

Dismantling Anti-Blackness in Democratic Workplaces Toolkit — AORTA

The African American Policy Forum INTERSECTIONALITY MATTERS | AAPF 

Vietnamese Surnames - A Pronunciation Lesson by Vietnamese Student Association at SJSU apida-vietnamese-surnames.mov

CONTACT US

diversityoffice@sjsu.edu     •     408-924-8168