2021-2022 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Action Plan Updates

May 10, 2022

Academic Affairs Division

  • The Faculty Personnel Committee proposed, and the faculty passed in April, a significant revision to the faculty “self report,” which is the template application submitted for tenure, promotion, and merit. This is the first significant revision to the template in over 40 years and includes further emphasis on DEI inclusive practices, interdisciplinarity, and support of work in the OWU Connection, all related to teaching, scholarship, and service.
  • Hired the second round of the faculty cohort with a continued focus on flexibility, interdisciplinarity, and DEI practice consistent with the first round of the cohort. The hiring process, entirely revamped to facilitate an orientation toward these three foci, had further touchpoints and accountability related to equity-based outreach and approaches this year. This hiring approach and focus is now standard practice and will continue with the next round of hiring in fall 2022.
  • Used the General Education transformation to infuse the former DEI requirement throughout the curriculum, including the new competencies. Additionally, best practice nationally indicates that first-generation and BIPOC students benefit exponentially from even one high-impact practice or experience of undergraduate research, internships, study abroad, and service learning. For the first time, students will have a required OWU Connection experience, which means all students will benefit from this new requirement.
  • Hired two new directors for the OWU Connection – an Associate Dean and an Executive Director – to help implement this new curriculum and required experience. As suggested by faculty and consistent with signature experiences at colleges nationally, all of these experiential opportunities will be housed under one roof for the first time to benefit all students, especially marginalized students who can now see themselves fully in the OWU Connection.

Athletics Department

  • Teams completed module training with the DEI Council and had follow-up discussions with Dawn Chisebe or Jason Timpson.
  • Worked on a Space Audit Exercise for teams to move through – examining how athletic spaces are represented and experienced by student-athletes, coaches, recruits, and their families.
  • Worked to add DEI questions into the post-season survey that teams complete at the end of their competitive season.

Council on Diversity Equity and Inclusion

  • Five-Year DEI Strategic Plan
    • Ongoing efforts to develop a five-year plan led by Dawn Chisebe, Chief Diversity Officer (CDO); Imogene Johnson, Director of Human Resources; and Jason Timpson, Director of Multicultural Student Affairs.
  • Training
    • Collaborated with Destiny Coleman and the Woltemade Center for Economics, Business and Entrepreneurship to develop training for Woltemade Center Scholars.
    • Sat on the Athletic DEI Committee (ongoing).
    • Continued to provide training for search committees with open positions.
    • Worked to ensure all incoming first-year students take a DEI Training module as part of orientation.
  • Programming
    • Planned for the 2nd Annual Global Majority Block Party in concert with OMSA.
    • Participated in committee for the 30th Annual MLK Celebration in 2023 (ongoing).
    • DEI Book Club finished reading The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together written by Heather McGhee. Building the reading list for summer 2022.
    • Invited Iresha Picot, LBS, licensed therapist and co-editor of The Color of Hope: People of Color Mental Health Narratives, to campus virtually for student, faculty, and staff workshops titled “Filling our Cups: A Workshop of Community and Self-Care.”
    • Brought Dr. Valerie Lee, professor emeritus and former CDO, Vice Provost of Diversity and Inclusion, and VP of Outreach and Engagement at The Ohio State University, to campus to discuss her new book Sisterlocking Discoarse: Race, Gender, and the Twenty-First Century Academy.
  • DEI Grants Awarded
    • Students:
      • Anna duSaire for her film project on BIPOC students’ sense of belonging at OWU.
      • Megan Sheradin, Jada Respress, Mohammad Niazi, Katie Rozsa, Nebraska White, and Dr. Ashley Kennard for their program “Unstoppable: 100 Women and Girls’ in concert with Role Model Magazine.”
    • Faculty and Staff:
      • Brian Granger, Assistant Professor of Theatre, for his Theatre-as-Service project, which involved taking students to Staunton, Virginia, to assist as tech crew for What We Lost.
      • Sean Bolender, Director of Public Safety, for Public Safety officers to participate in Mutual Respect Training.
      • Angel Tyler, Resident Life Coordinator, for her project on the inclusion of Black composers in the classical vocal music repertoire.
  • Scholarships
    • Awarded two scholarships to Delaware City Schools students through the fundraising efforts of the Annual MLK Committee.
  • Support
    • Continued to hold monthly Bishops of Color and Mosaic events for faculty and staff.
    • Served on the First-Generation Advisory Group, which has held numerous events on campus this year.
  • Conferences and Academies
    • CDO, Director of OMSA, and Director of HR attended the National Association for Diversity Officers in Higher Education. The conference theme was “Advancing Equity and Anti-Racism Strategies on Campus.”
    • CDO attended the National Conference on Diversity, Race, and Learning. The Conference theme was “Forward Progress: Making Diversity, Equity, and Inclusive Excellence a Priority.”
    • CDO and Director of OMSA are attending the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education.
    • CDO is attending the 2022 NCAA Inclusion Forum in June.
    • CDO was nominated for and will be part of the 2022 Cohort for the Penn State Academy for Anti-Racist Leadership

Enrollment and Communications Division

  • We continued to provide staff training opportunities focused on DEI issues.
  • Increased number of Charles Thomas Scholarships offered, focused on providing opportunities to students from low-income families.
  • Actively promoted the Bridge Program in collaboration with OMSA.
  • Increased outreach and strengthening connection to I Know I Can, a Columbus-based college access program.
  • Expanded our travel assistance program to offer more prospective students with financial need the opportunity to visit campus.
  • Enhanced our utilization of the College Greenlight platform to communicate with community-based organizations and college access groups about academic experiences and scholarship opportunities available at OWU.

Finance and Administration Division/Human Resources Office

  • We have expanded where we post open positions to include more diverse websites such as DiversityJobs.com, Disabilityjobs.net, AfricanAmericanHires.com, Latinojobs.org, AllHispanicJobs.com, and more.
  • Revised the OWU job posting template to make it less formal and more conversational in style, emphasizing reference to related work skills and environments. The new format appeals to a wider range of potential applicants.
  • Implemented a revamped onboarding experience to welcome and build support for new hires. We continue to develop this new hire experience:
    • This includes the introduction of a new hire checklist and a manager checklist for new hires to ensure a consistent welcoming experience for new employees.
    • Introduction of OWU Guiding Principles to new hires.
  • OWU employee population diversity levels during the 2021-22 school year:
    • Fall = 11.44% non-white
    • Spring = 11.22% non-white
  • Total new hires from 7/1/21 to 5/3/2022 = 72 employees:
    • Non-white new hires from 7/1/21 to 5/3/2022
    • Total non-white new hires (2-Asian; 11-Black or African American; 3-Hispanic or Latina) = 16; 16/72 = 22.22%
    • New hires that do not identify their race = 3

Student Engagement and Success Division

  • We are hiring an Assistant Director for Multicultural Student Affairs to supplement staffing resources. The search is commencing in early May.
  • Held graduation recognition events for LGBTQ+ (Lavender Graduation) and multicultural students (Kushinda) in April.
  • Conducted or supported multiple social and educational programs focused on diverse identities, including LGTBQ+, female, and BIPOC students.
  • Staffed the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) with a full array of student-interns this spring who provided great assistance in program planning, outreach to students, and administration of the Multicultural Center.
  • Continued Bridge Program planning to provide a robust early college experience for incoming students from marginalized communities.

University Advancement Division

  • Ten first-generation students are traveling this May with nine fellow students and two faculty members to visit historically significant Civil Rights Movement locations. Over the course of the trip, the group will visit Birmingham, Selma, Montgomery, Jackson, and New Orleans.
  • Fifteen on-campus, first-generation internships were placed during this academic year.
    • Growth metrics were analyzed via NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) core competencies, and students reported growth in:
      • Leadership
      • Critical thinking
      • Civic engagement
      • Teamwork
      • Professionalism and work ethics
    • 100% of the participating students indicated increasing confidence in each of these core competencies by at least one level.
  • Eighteen first-generation, on-campus, paid positions are slated for the 2022-2023 academic year.
  • A first-generation website is under construction and set to launch in summer 2022. The goal is to help build community and frame the first-generation experience as a celebration, not a deficit.
  • Over 100 first-generation student career coaching appointments have been completed by Career Connection team members.
  • Through Career Connection endowments, over $35,000 has been awarded to underrepresented, underserved students – including racial, sexual, and ethnic diversity, and first-gen students for internships, career development, and research opportunities:
    • First-generation and underrepresented students are interning at multiple high-profile locations including MIT, Mayo Clinic, MetroHealth, GenZ Designs, Amazon, Auditor of the State, and HoloPundits.
    • Kaito Iwasaki ’23, a mathematics and astrophysics double major, recently secured a math research internship at Cornell University. Without the support specifically for first-generation and underrepresented students, Iwasaki would have had to turn down this invaluable research opportunity due to financial constraints.
  • Bishops in Action: We are working on a DEI Certification Program, Bishops in Action. The program would be offered to alumni to educate others within the OWU Community on how to create effective change within participants’ spheres of influence. The program would have two parts:
    • Part 1: DEI Workshop. Kicking off in the fall, small workshops would be taught by OWU faculty/staff/alumni.
    • Part 2: DEI Certification. The certification program would meet weekly for two to three months. Upon completion, recipients would receive a DEI certification.
  • Black Alumni Task Force: This group is reconvening in summer 2022 with a specific commitment to help create a community of belonging for black alumni and students and to identify ways to create more connection and support.

January 14, 2022

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council / Office of the Chief Diversity Officer

Five-Year DEI Strategic Plan

  • Ongoing efforts to develop a five-year strategic plan for the University with Dawn Chisebe, Chief Diversity Officer; Dr. Ashley Biser, Assistant Provost for Curriculum and Equity; Imogene Johnson, Director of Human Resources; and Jason Timpson, Director of Multicultural Student Affairs, meeting with groups across campus to gather input. A town hall meeting with WCSA is being planned for February to discuss DEI strategies, goals, and actions with students.

Training

  • Completed DEI Module training and follow-up discussions with all athletic teams.
  • Working with Destiny Coleman and the Woltemade Center for Economics, Business and Entrepreneurship to develop training for Woltemade Center Scholars.
  • Continued training for campus job search committees with open positions.
  • Worked with the Faculty Personnel Committee (FPC) to establish protocols for faculty and student board members involved in faculty evaluations. This includes DEI training centered on completing evaluations and writing letters of evaluation.

Programming

  • Collaborated with the Delaware County Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee to plan the 2022 MLK Celebration.
    • January 16 – Panel discussion of the documentary film, “FUNDI: The Story of Ella Baker.”
    • January 17 – “Why We Can’t Wait” event, including TED Talk-style presentations.
  • Planned the DEI Book Club reading of The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee.
  • Planning workshops in late February for faculty/staff and students (details to come) and additional programming for March.

Grants

  • Student Anna duSaire was awarded a new DEI Grant. duSaire's film project will center the voices of BIPOC students at OWU to better understand their sense of belonging on our campus. She hopes to help the campus gain insight into which practices and policies work well, and which fall short or have unintended impacts on those who are members of marginalized communities.
  • The grant program has a rolling deadline for additional student funding.
  • The next faculty/staff proposal grant deadline is February 1.

Support

  • The Bishops of Color and Mosaic groups have continued to be active with monthly events scheduled for faculty and staff. Bishops of Color is for faculty and staff who identify as BIPOC, and Mosaic is for faculty/staff who identify as LGBTQIA+. Individuals interested in participating may contact Dawn Chisebe.
  • Two DEI Council members are part of the First-Generation Advisory Group, which held events last semester.

Academic Affairs Division

Faculty Cohort Hiring

  • Academic Affairs is in the midst of hiring six new tenure-track faculty. Building on the success of last year’s cluster hire with an emphasis on flexibility, interdisciplinarity, and DEI, a new cohort has been advertised with positions in Computer Science, Education, English, Math, Physics, and Psychology. Each position has been designed to prioritize candidates’ potential to support BIPOC, LGBTQ+, first-generation, and low-income students. The search process also has been revised to include required DEI training for all faculty and students participating in the process.

Pronouns and Gender Identity

  • Information Services announced that students now have the option to choose their pronouns and gender identification in Self-Service. Faculty and the Registrar are able to view pronouns (if students have opted to provide them) in their “Class List” and “My Advisees” pages. Additional system integrations are in the planning stage.

Faculty Development

  • Monthly Teaching Circles continue to incorporate a variety of DEI themes. For example, November’s Teaching Circle focused on Inclusive Syllabi and was led by Jen Lisy, Laura Tuhela-Reuning, Susan Gunasti, Nicholas Dietrich, and Vanessa Hildebrand.

First-Gen Advisory Board

  • The university’s newly launched First-Gen Advisory Board strives to foster and deepen institutional support for first-generation students at OWU. The board’s initial semester of programming included a first-gen social, developing internship opportunities for first-gen and low-income students, the development of new resources for first-gen students, and a panel on OWU first-gen experiences for National First-Gen College Celebration

Board of Trustees

  • The Organization Committee of the Board of Trustees continues to seek trustees who bring diverse experiences, backgrounds, and identities to strengthen the work of the Board.
  • The Board of Trustees will devote its entire winter meeting as a virtual retreat focused on the Strategic Imperative of Inclusive Excellence.

Enrollment and Communications Division

  • Fall travel (in-person and virtual) included a number of community-based organizations (CBOs) and others with a focus on under-represented students.
  • Launched College Greenlight newsletter (as part of partnership) to CBOs across the country.
  • Completed training by College Greenlight staff on how to utilize the platform to access CBOs. Staff members were asked to identify three to five CBOs in their territory to reach out to and begin partnering with.
  • Completed NACAC Antiracist Institute Professional Development Sessions in November and December.
  • Participated in inclusive language training (by Chad Johns and Jason Timpson) during the November retreat.
  • Participated in implicit bias training conducted by Ja’Niah Downing, Purdue University’s Associate Director-Diversity and Inclusion, in December.

Finance and Administration Division

Our work over the last few months has included developing and exploring Human Resources recommendations for DEI strategy-building, including the following:

  • OWU’s DEI initiatives to be strategic throughout the organization and embedded within all we do as a part of our organizational DNA.
  • DEI engagement must occur across all OWU constituencies and at all levels. This includes:
    • Departmental goals, objectives, and budgets.
    • Individual development, growth, and work roles.

Student Engagement and Success Division

Esports

  • Our Esports Program Coordinator is reviewing the publication “Collegiate Esports DEI Handbook” for recommendations on how to ensure our program is focused on DEI concerns.

Chaplain’s Office

  • Cosponsored one and supported all of the “Let’s Talk About Social Justice” student-led dinner series events. Topics included interfaith, race and ethnicity, and gender and sexuality.
  • Held two “Meet a Faith Leader” events: one Orthodox Christian and one Secular Humanist.
  • Co-led the DEI Book Club (Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks) for faculty and staff.
  • Participated on a panel of first-gen faculty and staff for students.
  • Participated on a panel in SJ 110 on gender and sexuality.
  • Led an OWU Connection (Theory-to-Practice Grant) experience to Chile with students.

Community Service Learning

  • Director received the 2020 Unity Award for support of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the community.
  • Helped OWU’s Greek community connect with Delaware nonprofits through the Greek Season of Service, emphasizing service at sites that promote racial equity and socio-economic awareness.
  • Supported and participated in “Let’s Talk About Social Justice,” a student-led dinner series featuring discussions on religion and spirituality, race and ethnicity, and gender and sexuality.
  • UC 160: Helped faculty arrange service projects with an emphasis on socioeconomic differences, environmental equity, food insecurity, and intergenerational awareness.
  • Ed 110: Helped facilitate a wide array of semester-long service-learning placements with an emphasis on racial and socio-economic differences.
  • Ed 251: Arranged partnerships for Educational Psychology placements at two urban schools – one predominantly Black and one completely Hispanic. Students came together during class sessions and with journal entries to compare, contrast, and reflect upon their experiences.
  • SJ 110 Course Activities:
    • Convened and moderated in-class panel discussions on the following topics:
      • Poverty and Social Justice (with Family Promise director/intake social worker/board member and JusticeMobile pro-bono lawyer).
      • Race Justice (with Delaware residents representing multiple generations and including a then-current candidate for public office).
      • Gender and Sexuality Justice (with OWU faculty/staff who identify as members of the LGBTQIA+ community).
    • Helped students design community-based learning projects on
      • Youth Justice and Juvenile Care.
      • Women’s Rights and Gender Equality.
      • LGBTQIA+.
      • Mental Health and Social Justice.
      • Environmental Justice.
    • Fostered conversation/relationships with pertinent community partners. Currently working with students to turn projects into longer-term experiential service learning.

Health Services

  • Launched 24/7/365 access to a national network of 28,000 medical and mental health providers, 40% of whom identify as professionals of color or as LGBT. Support is provided in 250 languages.
  • Counseling Services Director attended the annual Association of University and College Counseling Center Director’s Conference and the following workshops: 
    • Robin D'Angelo, Ph.D. – White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism.
    • Anneliese Singh, Ph.D. – Building the Beloved Community in Our Counseling Centers: Living and Practicing Liberation with One Another Every Day.
    • Melissa Rotkiewicz, Psy.D. – Healing from Racism Through the Power of Collaborative Systemic Change.

Multicultural Student Affairs

  • In-class DEI trainings.
  • Lunch and Learn events.
  • National Pan-Hellenic organization relaunch in collaboration with Nancy Rutkowski.
  • Support the reactivation of student groups:
    • Black Student Union.
    • Black Men of the Future.
  • Support and follow up with Bridge participants.
  • Take Back the Night event.

University Advancement Division

  • Over $12,000 has been awarded to support underrepresented and diverse students to support career exploration including internships, externships, and professional development experiences.
  • Twelve first-gen students have been hired for on-campus employment, including three hours of paid time to attend Career Connection career development programs and activities, and pre- and post-assessments to measure growth in career competencies.
  • More than 25 paid, on-campus positions will be available this semester.

September 24, 2021

Chief Diversity Officer / Office

Dawn Chisebe is appointed as OWU’s chief diversity officer, a role she has held on an interim basis since fall 2020. Chisebe will continue to report directly to President Rock Jones and will continue her work to lead, build, and strengthen Ohio Wesleyan’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and initiatives.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council

  • Facilitated summer reading and film clubs
    • Getting Around Brown: Desegregation, Development and the Columbus Public Schools by Gregory S. Jacobs.
    • Films, documentaries, and podcasts including: I am Not Your Negro, 13th, The Kalief Browder Story and Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools.
    • For fall, the reading club will read and discuss Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom by bell hooks.
  • Planned and held the first Global Majority Block Party to bring together faculty, staff, students, and community members to welcome students from the Global Majority to campus and provide a space for early connections. The planning committee included Chisebe, Dr. Phokeng Dailey, Dr. Brianna Mack, and Jason Timpson.

DEI Module Training

  • All first-year students completed the DEI Module series prior to arriving on campus this year. Each year this will be part of the new student orientation process.

First-Generation Advisory Board

  • The board is working to develop initiatives around first-generation and working-class experiences to build consciousness, community, awareness, and advocacy. The first event was Sept. 22. Overseeing the initiative are Chisebe, Timpson, Dr. Paul Dean, Megan Ellis, Brad Pulcini, and Mallorie Watts ’22.
  • Developed a First-Generation Internship Program to support 20 on-campus internship opportunities for first-gen students. Career Connection will manage this program, including career workshops and pre- and post-internship self-assessment. Offices will have the opportunity to hire the same student for consecutive years if desired.

Academic Affairs Division

Provost’s Office and Faculty

  • The division launched a cohort search for six new tenure-track faculty in Computer Science, Education, English, Math, Physics, and Psychology, with an emphasis on flexibility, interdisciplinarity, and DEI. Each position is designed to prioritize candidates’ potential to support BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and low-income students. The search process includes required DEI training for all participating faculty and students.
  • Thirteen Equity Fellows worked over the summer to develop four Equity Projects that include re-imagining departmental curricula, grant writing to support students of color, and planning the Global Majority Block Party. Fellows also developed an Inclusive Syllabus workshop to be offered to faculty this fall.
  • The chair of the Faculty Personnel Committee and the Provost’s Office continue to work with the chief diversity officer to develop anti-bias and DEI tutorials for student boards and the Faculty Personnel Committee.

Athletics Department

  • All staff participated in the NCAA “One Team” LGBTQ+ training in August.
  • The department is finalizing an initiative for all student-athletes to complete DEI module training in September. This includes having staff complete the module training to prepare for working with student-athletes once they complete the training.

International and Off-Campus Programs (IOCP) Office / OWU Connection Programs Office

  • Co-facilitated the Summer DEI Book Club.
  • Incorporated DEI in the American Context into UC099 International Student Success course goals and outcomes.
  • Assisted Horizons International with summer community support programming.
  • Attended training webinar, Return to Travel: Supporting Underserved Groups in Study Abroad.
  • Arranged a cross-cultural virtual exchange experience with Tohoku Koeki University in Japan. This involved four sessions with 15 OWU and eight Koeki students in total, moderated by IOCP and Koeki faculty.

Enrollment Division 

  • Continued participation in college fairs (virtual and in-person) specific to serving under-represented populations. This work has included launching a new partnership with College Greenlight, utilizing existing partnerships, and exploring additional collaborations.
  • Ongoing staff training, including:
    • Inclusive Language Training, upcoming fall semester with Chad Johns, Dawn Chisebe, and Jason Timpson.
    • Professional development workshops scheduled by the division’s DEI Admission Subcommittee and held during staff meetings. Recent topics have included spiritual and religious life, first-generation students, international students and travel, and fraternity and sorority life, with details on specific recruitment initiatives for Divine 9 groups.
    • Completion of the University DEI training module, with a focused discussion/debrief led by the chief diversity officer.
    • Completion of the DEI training module for hiring before enrollment staff members participate on search committees.

Finance and Administration Division

  • Increased procurement from State of Ohio EDGE (Encouraging Diversity, Growth and Equity) certified businesses over the past year, highlighted by awarding the Slocum Hall renovation contract to a company demonstrably committed in its bid to using EDGE-certified subcontractors.
  • Positively affected employee diversity with modifications to our search and hiring processes, as well as campus-wide DEI training facilitated by the chief diversity officer.
    • In mid-July 2020, we had no full-time salaried staff who self-identified as Black or African American at their time of hire. As of Sept. 13, 2021, that number has grown to seven (4.52% of non-faculty full-time employees).
    • Last July, one salaried employee identified as Hispanic or Latinx, and we now have two (1.29% of non-faculty full-time employees).
    • Last July, no hourly staff identified as two or more races, and now we have one hourly staff employee identifying with that background (2.38%).
  • Worked to remove the transgender care exclusions from OWU's employee health insurance policy.

Student Engagement and Success Division

Chaplain’s Office

  • Led a six-week Bible study on queer folks and scripture at the end of spring semester.
  • Participated in an Interfaith House program on how COVID-19 has impacted religious worship across faith traditions.
  • Invited Dr. Tejai Beulah as a faculty lecturer for the annual Explore Youth Theology Institute in June. Beulah is an assistant professor of History, Ethics, and Black Church and African Diaspora Studies at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio.
  • Attended the Interfaith Leadership Institute in early August, hosted by Interfaith Youth Core and focused on bridge building in a polarized world.
  • Hosted a Zoom meet and greet in August for incoming LGBTQIA+ students.
  • Continuing to advise diverse student groups such as Prism (LGBTQIA+), Tauheed (Muslim), OWU Faith and Justice, Interfaith House, Cru (Evangelical Christian), and to provide support for groups such as Hillel (Jewish) and Newman Community (Catholic).

Community Service Learning Office

  • Revamped OWU’s partnered volunteer tutoring initiatives to include opportunities in rural, suburban, small town, and urban settings. Training topics for all programs include race, gender, socio-economic status, and religious/cultural differences.
  • Arranged/will moderate Delaware community panels on poverty and social justice, racial justice, and gender and sexuality justice for fall 2021 Social Justice 110 course.
  • Reconfigured Ed Psych academic service learning component to place students in Hispanic and predominantly Black/Non-Hispanic school settings. Goals are to foster deeper racial and cultural understanding, provide a venue for learning and observation of the application of DEI academic content, and create experiences that promote deeper reflection relevant to the issues surrounding the need for better multicultural education.
  • Engaged with new leadership at Second Ward Community Initiative/Unity Community Center, created SWCI/UCC student liaison, and currently establishing new process/guidelines for SWCI/UCC volunteer engagement.
  • Attended Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) conversation with Eboo Patel and Krista Tippett in June discussing “the value of courageous pluralism and deep listening at this pivotal moment of our nation’s collective formation.” Addressed how we can equip young people to best address the needs of our time and beyond, cultivating the understanding that we belong to one another.
  • Completed training overview of IFYC We Are Each Other’s
  • Participated in SWCI/UCC Community Conversation: Voting Rights/Ideal Delaware: 1 Year Later.
  • Served as advisor for mentored activism at ROX (Ruling Our Experiences), a nonprofit that utilizes evidence-based programming to simultaneously impact girls, educate and support the adult influencers in girls’ lives, and improve societal conditions that have the potential to negatively impact girls’ lives.
  • Participated in Ohio Campus Compact pre-conference book discussion with Tia Brown McNair, lead author of From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: Expanding Practitioner Knowledge for Racial Justice in Higher Education. Participated in subsequent book discussion group with other service directors.
  • In process of connecting Global Scholars class to Central Ohio agencies serving immigrant, migrant, and refugee populations: Asian American Community Services (AACS), Community Refugee & Immigration Services (CRIS), Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services (ETSS), Ohio Hispanic Coalition, Somali Community Association of Ohio (SCAO).

Counseling Services Office

  • Utilized JED Campus and Healthy Minds Survey report to inform decision-making regarding service provision to diverse students for the upcoming academic year and beyond.
  • Hired a part-time BIPOC-focused counselor and an intern for the 2021-2022 academic year.

Student Involvement Office

  • Successfully led Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic bylaw changes to have Leaders in Letters focus solely on DEI efforts moving forward.
  • Invited National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) organizations to participate in events at the start of fall semester, resulting in three NPHC organizations in attendance at Student Involvement Fair and three in attendance at Meet the Greeks.
  • Providing ongoing support of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.’s effort to establish a chapter at OWU; its first event was Sept. 12.

Student Success Office

  • Actively working to expand membership on the JED Campus Team to better represent the diverse stakeholders on campus with upcoming efforts to address student mental health and suicide prevention.
  • Following up on action steps within the JED strategic plan, including to offer or enhance programs, activities, and campaigns to promote diversity and inclusiveness on campus.
  • Utilizing data from the spring 2021 Healthy Minds Survey to develop targeted messages and programs for student mental health, including to enhance awareness and support resources for our diverse student body.

Public Safety Department

  • OWU officers completed approximately 25 hours of DEI training, including:
    • An introduction to DEI training by Jason Timpson, director of the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA).
    • Racial Equity Institute Groundwater Course.
    • Blackboard DEI training.
    • Racial Equity Institute Phase 1 training.
    • Race and Ethnicity Terminology training.
  • Created a new assistant director of Public Safety position that includes the responsibility of being a liaison to diverse communities. Hired an individual who identifies with multiple identity groups.
  • The Public Safety director completed the 14-hour University of South Florida Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate
  • Revised the Public Safety hiring process to better represent OWU stakeholders. The hiring team now is comprised of:
    • Two students.
    • Two Public Safety employees.
    • Two staff/faculty (one of whom must be the Chief Diversity Officer or OMSA director, or their designee).
  • Revised job descriptions to include more inclusive language and to encourage more diverse applicant pools.

Residential Life Office

  • Finalized “The Residential Experience” curriculum, with a learning goal (1) and outcomes (3) pertaining to membership in an “Intercultural Community” where “students will demonstrate an ever-deepening understanding and respect for themselves, individuals, and cultures and will learn from one another and grow together.”
  • All resident assistants and moderators trained by OMSA in August 2021 on DEI issues.
  • All staff (student and professional) trained on proper response protocols for Title IX and bias motivated incidents. Developed a staff manual that includes protocols and provides resources to staff.
  • Planned and hosted our first event within The Residential Experience in partnership with OMSA. Late Night at Smith on Sept. 16 was “Trivia Night with a Drag Queen” and introduced social justice and DEI concepts to residents.
  • Hired two new Residential Life Coordinators to aid in supporting the BIPOC community, one with professional experience supporting transgender and non-binary folks through gender transition processes.

University Advancement Division

  • Received a gift commitment from Trustee Peter Eastwood '91 and his wife, Reyna Eastwood, for $150,000 over three years to provide OWU Connection grants to 10-12 first-generation students each year. This targeted programming and funding is intended to close the opportunity gap to ensure every OWU student has the opportunity to succeed.
  • Received a $10,000 gift from an alumnus to support the SUBA Emergency Retention Fund. The fund helps eligible students with unmet financial needs to cover education-related or emergency expenses.
  • Collaborated with the First-Generation Advisory Board to create an on-campus First-Generation Internship Program. Career Connection will manage the program, supporting interns with workshops and self-assessments.

Ross Art Museum

  • Facilitated the artist-in-residence work of Andrew Wilson ’13 and the creation of his “Back Porch” monument through The Ebb and Teena Haycock Public Art Endowment. The Haycock funds are helping OWU to engage diverse artists to tell important stories, as has been done with “Back Porch.”
  • Mounted a fall exhibition by nationally recognized photographer John Clark Mayden ’74 of photographs from his award-winning book “Baltimore Lives: The Portraits of John Clark Mayden.” The book is a collection of 101 photographs documenting Black Baltimore residents between 1970 and 2012. (His photos also are featured in the 2020 HBO film “Between the World and Me,” based on the book by Ta-Nehisi Coates.)
  • Mounted a fall exhibition of photographs by 26 women photographers, titled “Women Behind the Lens” culled from OWU’s permanent collection. A sister exhibition is on display at the Columbus Museum of Art.
  • Revised policy documents such as the board bylaws and ethics policy to ensure that diversity of race and sexual orientation on the board is required to reflect the same percentages in the university student body.
  • Developed a collecting policy that specifically prioritizes collecting work by BIPOC and queer artists. These board and policy changes have been the groundwork for structural change at the museum.

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