DU's Unifying Philosophy
Impact Area: Improve how we talk about, understand, and measure DEI at DU
View the DEI Action Plan for 2020-2021
Articulate, educate, and train on DU's unifying philosophy of diversity, equity, and inclusion informed by the key terminology of minoritized and intersectionality.
Action Item Details
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are not hollow buzzwords nor boxes to check in our messaging. Instead, they require us to engage deeply, consistently, and critically as a community about the shared language, values, and vision of DEI at DU. With this action item, we will work toward a common vision and set of expectations in making our campus more diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
- Identify and define key terms and concepts that will guide the work
- Offer readings, education, and other programming related to power and privilege
- Bring together DEI programmers across campus to engage in a streamlined and holistic approach
- Develop a framework to share our institutional histories to better understand and respond to resurfacing evidence of DU’s complicated racial history
- Support student engagement with our institutional past through coursework and research
- Develop a framework to increase the awareness of faculty and other key stakeholders of DU-specific incidents that impact DU’s commitments to DEI, especially those which have a negative impact on students
- Often, faculty and other key stakeholders are unaware of events that weigh heavily on students. As a result, students can interpret faculty and university silence as a lack of care.
- Rethink and roll out a unified DEI website and social media presence
- Reimagine the Diversity Summit and Heritage Months as opportunities for community-wide teach-ins that align strategic university and DEI objectives
- Work with Advancement and Marketing and Communications to develop an authentic story centered on the unifying philosophy to engage with the larger community
Updates
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Supporting Faculty Teaching and Learning About Racism and DU’S Institutional History | June 6, 2020
"As the last several days and months have made abundantly clear, communities of color are disproportionately impacted by systemic and institutional failures. These failures are exacerbated when Black, Indigenous, and People of Color on our campus are confronted with painful institutional histories that surface and resurface on social media and other platforms."
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Action Book Club
In collaboration with the College of Education Student Association (COESA), Dean Karen Riley of the Morgridge College of Education (MCE) has committed to providing all incoming and current MCE Students with an eBook of How to Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, to foster reflection, dialogue, and antiracist action. MCE Faculty and Staff started reading the book this summer. This Fall (2020), we will all participate in a cross-college, Action Book Club (ABC) throughout the Morgridge College of Education, Josef Korbel School of International Studies, and the Graduate School of Social Work.
The purpose of this ABC is to bring systemic issues surrounding power, privilege, and oppression to the forefront and to invite interdisciplinary community-building to address current issues.
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Web Portal
The DEI Web Portal at DU will consistently be growing in 2020-2021. We have completed the initial stages of getting it up and running.
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2020-2021 Heritage Months Initiative begins with Latinx Heritage Month
Beginning September 15, we invite DU community to uplift our Latinx community by engaging in opportunities to celebrate, learn, honor and grow.
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20th Annual Diversity Summit - A Seven Week Virtual Event
January - March 2021
DU is students, faculty, staff, alumni, neighbors, histories, futures, and perspectives.
This year's 20th annual Diversity Summit will harness the connective potential of our experiences, personal realities, and learnings, forging a path forward beyond diversity through concerted, meaningful, and combined efforts.