Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The DEI Committee guides UMACRAO’s transformative efforts to ensure that all practices and programming promote the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

For the benefit of our students, campuses, and professions, this committee works to find alignment and synergy with AACRAO’s DEI priorities, as we strive toward a more compassionate and accessible higher education environment.

Recent Events

October 12, 2022 - Inclusive Presentation training facilitated by Brianna Marcelo, MA, and Erin Stresow, Ph.D. from the University of Iowa's Inclusive Education and Strategic Initiatives (IESI) team.

Past DEI Events

February 19, 2020 - Confronting Racism in Higher Education: A Conversation with UMACRAO's Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee

Resources 

Tedx by Hasan Kwame Jeffries' "Why we must confront the painful parts of US history

How the GI Bill's Promise Was Denied to a Million Black WWII Veterans

July 19, 2020 - Check-In with the DEI Committee: An Informal Conversation with UMACRAO’s Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee

Resources 

Community Resources Jamboard 
Community Resources (text only)

AACRAO Diversity and Inclusion Core Competencies

Functional Description

Admissions, registrar, and enrollment management professionals value and foster an environment that ensures respect, support and safety for all members of their campus and professional communities, and actively promote the expansion of ideas, perspectives, and understanding that comes from a diverse and inclusive community.  

Content Knowledge Requirements

Broad understanding of social justice, racial, ethnic, sexual and gender identity theories and their application within admissions, registrar, and enrollment management practices, structures, and objectives.

Skill Requirements

Ability to identify systematic barriers to equality and inclusiveness and to purposefully advance enrollment management processes and systems to contribute to an inclusive campus climate.

Ethical Requirements

Actively integrate diversity and inclusivity principles into all aspects of personal and professional practice.

Expertise Levels

Entry level

Integrate cultural knowledge on specific diversity topics into enrollment-related programs and services, designing culturally relevant programs, services, policies and practices. Willingness to assess and one’s own skill set regarding equity and inclusivity and develop strategies to increase one’s understanding of other cultures.

Intermediate Level

Building on basic skills, actively engage enrollment management staff in learning opportunities to facilitate growth and understanding of social justice concepts, as well as how to integrate these principles into their daily work. Use advocacy skills to contribute intentionally to the creation of an inclusive campus climate and profession.

Expert Level

The principles of diversity and inclusion are integrated into all activities, including identification and elimination of barriers, resource allocation, strategic planning, attracting and hiring individuals of diverse backgrounds, and personal and professional leadership. Ensure enrollment management policies, practices, structures, resources, and technologies contribute to a diverse and inclusive climate and represent diverse abilities and beliefs. Serve as a leader on campus and across the profession in fostering a culture that supports a safe and open exchange of ideas, identifies instances of power and privilege, and actively works to address areas in which diversity is not fully supported.

 Resources

Definitions

Diversity is the range of human differences, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual identity & orientation, age, socioeconomic class, physical ability or attributes, neurodivergence or neurological condition, religious or ethical values system, and national origin. (adapted from Ferris State University)

Equity is defined as “the state, quality or ideal of being just, impartial, and fair.” The concept of equity is closely tied to fairness and justice, and all three are context-specific to the historical, systemic barriers, disadvantages, and power disparities present in any given situation. It is helpful to think of equity as not simply a desired state of affairs or a "finish line," but instead as a continuous structural concept—a lens and mindset (proactively reinforced by policies, practices, attitudes, and actions) through which power and ownership are redistributed and inequity is challenged and addressed. (adapted from Race Equity and Inclusion Action Guide)

Inclusion is involvement and empowerment, where the inherent worth and dignity of all people are recognized. An inclusive community promotes and sustains a sense of belonging; it values, celebrates, and recognizes the enriching benefits of diversity and practices respect for the talents, beliefs, identities, and lived experiences of its members. (adapted from Ferris State University)

Justice is the systematic fair treatment of all people along all axes of identity and of any social position. In practice, it is the proactive operationalization of policies, practices, attitudes, and actions resulting in equitable access, opportunities, treatment, empowerment, and outcomes for all. (adapted from Center for the Study of Social Policy)

Privilege is unearned benefits/entitlements or lack of barriers assigned to an identity that society considers a "norm" and therefore dominant. Privilege and oppression are well-maintained social systems that are reinforced by binarized, normative hierarchies that categorize certain identities as superior (privileged) and their supposed opposites as inferior (oppressed) (e.g. male and female; straight and queer; cisgender and transgender, etc.). There are various forms of privilege, some of them tangible and others less so. One form of privilege, for instance, is the representation of one's identity in mainstream media and books—something intangible but nevertheless valuable in our culture. 

Intersectionality is a legal and sociological theory that promotes the understanding that individuals have multiple identity factors and are "shaped by the interactions and intersections of these different social [identity factors] (e.g., race, ethnicity, Indigeneity, gender, class, sexuality, geography, age, (dis)ability, migration status, religion, etc.)" [from Intersectionality 101]. This means that inequities do not result from the social devaluing of a single identity factor in isolation, but rather from the intersections of different parts of an individual's identity, power relations, and experience. 

Source: https://simmons.libguides.com/anti-oppression/welcome#Basics

Do you have questions, feedback, or suggestions? Email [email protected]