Inclusive Excellence Newsletter - Back to School Edition
Welcome SCU Community:
We are excited to start this Fall quarter! To our newest Broncos, we hope you made meaningful connections during the Welcome weekend and that your first day of classes goes well. To our returning Broncos, welcome back—we hope that you are excited about the year ahead. We also extend a warm welcome to the newest faculty and staff to our community.
Belonging for All Broncos
As we work to ensure an environment that is open, inclusive and reinforces the importance of belonging, we encourage you 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.
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Election 2024
Election Day is on November 5, 2024, which is 43 days away. In an effort to better engage and prepare the SCU community for Election 2024, a number of campus partners have come together to develop a series of events. These events are designed to provide spaces for dialogue and education around issues and topics related to the election in an effort to raise greater awareness and engagement in the democratic process. A calendar of events is now available and includes information about voter registration and other resources. We encourage all eligible members of the SCU community to participate and engage in the upcoming elections.
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Amplifying Student Voices
SCU will be serving as one of 30 Host sites for the Amplifying Student Voices event on Saturday, October 5, 2024. In partnership with The National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE), the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers, this event at SCU is one of the 30 campus host sites of a national convening of more than 300 student leaders to engage in facilitated dialogues on the future of student belonging, diversity, and equity in higher education, and to address whether our current democracy is attentive to the needs of all individuals and communities.
We have availability for around 15 - 20 SCU student representatives. If interested, please complete this application right away and select "Santa Clara University" under host site location. The deadline to apply is Thursday, September 26, 2024.
Participants must be present in-person for the duration of the event on Saturday, October 5, 8am - 2pm PT on the SCU campus (breakfast/lunch and refreshments and SCU swag will be provided). If you have any questions please reach out to inclusiveexcellence@scu.edu.
Hispanic/Latiné/x Heritage Month
As we start this academic year, we begin with the first of the Cultural Heritage months. We invite you to view the SCU Cultural Heritage Celebration Calendar for a list of community events, community building and educational opportunities. The calendar will be regularly updated. In addition, we are excited to share the Save the Date for the 2nd Annual Camino de los Muertos Celebration to be held on Saturday, November 2nd.
UNIT UPDATES
I. Inclusive Excellence Division
- Inclusive Excellence is located on the main floor of Nobili Hall in Suite 120. We will be hosting an open house for our campus community members later in the quarter. In the meantime please stop by and see us!
- SCU staff and faculty are encouraged to be a part of the Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). In addition to the current set of ERGs - Asian/Pacific Islander/South Asian (APISA), Black/African American, Indigenous/Native American, LatinX, Middle Eastern & North African (MENA), Multifaith and the Rainbow Alliance (LGBTQ+), we are pleased to announce the addition of the Disability and Chronic Illness Network (DCIN) to this group. The ERGs are co-sponsored by the Inclusive Excellence and Human Resources Divisions, and retain their historic connection to the Staff Senate, which was instrumental in their development in Fall 2020.
II. LEAD Scholars Program
- During the week of Sept. 9th, the LEAD Scholars Program trained 75 LEAD Student Staff members including LEAD Week Assistants, Peer Mentors and Peer Educators during LEAD formation to prepare them to support new first-year students during LEAD Week and throughout the year.
- The LEAD Scholars Program hosted LEAD Week during the week of Sept. 15th for a record-breaking 210 first-year students and 20 transfer students! The week included a welcome ceremony featuring Dr. Sullivan, multilingual college information sessions for families, courses, workshops, community building, karaoke, movie night and much more!
III. Multicultural Center (MCC)
- The MCC is located at the Shapell Lounge, which is across from the SCU Bookstore at Benson Memorial Center.
- The MCC Open House will be this Wednesday, September 25th from 6:30pm - 8:30pm in the Shapell Lounge. All are welcome to learn about the different MCC groups.
- In addition, This Thursday (September 26th) is the Student 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.
IV. Office of Accessible Education (OAE)
- Welcome Back Broncos! 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.
V. Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX
- The Executive Committee, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, unanimously approved the two new policies, including:
- Sex-Based Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation Policy
- Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation Policy (Other than Sex-Based)
- Both policies are approved with an August 1, 2024 effective date and can be accessed at: https://www.scu.edu/title-ix/policy/
VI. Office for Diversity and Inclusion (ODI)
- As we start the Fall quarter, a reminder that different faith observances take place within the first weeks of the quarter. A calendar of faith observances is available . For example, for our Jewish colleagues, Rosh Hashanah is from sundown on Monday, October 2nd through sundown on and then Yom Kippur begins on sundown on Friday, October 10th through sundown on Saturday, October 11th. 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.
- This year, Indigenous People’s Day (October 14th) is an academic and administrative holiday. No classes will be held and offices will be closed. A series of programs around Indigenous People’s Day will take place on Monday, October 14th and on Wednesday, October 16th. More details will be shared via email to the campus.
- 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 sign-up information for the Faculty & Staff Fall Quarter Safe Space and UndocuAlly Workshops is now available. Please select the date and time that works for you. All workshops will be held via Zoom.
- 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, as well as with Campus Ministry for the Faith-based dinners that all took place on Saturday, September 21st.
VI. Office for Multicultural Learning (OML)
- Welcome Back from OML Professional Staff! The Office for Multicultural Learning (OML), which includes the Rainbow Resource Center (RRC) is committed to promoting social justice, building bridges across diverse communities, and celebrating the differences of students, staff and faculty at SCU. We are excited and grateful to serve you for the 2024-25 school year.
- Market Street BBQ: Come and meet the Market Street side of campus! Enjoy grilled food, play games and tour your favorite university offices: OML, Wellness Center and Off Campus Living.
- 11am - 1pm at 852 Market Street (across from Swig Hall)
- Hispanic/Latiné/x Heritage Month: Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! At SCU, we refer to the celebration as Hispanic/Latiné/x Heritage Month to be respectful and inclusive of the different identities within the community. We invite you to view the SCU Cultural Heritage Celebration Calendar for a list of community events, community building and educational opportunities. The calendar will be regularly updated.
- Save the Date - Lunch & Learn: The Latiné Student Experience: Mark your calendars for the return of the insightful and casual OML/RRC event series. The Latiné experience highlights our developments as an Hispanic Service Institution (HSI), dives into the institutional relationship with the Latiné community, and will conclude with a panel of student leaders. Registration info coming soon!
- Lunch & Learn: The Latiné Student Experience
- Friday, October 4
- 12-1pm in California Mission Room
- Lunch provided for registrants
- Announcing our 2024-25 Student Staff: We are thrilled to introduce our student staff for the 2024-25 school year. 10 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.
- DEI Training and Workshops: Are there topics related to identity, culture, and inclusion that your SCU unit could further explore? What aspects of LGBTQ+ identity are unfamiliar but relevant to your work? What exactly is racial justice and equity? OML/RRC staff lead DEI workshops, training and other development opportunities for the SCU community. Email OML@scu.edu to schedule a consultation!
VIII. University Ombuds
- The University Ombuds is a confidential, informal, independent and impartial communication resource for faculty and staff. The Ombuds provides a confidential, no-obligation, space to discuss conflict and other communication challenges, unpack issues, identify goals, and explore options to address concerns. Additionally , the ombuds may assist with communication coaching to navigate interpersonal conversations; mediation between parties in need of dialogue; and facilitation for groups to explore questions and challenges in-depth, and workshops, available this quarter, to enhance communication skills for understanding and for cultivating calm for challenging conversations. More details to come on the Ombuds website.
- If you would a confidential, no-obligation consultation with the Ombuds, contact the Office of the Ombuds at ombuds@scu.edu; dgalan@scu.edu; 408-551-3542
DEI RESOURCES FROM THE LIBRARY
The library is celebrating Hispanic/Latiné/x Heritage Month with a book display. The display highlights authors and stories from Hispanic/Latiné/x backgrounds. Special thanks to the members of the Latinx ERG for their book selections and for providing ideas for the display. The book display will be available in the library from September 16th through mid-October.
*To access the SCU library resources off-campus you must login with SCU username and password.
eBook Recommendations:
Latinx Writing Los Angeles: Nonfiction Dispatches from a Decolonial Rebellion
Description: Latinx Writing Los Angeles offers a critical anthology of Los Angeles's most significant English-language and Spanish-language (in translation) nonfiction writing from the city's inception to the present. Contemporary Latinx authors, including three Pulitzer Prize winners and writers such as Harry Gamboa Jr., Guillermo Gómez-Peña, and Rubén Martínez, focus on the ways in which Latinx Los Angeles's nonfiction narratives record the progressive racialization and subalternization of Latinxs in the southwestern United States
Latinx Business Success : How Latinx Ingenuity, Innovation, and Tenacity Are Driving Some of the World's Biggest Companies
Description: An inspiring new message of resilient leadership Latinx Business Success delivers a powerful and inspiring message of Latinx leadership. Via interviews with many of the most accomplished Latin business leaders in the United States, authors Frank Carbajal and José Morey offer readers a full picture of what it takes to succeed in modern leadership and how to close the digital divide that keeps Latinx people underrepresented in positions of authority. The book explores the authors' DIGITAL framework--which includes the principles of Decision, Intelligence, Game Plan, Insight, Technology, Abundance, and Leverage--and explains how each element of the system contributes to leadership success for current and aspiring Latinx leaders.
LatinX Voices : Hispanics in Media in the U. S
Description: LatinX Voices is the first undergraduate textbook that includes an overview of Hispanic/LatinX Media in the U.S. and gives readers an understanding of how media in the United States has transformed around this audience. Based on the authors' professional and research experience, and teaching broadcast media courses in the classroom, this text covers the evolving industry and offers perspective on topics related to Latin-American areas of interest. With professional testimonials from those who have left their mark in print, radio, television, film and new media, this collection of chapters brings together expert voices in Hispanic/LatinX media from across the U.S., and explains the impact of this population on the media industry today.
Streaming Media Recommendations:
Kanopy A streaming video service containing thousands of videos from leading producers around the world, including PBS, BBC, California Newsreel, A&E, and more.
View Streaming videos here
New* Spanish Language Cinema
Remember to Chat with a Librarian Librarians are available 24/7!
*Collaborate with the POP Committee on an upcoming library display for a heritage month or theme. Please fill out the form.
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.
