DEI AREAS OF FOCUS WITHIN OS
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STUDENT RECRUITMENT AND ADMISSIONS |
FACULTY / STAFF RECRUITMENT AND HIRING |
OS CURRICULUM AND CLASSROOM INCLUSION |
OS PROGRAMMING AND BROADER CLIMATE |
Although the committee will not officially launch until the 2021-22 academic year , a smaller group of faculty , staff , and students has been busy at work during the winter term to lay the groundwork for the new committee . The team consisted of Professor Beth Popp Berman , Professor Sara Soderstrom , Chief Administrator Melissa Eljamal , inaugural OS student DEI team leads Lorna Brown and Maria Ulayyet , and graduate student Juniar Lucien , who specializes in DEI issues within the STEM fields . Within a few short months they generated recommendations that were immediately implemented during the winter term . They altered steps of the admissions process to help diversify the admitted pool . They reviewed orientation materials to include DEI statements and an exercise to help magnify the value we place on inclusive experiences for our students . They re-worked job posting language to recruit more diverse faculty to OS . Finally , they supported the OS community during continued acts of racist violence across the country .
Our student DEI leads worked to craft the new position they occupied and collaborated with faculty to consider how DEI issues could be incorporated into various classes . Co-lead Lorna Brown notes , “ as a student whose time has been spent in spaces of activism , this was the ultimate opportunity to expand and utilize ideas and philosophies learned , and to apply them into real world scenarios . I have learned a significant amount not only about the essence of OS as a program , but what we can do to ensure that OS has a future that can continue to expand and include students of all backgrounds , experience , abilities , and perspectives to truly create a brighter and more inclusive future .”
Although much work has been accomplished , there is still much to be done . We look forward to sharing in a future issue the achievements of the full DEI committee of 21-22 .
“ Through these unprecedented times , I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with my fellow OS students and faculty before I graduate , especially working on topics that are important to me as a first-generation , Arab-American woman in the OS program . It has been so rewarding to work with and talk to younger students and dedicate my time towards seeing this program grow and diversify .”
- MARIA ULAYYET
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