Office for
Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion

May 2024: Featured this month

• Prevention educator honored by Allies for PGH
• Local high schools attend ‘Pitt for a Day’
• Faculty and staff invited to ‘Circle Up’
• Pride on the Patio returns June 26
• Meet OEDI’s newest employee

Please join the Office for Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion tomorrow (May 16) as we host our annual end of the semester cookout for our Pitt Communities. This event is an opportunity for all of our various DEIA professionals and our staff and faculty groups to fellowship and unwind as we head into summer.

End-of-Year Cookout
4 to 6 p.m.
Thursday, May 16
Schenley Plaza
Free (RSVP requested)
pitt.ly/may16picnic

Dev Hayostek hopes that being honored as one of Pittsburgh’s “Bright Young People” for 2024 will highlight the important work being done by Pitt’s Sexual Violence Prevention & Education Office.

Hayostek (SOC WK ’23G) was recognized by Allies for Health & Wellbeing during the organization’s annual “Free for All” banquet, formerly known as the Allies Ball, held May 3 at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh.

“In this past year, we’ve been able to engage with probably 14,000 people in various sorts of trainings and outreach programs,” says Hayostek, who serves as lead prevention educator for the Sexual Violence Prevention & Education Office, also known as Prevention at Pitt. “Sexual violence prevention is not a fun topic. We’ve been able to take some risks to make this work more accessible, such as with a Taylor Swift-themed event or a Beyonce-themed event, to (encourage) folks to join the conversation.”

Allies is a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit organization that provides high-quality integrated medical care and supportive human services with a focus on the LGBTQIA+ community. The group evolved from the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force.

“The fact that it’s a community award means a lot to me, because I’m being recognized as someone who’s out and proud and doing good work,” Hayostek says. “Visibility is super-important right now, especially given the climate that we’re in.”

Students from South Fayette, Northgate, Plum, and Mount Lebanon school districts participated today in the first-ever “University for a Day” program, presented by Pitt’s Office of Disability Resources & Services and the state Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, with help from the Office of Admissions & Financial Aid, Pitt Pathfinders, and other staff.

The students, mainly high-school juniors, learned about the application process, majors and academic programs available at Pitt, campus life, and received tours of dorms and academic buildings, then had a chance to ask a Class of 2024 graduate questions about her Pitt experience.

Teachers, schools, and parents interested in learning more about Disability Resources & Services at Pitt — and who want to know about future “University for a Day” events — can email drsrecep@pitt.edu or call 412-648-7890.

A large crowd of well-wishers and supporters joined OEDI staff at Pittsburgh Action Against Rape’s annual Teal Ball as Carrie Benson and the Prevention at Pitt team received the 2024 Community Champion Award.

The ceremony was held May 4 at the Wyndham Grand Hotel.

Each year, PAAR hosts the Teal Ball to honor and celebrate the strength of survivors of sexual violence while recognizing those who help eradicate sexual violence in our community, a spokesperson said.

The Community Champion Award honors an organization that identifies a community need, takes decisive and effective action to fulfill that need, and inspires others in the process.

“We are really lucky that we have tremendous community partners like Pittsburgh Action Against Rape who provide us with services on campus as well as providing advocacy,” said Benson (EDUC ’12G), director of Sexual Violence Prevention & Education in OEDI. “PAAR has always been willing to support our students, staff, and faculty, but over the last four years, the relationship has really, really grown.”

The OEDI team was represented at the Teal Ball by Benson, Dev Hayostek, Angie Jack, Willa Campbell, and Chad Jurica, along with graduate students Leigh Marques and Kelisa Hysenbegasi, and undergraduate students from Pitt’s Sexual Assault Facilitation & Education team.

Circle Up is a dialogue-based prevention program developed by Prevention at Pitt. Participants are seated in a circle and are guided through a conversation by a trauma-informed trained facilitator. The conversation circles provide an opportunity for participants to step away from their computers and technology and sit with each other face-to-face to have vulnerable, connecting conversations about sexual harassment, agency, and other important topics.

Faculty and staff circles focus on workplace culture, boundaries, communication, and supporting each other in the workplace.

Prevention at Pitt facilitated a circle in January that was so lively the team members didn't make it through their entire facilitation guide, so organizers have decided to do cohorts featuring two circles to give enough time to allow for fruitful conversations. Each cohort will feature lunch sponsored by Prevention at Pitt.

The next cohorts will be held:

• 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 29 and June 14
• 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 3 and July 19

All circles are held on the 31st floor of the Cathedral of Learning. Please plan on attending both circles in your chosen cohort. 

Registration is now open online.

Pride on the Patio, the University’s annual resource fair for the LGBTQIA+ community and allies, returns to the William Pitt Union from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 26.

Groups from both on- and off-campus that support the community are invited to reserve a table where they can provide literature, information, and giveaway items. Pitt departments, offices, and units also will be present at the event.

If your group, office, or unit would like a table at Pride on the Patio, please visit the registration page.

And watch OEDI’s social media channels for more information in weeks to come about other Pride Month events at the University!

Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when slaves in Texas received their freedom. It is now the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. In 2021, President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, making June 19 a federal holiday.

The University of Pittsburgh will mark Juneteenth with community service opportunities in collaboration with PittServes & Engagement & Community Affairs. Watch for registration opening soon.

A native of the Bronx, Josue Tolbert-Nieves and his wife are enjoying life in Pittsburgh.

“In this part of the country, there are a lot of hidden gems,” he says. Josue is also enjoying the food scene. “I love to explore and I love to eat,” he says. “In New York City, you may have a thousand different sushi restaurants or a thousand different Mexican restaurants. In Pittsburgh, you have a lot fewer — but they’re good.”

He also enjoys his new role as civil rights senior manager in OEDI. “It’s a good mission and a good team, and I’m glad to be a part of it,” he says.

Josue came to Pitt from a position with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, where he investigated possible civil rights violations and assisted federal prosecutors in preparing cases. He previously worked at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

A graduate of SUNY Albany, Cochese College, and Manhattan College, where he earned a master’s degree in education, Josue is a U.S. Army veteran who served in military intelligence with the 25th Infantry Division. He and his wife live in Squirrel Hill.

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