MyLU Insider

Diversity and Inclusion

Category: Diversity and Inclusion

An Invitation From LU Employee Resource Groups

Friday, April 5 | 11:30am to 1:30pm | Viking Room in Memorial Hall

Spring Term is in full swing, and all the Employee Resource Groups of Lawrence University are delighted to invite you to a lunch-time celebration!  The following Employee Resource Groups collaborate to make Lawrence University a more just, equitable, and inclusive workplace.

  • Employees of Color
  • Emerging Professionals
  • PRIDE
  • GEL—Global Employees of Lawrence

If you identify with any of these resource groups please join us for a luncheon get-together on Friday, April 5, from 11:30am to 1:30pm in the Viking Room located in the lower level of Memorial Hall. 

There will be food from a local POC-owned restaurant and the opportunity to fellowship and learn more about our Employee Resource Groups. 

We hope you can join us! 

Sharing Circle (Low income/Pell Grant eligible) – April 10

Sharing Circles are a process we are using to further understand the ways various groups on campus experience Lawrence. They are one of several activities being implemented in response to 2018 campus climate survey results and as part of our Truth and Reconciliation at Lawrence campaign. Sharing Circles provide an opportunity for a particular group of people (students, faculty, and staff) to discuss personal experiences, challenges, insights and strategies they have developed to thrive at Lawrence. This process is grounded in the concept of talking circles used by many Indigenous Peoples.

If you come from a background that you consider low income or are a student who is eligible for a Pell Grant, we invite you to join us and share your experiences on April 10, 2019 from 4:30pm to 6pm in the Nathan Marsh Pusey Room (325). Contact the Office of Diversity and Inclusion with any questions.

Please let us know you are coming, click here: go.lawrence.edu/13276

Anti-Racist Study Group for White Staff & Faculty

Recognizing that anti-racist work is disproportionately borne by people of color, the Anti-Racist White Affinity Group (ARWAG) is a setting for white people to take responsibility for educating ourselves about racism and for challenging white supremacy from the inside. We’re a community of fellow travelers at various stages of coming to grips with our own racism, our own biases, our participation in systems built to favor people who look like us (socialized as white) and exclude, disfavor, or discourage people of color. 

Some folks in ARWAG are really new to all this stuff and may feel shy or intimidated about talking about race. Other ARWAGgers have been at this awhile and have more skill and confidence in talking about and navigating racial issues–but they’re still learning too. Wherever you are on that spectrum, you’re welcome in ARWAG.

Spring Term we will meet Tuesdays at 4:30 on March 26, April 2, April 16, and April 30.

Email Jenna Stone (stonej@lawrence.edu) to join the ARWAG Moodle group and get meeting notices, readings, and access to the archives of past readings.

White Privilege Symposium 4/13, 5-9p/Sat 4/14, 8a-4:30p

Friday, April 13 from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, April 14 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at St. Norbert College

Lawrence University is a sponsor of the White Privilege Symposium, hosted by The Privilege Institute and St. Norbert College. The Diversity and Intercultural Center has offered to pay the registration fee for a limited number of students who would like to attend. Lawrence faculty, staff and students are being offered a discounted registration fee of $40. Lawrence fleet van(s) will be available on both days to provide transportation to and from the symposium.

Symposium participants will learn about the history of privilege in this country and explore ways to advance equity. With the help of keynote speakers and workshops, they will explore issues such as income inequality, disparities in the justice system, and barriers to education and employment as impediments to progress. This is not about blame; this is about listening deeply, talking with each other and increasing awareness that leads to the understanding we all desire. All are invited! Your attendance is an investment in the future of our communities, which are enriched by diverse experiences.

Registration for Students: To register, contact Dr. Brittany Bell at brittany.m.bell@lawrence.edu.

Registration for Faculty and Staff: To register and receive the discounted price, please follow these steps:
1) Click here > https://web.cvent.com/event/541828db-561c-4153-b8f7-5fb6c4d31251/summary
2) Click: Register Now
3) Select: SNC Student
4) Enter your LU ID Number to receive the discounted pricing of $40 (regular price $110)

**Important note to faculty and staff: If you plan to meet on campus and ride in the LU fleet vehicles please email emily.r.wilson@lawrence.edu to ensure we reserve an appropriate number of vehicles. Thank you for your help!

Upstander/Bystander Training – Friday, April 12, 1-5pm

Join us on Friday, April 12, 2019 from 1-5pm in Hurvis Room 225!

Upstander/Bystander Training prepares participants to intervene safely and appropriately when witnessing incidents of discrimination, harassment or harm. Participants engage with real-life scenarios to enable them to effectively identify and challenge negative narratives and behaviors. Become an agent for change and foster a positive of culture of safety and respect in your places of influence!
Let us know you are coming, click here >http://go.lawrence.edu/13276

Forum on the History of Blackface on Campus

April 16, 2019, 7:00 – 8:30pm | Warch Campus Center Cinema (204)

Join us for a panel examining the origins and lasting impact of the practice of blackface in America. The recent controversy regarding the Governor of Virginia’s 1984 medical school yearbook page that contained photographs of a person in blackface with others dressed as members of the Ku Klux Klan has caused many college communities to investigate the history of this practice at their institutions and its implications for campus climate today. The panel will examine the history of minstrelsy, archival information regarding this practice at universities across the country including Lawrence, and current student reaction to these recent events. Brief opening remarks by each panelist will be followed by Q & A from the audience. This panel is an opportunity to better understand a practice that ensconced many of the stereotypes we know today regarding African Americans in our national collective consciousness.     

Please let us know you are coming >  go.lawrence.edu/13276

Cultural Competency Lecture with Jason Brozek – April 9, 11:15am

Environmental Justice – Global Movement, Local Actions

April 9, 2019, 11:15am in Hurvis Room 225

The environmental justice movement, briefly, is built on the idea that negative environmental consequences are disproportionately felt by vulnerable, marginalized communities. To understand key environmental issues like climate change, deforestation and freshwater scarcity, therefore, we need to understand intersections with race, gender, and class. This discussion will explore the origins of the global environmental justice movement and connect it to local projects from students in the ENST 300 Environmental Justice symposium.

Please let us know you are coming – click here >  go.lawrence.edu/13276

Cultural Competency Lecture with Jason Brozek – April 9, 11:15am

Environmental Justice – Global Movement, Local Actions

April 9, 2019, 11:15am in Hurvis Room 225

The environmental justice movement, briefly, is built on the idea that negative environmental consequences are disproportionately felt by vulnerable, marginalized communities. To understand key environmental issues like climate change, deforestation and freshwater scarcity, therefore, we need to understand intersections with race, gender, and class. This discussion will explore the origins of the global environmental justice movement and connect it to local projects from students in the ENST 300 Environmental Justice symposium.

Please let us know you are coming – click here >  go.lawrence.edu/13276

White Privilege Symposium 4/13, 5-9p/Sat 4/14, 8a-4:30p

Friday, April 13 from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, April 14 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at St. Norbert College

Lawrence University is a sponsor of the White Privilege Symposium, hosted by The Privilege Institute and St. Norbert College. The Diversity and Intercultural Center has offered to pay the registration fee for a limited number of students who would like to attend. Lawrence faculty, staff and students are being offered a discounted registration fee of $40. Lawrence fleet van(s) will be available on both days to provide transportation to and from the symposium.

Symposium participants will learn about the history of privilege in this country and explore ways to advance equity. With the help of keynote speakers and workshops, they will explore issues such as income inequality, disparities in the justice system, and barriers to education and employment as impediments to progress. This is not about blame; this is about listening deeply, talking with each other and increasing awareness that leads to the understanding we all desire. All are invited! Your attendance is an investment in the future of our communities, which are enriched by diverse experiences.

Registration for Students: To register, contact Dr. Brittany Bell at brittany.m.bell@lawrence.edu.

Registration for Faculty and Staff: To register and receive the discounted price, please follow these steps:
1) Click here > https://web.cvent.com/event/541828db-561c-4153-b8f7-5fb6c4d31251/summary
2) Click: Register Now
3) Select: SNC Student
4) Enter your LU ID Number to receive the discounted pricing of $40 (regular price $110)

**Important note to faculty and staff: If you plan to meet on campus and ride in the LU fleet vehicles please email emily.r.wilson@lawrence.edu to ensure we reserve an appropriate number of vehicles. Thank you for your help!

New Blog! Leading with Diversity

Leading With Diversity: Professional Development for Faculty, Staff and Students

Lawrence University strives to be a leader in Diversity and Inclusion by creating easily accessible resources for Professional Development for faculty, staff and students. Leading with Diversity blog lives under the Resources on the Diversity and Inclusion webpage go.lawrence.edu/13472 

Check back each month for topical materials to build awareness and skills for cultural competency.

Sometimes Disabilities are Invisible.    

Wed, 02/06/2019 – 1:47pm 

“When one is disabled, the problem is not really that they have impairments and social skill deficits. The issue at stake is that they live in an ‘ableist’ culture that rarely affords them the space or opportunity to make their unique contribution to society and does not lift up the value of choosing them as … 

Continue reading “Sometimes Disabilities are Invisible.   “