Featured this month
-
LGBTQIA+ Steering Committee takes shape
-
2024 Diversity Forum accepting proposals
-
Native American Heritage Month events planned
-
Nominations open for UPSIDE, Just Community awards
-
OEDI staff highlights
|
|
Co-chairs announced for new LGBTQIA+ Steering Committee
|
|
Above: Clyde Wilson Pickett, vice chancellor for equity, diversity, and inclusion and chief diversity officer, speaks to the crowd at a Oct. 25 mixer sponsored by OEDI and Pitt Queer Professionals.
. . .
Planning is underway for a new LGBTQIA+ Steering Committee that will lead efforts to support equality, inclusion, and civil-rights protections across the University community.
During an event Oct. 25, Clyde Wilson Pickett, vice chancellor for equity, diversity, and inclusion, announced that Todd Reeser of the Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences and Angie Bedford-Jack of OEDI have been asked to serve as the first co-chairs of the new committee, which will provide advice and counsel to Pitt Chancellor Joan Gabel and senior administrators.
The LGBTQIA+ Steering Committee will organize a central advisory board of faculty, staff, and students to share, report, learn, and assess opportunities to improve the climate and culture at the University of Pittsburgh for the community, Pickett said.
“While the University is committed to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community, we know there remains significant work to be done,” he said. “We are hopeful that through the work of this committee we can make more substantive progress to realize the promise of Pitt for all members of the LGBTQIA+ community.”
Reeser is associate dean for faculty affairs and a professor of French and Italian who has a secondary appointment in the Gender, Sexuality, & Women’s Studies Program. Bedford-Jack is interim director of strategic operations in OEDI and director of digital equity and special projects.
Pickett said the co-chairs have been tasked with pulling together a committee that represents LGBTQIA+ members of every constituency on campus, including faculty, staff, alumni, and undergraduate and graduate students. Meetings are currently being scheduled with departments, offices, and units, he said.
|
|
Deadline extended for Diversity Forum proposals
|
|
After requests from multiple people, the committee organizing the 2024 has extended the deadline to submit proposals for the 2024 Diversity Forum.
The new deadline for proposals is tomorrow (Friday, Nov. 17).
Chance Wideman, director of equity and inclusion programs in OEDI and one of the organizers of the forum, said nearly 50 proposals have already been submitted, and that the committee is excited about the range of programming that will be offered.
The theme for this year’s Diversity Forum, to be held Jan. 23 and 24 in a hybrid format, is “Amplifying Our Voices Through Active Listening and Constructive Dialogue.” It builds on 2023-24 being designated “The Year of Discourse and Dialogue” at the University of Pittsburgh, Wideman said.
“Through a diverse array of featured programs and community-led sessions and presentations, the 2024 Diversity Forum will explore what active listening and constructive dialogue look like on a university campus at a time of extreme social media and political polarization,” he said.
Workshops should be formatted for virtual presentation and should run for 60 minutes, including a question and answer period, Wideman said.
|
|
Film screening, workshops mark
Native American Heritage Month
November traditionally marks a time of thanksgiving and harvest in North America, and since 1990, has been celebrated as Native American Heritage Month in the United States.
The effort to honor America’s indigenous people began in New York in 1916, when the state created “American Indian Day,” and gained momentum in 1976 when NASA astronaut Jerry Chris Elliott High Eagle, a member of the Cherokee and Osage nations, led a movement for the creation of Native American Awareness Week.
Events in November at the University of Pittsburgh include:
Film Screening
“Warrior Lawyers: Defenders of Sacred Justice”
5 p.m. Nov. 28
Registration
Created and directed by filmmaker Audrey Geyer, “Warrior Lawyers: Defenders of Sacred Justice” is a one-hour PBS documentary about Native American role models, nation rebuilding, and tribal justice. Through the personal and professional stories of American Indian attorneys, tribal judges, and their colleagues, the film provides an overview of the major historical, governmental, legal, judicial and intertwining social justice issues shaping many federally recognized nations today.
COTRAIC Pouch Making Workshop
12 noon Nov. 29
William Pitt Union, 6th Floor
Registration
This workshop will be led by Kristen Spangler and Mike Simms, who are representing the Council of Three Rivers American Indian Center. No prior crafting experience is required. This workshop is open to individuals of all skill levels interested in Native American culture, craftsmanship, and hands-on learning. Lunch will be provided.
COTRAIC Dream Catcher Workshop
12 noon Nov. 30
William Pitt Union, 6th Floor
Registration
According to some members of the Ojibwe Nation, the dreamcatcher is a gift from Grandma Spider. It filters out bad dreams and allows only good thoughts to enter into our minds when we are asleep. Join Kristen Spangler and Mike Simms as they make traditional Native American Dreamcatchers. Lunch will be provided.
|
|
Visitors enjoy holiday decorations at the Nationality Rooms in the Cathedral of Learning. The 2023 Holiday Open House will be held Dec. 3.
|
|
Let’s celebrate inclusively this year
Did you know that according to some estimates, there are 14 religious observances during the month of December, representing different faith traditions?
Although many people have religious or cultural observances in December, others don’t. The Pew Research Center, which tracks religion in the United States, says that up to 30 percent of Americans now list their own faith as “none of the above.”
It’s fun to hold an office party in December, but experts say it’s also important to make sure that no one feels excluded from the celebration. An all-staff luncheon, for instance, can pose challenges; one person’s traditional “Christmas ham” is off-limits to those whose faith traditions require them to avoid pork.
If you want to make sure your office or unit has a year-end celebration that is welcoming and accessible to everyone, the Society for Human Resource Management offers several suggestions:
-
Consider skipping alcohol or have your party somewhere besides a bar
-
Invite employees’ spouses and partners to attend the party
-
Avoid costume and theme parties that may cause discomfort
-
Remember December isn’t just for Christmas and Hanukkah—and that not everyone celebrates
-
Don’t make attendance mandatory
More tips are available from the American Society of Association Executives, which supports more than 42,000 professionals from non-profit organizations and cooperatives.
|
|
|
|
Meet Kara Terry
Kara joined OEDI in October. She works to ensure digital content and communications across the University are accessible to everyone. This includes assessing University websites and checking each area's compliance with the EIT Accessibility Policy. Kara earned her bachelor of science in biomedical engineering from the Ohio State University. During that time, she worked on multi-line electronic braille displays and adapted toys for children with fine motor skill disabilities. She also has a certificate in user experience research and user interface design from Ohio State.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pitt’s diversity awards will be presented Jan. 26, and nominations are now being accepted to recognize those changemakers and visionaries who are advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility across the University.
Both the UPSIDE Award and the Creating a Just Community Award will be presented during Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Social Justice Week.
The deadline for nominations is Dec. 4.
Since 2016, the University Prize for Strategic, Inclusive, and Diverse Excellence—or “UPSIDE”—has been presented each year to a University of Pittsburgh school, division, initiative, or program area that has made an outstanding effort toward increasing diversity and inclusion. The award includes a $10,000 prize.
Factors for consideration include a consistent, multi-year effort to increase diversity and inclusion; innovative approaches to diversity and inclusion in areas such as recruitment, retention, and promotion in academic programming and business activities; and programs that have developed creative and innovative approaches that can serve as models for other University business units.
Last year’s award was presented to Office of Faculty Diversity & Development and Office of Health Sciences Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion for their work on the “Race & ...” Initiative.
The Creating a Just Community Award debuted in 2014. It recognizes Pitt faculty and staff members who have made outstanding efforts to create a more just, equitable, and inclusive University community. The award includes a $5,000 cash prize.
The 2023 award was presented to Michele Reid-Vazquez, the founding director of the Center for Ethnic Studies Research and leader of the Afrolatinidad Studies Initiative.
Nomination forms are available online:
For more information about either award, email diversity@pitt.edu.
|
|
|
|
Staff highlights: Disability Resources & Services
|
|
Sarah Fischer, disability specialist in the Office for Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion, spoke about employment opportunities for people with disabilities to more than 40 people at an event held Oct. 30 by the Pittsburgh District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Lt. Col. Daniel Tabacchi, acting district commander, presented Sarah with a certificate to thank her for the presentation.
|
|
Jen Thompson (right), disability specialist in DRS, joined three other University of Pittsburgh experts for a presentation at the Physician Assistant Education Association’s annual conference, held Oct. 11-14 in New Orleans. Also shown are Antoinette Wilson, director of curriculum for the PA Studies Residential Program in Pitt’s School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences; Rosa Fannie, director of clinical education for the Physician Assistant Studies Program in SHRS; and Mary Allias, director of the Doctor of PA Studies Program in SHRS.
|
|
Catch up with Bee Schindler and Lisa Upshur
On Episode 3 of "The Inclusion Interchange," Clyde Wilson Pickett, vice chancellor for equity, diversity, and inclusion interviews Lisa Strother Upsher, director of health sciences diversity, equity, and inclusion at the University of Pittsburgh, and Bee Schindler, assistant director and program manager for the Health Sciences Social Justice Fellowship.
Subscribe to The Inclusion Interchange wherever you get your podcasts, or download Episode 3 directly using the Podbean app.
|
|
|
|
