UDiversity Educational Institute, spring 2021

The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion continues its mission to create an inclusive environment. The unit approved 24 searches to be conducted this quarter, with all currently in progress. There was one failed search this quarter. The division received 18 reports of hate/bias this quarter with five reports filed anonymously and follow up for 13. The division continues to work collaboratively with campus departments responding to requests for workshops as well as responding to and investigating reports of hate/bias on our campus.

UDiversity Educational Institute

During this quarter, the UDiversity Educational Institute provided 20 workshops (12 virtual workshops for students, five virtual workshops for staff only, two virtual workshops for faculty and staff, and one for community members) with a total of 431 participants (231 undergraduate students, 74 graduate students, 63 faculty, 43 staff and 20 community members). The UDiversity Educational Institute will hold two campus-wide Building Bridges to Cultural Competency Phase I workshops for faculty, staff and students that will examine ways to build cultural awareness and foster inclusivity on campus.

The institute collaborated with several student organizations this quarter to provide cultural competency workshops, including Greek life organizations (Alpha Epsilon Phi and Alpha Phi Omega), Harpur’s Ferry, Athletic Tutors and Binghamton University’s Pipe Dream staff.

UDiversity also continued its inaugural dialogue series with the Psychology Department, focused on inclusion and equity for their faculty, staff and students. This series includes discussions focused on active listening, social identity development and culture, and incorporating anti-racism, racial healing and equity framing and approaches to their work.

UDiversity continued its work with Residential Life and provided a series on inclusive organizations for the staff. During this series, the department explored team power dynamics and practices, their influence on organizational culture, and how to create inclusive policies and programs within Res Life. In addition, the institute worked with faculty in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and in the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science to provide cultural competency sessions for their classes.

UDiversity co-sponsored two campus-wide programs focused on civic engagement with students in partnership with the Center for Civic Engagement, Multicultural Resource Center, Binghamton Speech and Debate, Binghamton Scholars Program, Student Association and Graduate Student Organization. These programs — a round table debate titled “Policing the First Amendment-Roundtable Debate on Police and First Amendment Rights” and a deliberative dialogue titled “Whose Rights? Inclusion and the First Amendment Deliberation” — aimed to expand awareness about the full scope of the First Amendment and inclusion on campus.

UDiversity also provided an implicit bias workshop for the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce’s leadership development initiative, the Broome Leadership Institute, for the second year. The workshop explored research-based techniques and provided best practices for addressing implicit (unconscious) bias to create a welcoming and inclusive organization.

Furthermore, the UDiversity Educational Institute implemented its Racial Healing seminar series for faculty, staff and students. The constituency groups meet virtually biweekly for two hours to engage in transformative dialogue around racial identity, racial socialization and racial trauma.

Presentations this quarter were:

January 2021

• Inclusive Dialogue for the Psychology Department (students, one session)
• Ensuring Inclusion in Psychology Department (students, one session)
• Creating Inclusive Organizations: Addressing Implicit Bias (Broome Leadership Institute) (community members, one session)
• Understanding and Addressing Implicit Bias: Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science (faculty and staff, one session)
• Building Bridges to Cultural Competency Phase I: University Tutorial Services for Students (students, one session)

February 2021

• Art of Facilitation Workshop (staff, one session)
• Implicit Bias: Alpha Epsilon Phi I (students, four sessions)
• Ensuring Wellness for all Patients: Pharmacy School (students, one session)
• Inclusive Organizations Series: Res Life (staff, five sessions)

March 2021

• Inclusive Organizations: APO Workshop (students, one session)
• Building Bridges to Cultural Competency Phase I: Athletic Tutors (students, one session)
• Inclusive Recruitment: Harpur’s Ferry (students, one session)
• Building Bridges to Cultural Competency Phase I: Pipe Dream (students, one session)
• Building Bridges to Cultural Competency Phase I (students, one session)
• Building Bridges to Cultural Competency Phase I (faculty and staff, one session)