Dear Bronco Community:

We are excited to start this academic year! To our newest Broncos, we hope that you have made connections during the Welcome weekend and that your first set of classes go well. To our returning Broncos, welcome back and hope that you are excited about the year ahead.  We also extend a warm welcome to the newest faculty and staff to our community. 

Amid all of the excitement of the new school year, we pause to honor and remember the victims of the earthquake in Morocco, the devastating flooding in Libya, as well as the victims of senseless violence among communities in the United States. Members of our SCU community have been impacted by these and other events taking place around the world.

Words of Advice

As we work to ensure an environment that is open, inclusive and reinforces the importance of belonging, don’t be afraid to ask for help and seek support as you navigate your classes and the SCU environment. Please know that there are dedicated faculty and staff committed to your success as a student. Please visit office hours to get to know your professors. For our faculty and staff colleagues, reach out if you have questions and need support as well.

Please listen to your body and take care of yourself. It is important that as a community, we prioritize our respective wellness and consider the 8 dimensions of wellness - spiritual, financial, emotional, social, environmental, physical, occupational and intellectual.

Hispanic/Latiné/x Heritage Month

As we start this academic year, we begin with the first of the Cultural Heritage months. Throughout the month, SCU will be hosting a series of engaging and educational events. We invite you to participate and join in the festivities. We want to highlight a special event in collaboration with SCU Athletics taking place on Sunday, September 24th with the SCU "Los Broncos" Women's Soccer match at 1pm.  As a reminder, SCU students, faculty and staff get free tickets to matches.

UNIT UPDATES

I. Inclusive Excellence Division

• Shá Duncan Smith, Vice President for Inclusive Excellence will be holding Office hours on Tuesdays from 2- 3PM, 2nd Floor in the Walsh Administration Building.  Please sign up for a 15 minute slot by using the following link: https://calendar.app.google/cq8ffHgbfoeRfn916
• Currently in the process of recruiting for the Inclusive Excellence Student Advisory Councils for both undergraduate and graduate students. We will be seeking interested students from all class years who would be interested in getting more involved in planning such events as the Quarterly Diversity Forums and more.  If you are interested, please apply by October 1st.

II. LEAD Scholars

• Welcome to our new LEAD Scholars! LEAD welcomed 130 new first-year and transfer students to Santa Clara University during LEAD Week, our intensive orientation that includes assistance with moving into the residence halls, a welcome reception with multilingual information sessions for families, and a week of courses, college success and wellness workshops, and community building activities. Thank you to all of our campus partners, and student and professional staff who helped make the week possible! 

• On Tuesday, Sept. 19 from 12-1 PM, Erin Kimura-Walsh, Director of the LEAD Scholars Program, will co-facilitate “Building Fundraising Opportunities for First-Gen Student Success, an online learning session through the Center for First-generation Student Success with Leslie Pendleton, University of Florida Advancement. Learn more and register here. 
• The LEAD Scholars Program will host a welcome back event for students on Tuesday, Sept. 26 from 6-7:30 PM to kick off the new school year!

III. Multicultural Center (MCC)

• The MCC is located at the Shapell Lounge, which is across from the SCU Bookstore at Benson Memorial Center.
• This Thursday (September 21) is the Involvement Fair from 6:00pm - 9:00pm at the SCDI Sordello Family Courtyard and Alameda Lawn.  This is a great opportunity to connect and engage with the different MCC Organizations. The first organization meetings formally begin during Week #2. 

MCC ORGANIZATIONS

IV. Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX

• As students return to campus, the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX is always available to provide information, support and resources should you or someone you know be experiencing discrimination, harassment, or sexual misconduct. We address concerns from faculty, staff, and students, and we address incidents that occur on or off campus.
• Reporting:  Our office is responsible for responding to reports made to the university when incidents involve harassment and discrimination in all forms including gender and sexual based harassment, discrimination and sexual misconduct (e.g., stalking, dating violence, coercion). You can file a Request for Support & Assistance form for yourself or someone you know online, or you can email us, call, or come by. You can also report anonymously.
• As a reminder, if you are a staff or faculty member and learn of an incident alleging this type of concern, you are required to report it to the EO/Title IX Office.
• Reporting does not automatically initiate an investigation or result in others being notified. We try to maintain privacy as much as possible.
• Support and Resources: Regardless of your decision to pursue a formal complaint and investigation or other resolution, you are entitled to and given access to supportive measures and support resources. We are glad to discuss any and all options and possibilities for your individual case and needs. 
• You can also reach out to Title IX Coordinator Aaron Zisser directly at azisser@scu.edu further consultation and support. You can also stop by our office at 140 Loyola Hall or call 551-3043.

V. Office for Accessible Education (OAE)

• Welcome Back Broncos! In the middle of a busy summer, we have had the great opportunity to bring on (3) new full time staff members, Amy Yasukawa, Cole Habeck and Dina Mora. Amy and Cole are our new Accommodation Coordinators. Their focuses will be on student intakes, documentation review and testing. Dina is our new Digital Access Specialist who will be focused on improving accessibility campus wide when it comes to websites, presentations, classrooms and more. 
• One of the larger projects we worked on this summer was updating our student portal system  "AIM". We were able to make access easier, streamline registration processes and integrate the student data from Workday. During that process we discovered that an average of 200 students are registering with our system every quarter. That is over 600 students every academic year that are requesting services of the OAE. With our growing team, we are excited to provide more holistic support for the students of Santa Clara. 
• OAE is located in Benson 1, lower level of Benson Memorial Center, next to the radio station. Please feel free to come by at any time to meet the team, ask questions and learn more about  OAE. 

VI. Office for Diversity and Inclusion (ODI)

• Remember that Yom Kippur begins on sundown on Sunday, September 24th through sundown on Monday, September 25th. We encourage our Jewish students to reach out to their faculty members if they need accommodations. If you have any questions, please reach out to rplaza@scu.edu.
• We are seeking interested members of the SCU community to be involved in the respective Heritage Month planning committees. The most immediate need will be those interested in the National Disability Employment Awareness Month (October) and the Native/Indigenous Heritage Month (November). If interested, please respond via this form. 
• A special Transfer Student welcome reception will be held on Tuesday, October 26th at 4:30 pm in the California Mission Room in Benson
• A number of Tenure Track positions for the 2024-2025 academic year have been posted. Please share information about these exciting openings with your colleagues and peers at other institutions. To learn more, please visit: https://www.scu.edu/hr/careers/ 
• The Fall quarter Safe Space and UndocuAlly Workshops will begin in October. Dates and sign-up information will be shared via email.
• A special thank you to the Alumni Association and the Center for Student Involvement for partnering in the coordination of the Welcome Back Multicultural receptions that took place on Saturday, September 16th. 

VII. Office for Multicultural Learning (OML)

• Welcome back to SCU from the Office for Multicultural Learning (OML)/Rainbow Resource Center (RRC)! OML and RRC are committed to promoting social justice, building bridges across diverse communities, and celebrating differences of students, faculty and staff at SCU. We look forward to serving faculty, staff and students throughout the year.
• September 15 started Hispanic/Latiné/x Heritage Month! From September 15th to October 15th, we come together to celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, histories, and contributions of Hispanic and Latiné/x communities. Throughout the month, SCU will be hosting a series of engaging and educational events. We invite you to participate and join in the festivities. OML/RRC will continue to amplify, celebrate and honor the incredible impact that Latiné/x and Hispanic individuals have had on our society, both past and present.
• Market Street BBQ: The Wellness Center, OML/RRC and Off Campus Living are hosting a Market Street BBQ! Stop by 852 Market Street (across from Swig) on Wednesday, September 20 between 11:30 am - 1:30 pm for food, community and welcome back vibes!
• Announcing our 2023-24 Student Staff: We are thrilled to welcome our new student staff for the 2023-24 school year. Seven new Student Inclusion Educators (SIE), undergraduate and graduate, will generate programming ideas, execute events, lead workshops/trainings, and staff the front desks of OML and RRC.  We also are thrilled to announce student Naomi Yang as our Inclusion Intern. 

VIII. University Ombuds

• The Office of the Ombuds provides Confidential, Multi-partial, and Informal services to the SCU community. The Ombuds provides a space for visitors to share concerns and identify issues. The Ombuds works with visitors to determine options for action that may include, developing and enhancing communication skills, providing tools for making thoughtful decisions, mediation, and small group facilitation.
• If you would like to confidential consult with the Ombuds to explore interpersonal issues,  or issues within your office or department, contact the Office of the Ombuds at ombuds@scu.edu; 408-551-3542. 

CAMPUS PARTNERS/SPOTLIGHT

DEI RESOURCES FROM THE LIBRARY

The Library is celebrating Hispanic/Latiné/x Heritage Month with a book display at the Library Help Desk. Feel free to stop by and browse the items we have available to learn more about the contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

In addition, the Library will have a Welcome Fest this Wednesday, September 20th from  2:00pm - 4:00pm. It is  open to all SCU students. A great way to learn about all of the resources and services available from the Library. 

Need Library support? The Library is unveiling a new Ask the Librarian chat which is available 24/7.  

ABOUT THE NEWSLETTER

The Inclusive Excellence Newsletter comes out toward the first of each month when possible and is our way to update the SCU Community about upcoming events and highlights efforts being done by the different areas within the Inclusive Excellence (IE) Division. Each of the IE areas has connections with faculty, staff and students in different ways. We encourage you to reach out to learn more and to become more involved.