The UNITE series presented by the Division of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion gives Faculty & Staff the opportunity to begin or continue to engage in conversations in relation to inclusion across a broad range of identities.
Faculty & Staff can complete the UNITE series by registering for any of the workshops via HR Cornerstone System and then attending educational trainings through the Fall and Spring semesters. Faculty & Staff will be provided with certificates of completion for each course to be placed in employees files.
Fall 2024 Registration Now Open
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Offered UNITE Workshops for Fall 2024
Anti-Blackness
This session focuses on creating a foundational and contextual understanding of the socio-political and historical creation, and development of Anti-Blackness in the United States and North America. Through this session participants will reflect on their socialization related to Blackness and racism and distinguish and interrogate nuance within Anti-Blackness.
Available Workshops
- Monday, September 9th, 1-3pm
- Thursday, October 10th, 9-11am
Anti-Blackness 201
In this second-level sessions, participants will explore how Anti-Blackness exists within systems and structures, manifests and maintains within contemporary and modern practices, and can shift based upon community and identity. Bridging from historical to practical, participants will also develop praxis in dismantling Anti-Blackness within the HSI environment and with servingness and sense of belonging as praxis.
Available Workshops
- Wednesday, October 16th, 9-11am
- Tuesday, November 12th, 1-3pm
Exploring Equity & Inclusion Foundations
Participants obtain an overview of equity and inclusion by exploring social identities and understanding current social issues through this interactive workshop that assists students in how to exercise their agency and power as an individual and in collective actions.
Available Workshops
- Wednesday, September 4th, 1-3pm
- Thursday, October 3rd. 9-11am
- Thursday, November 4th, 9-11am
Navigating DEI Conversations
This session will help participates explore how a better understanding of their own identities, and perceptions of identities, can lead to intentional and effective DEI conversations that broaden access for our Â鶹´«Ã½ campus community. Participants will use guided self-discovery of their own personal experiences to create an action plan on how conversations can be framed in a healthy and productive way.
Available Workshops
- Thursday, October 17th, 1-3pm
- Monday, November 18th, 9-11am
Know Your Rights
This session will focus on Protesters’ Rights and how to support individuals right to peacefully protest while also understanding the restrictions, laws, and policies that protesters must comply with to advocate lawfully.
Available Workshops
- Tuesday, September 24th, 9-11am
- Monday, October 28th, 1-3pm
HSI 101 – Why Becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution Matters
Why Becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution Matters, focuses on 3 main outcomes. 1) Learn terms, definitions, historical context and critical facts related to HSI’s. 2) Understanding why academic and career success through greater college-attendance rates and higher degree-attainment rates contributes to ‘closing the achievement gap of Latinx students.’ 3) Reflecting on current institutional practices, policies, and structures that might impact our work with Latinx students at Â鶹´«Ã½.
Available Workshops
- Wednesday, October 23rd, 9-11am
Understanding & Fostering Welcoming Spaces for Neurodivergence
Grounded in best practices from neurodiverse communities and mental health professional standards of practice, participants will learn more about the range of identities under the neurodiverse umbrella as well as how to support neurodiverse needs on and around campus.
Available Workshops
- Monday, September 23rd, 1-3pm
- Thursday, October 24th, 9-11am
Exploring Military Culture & Veteran Experiences
Exploring Military Culture and Veteran Experiences addresses the biases, stigmas, and stereotypes about the military and veterans that pervade academic spaces. Academic institutions often lack a sufficient understanding of military culture and the unique experiences of student veterans. This leads to assumptions that veterans are aggressive or suffer from mental health issues. Veterans face challenges transitioning to campus life after their military service. Examining these stereotypes and bringing cultural awareness to campus, we aim to create more inclusive educational environments for veterans to share their perspectives and succeed academically.
Available Workshops
- Thursday, November 7th, 1-3pm
HSI 201 - Servingess into Action
Becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution – ‘Servingness’ in Practice, focuses on the important differentiation of being Hispanic serving and not just Hispanic enrolling to achieve the HSI designation. Join in this session to learn about the concept, indicators, and application of servingness (Garcia, Nuñez, and Sansone, 2019) and begin to develop actionable steps and strategies that pertain to your community of practice.
Available Workshops
- Monday, October 21st, 1-3pm
International Experiences
Through this workshop participants will learn about the unique challenges international students, immigrants, and refugees face navigating transitions to the United States. We will also discuss ways participants can address bias toward immigrant populations and improve cross cultural communication.
Available Workshops
- Thursday, November 21st, 9-11am *There is no November 7th workshop
UNITE Workshops Offered in Future Semesters
Spirituality & Religious Identity Dialogues
What is religion? Spirituality? Faith? How can you increase your religious literacy? Join us for an interactive workshop exploring concepts related to meaning-making and how we, as a campus community, can be more inclusive in our interfaith engagement.
Advocacy & Equity Minded Lens
In this praxis-centered session, advocates in higher education gain tools for justice and practice implementing them in their own journeys through an equity-minded lens.
Understanding & Fostering Welcoming Spaces for Neurodivergence
Grounded in best practices from neurodiverse communities and mental health professional standards of practice, participants will learn more about the range of identities under the neurodiverse umbrella as well as how to support neurodiverse needs on and around campus.
Inclusivity in Mental Health
A workshop that will deconstruct the dominant narratives around mental health in our society and examine how contextual factors such as identity and culture inform experiences of mental health. Participants will better understand how various stressors might contribute to negative outcomes and impact folks in different ways. Participants will learn how to engage with mental health through a more inclusive framework that empowers healing and liberation.
International Experiences
Through this workshop participants will learn about the unique challenges international students, immigrants, and refugees face navigating transitions to the United States. We will also discuss ways participants can address bias toward immigrant populations and improve cross cultural communication.
Exploring Military Culture & Veteran Experiences
Exploring Military Culture and Veteran Experiences addresses the biases, stigmas, and stereotypes about the military and veterans that pervade academic spaces. Academic institutions often lack a sufficient understanding of military culture and the unique experiences of student veterans. This leads to assumptions that veterans are aggressive or suffer from mental health issues. Veterans face challenges transitioning to campus life after their military service. Examining these stereotypes and bringing cultural awareness to campus, we aim to create more inclusive educational environments for veterans to share their perspectives and succeed academically.
Examining Socio-economics Status
Participants will examine socioeconomic status and the wide range of definitions from a class cultural lens. Knowing class is an intersectional experience, participants will not only acknowledge their SES experience but also how they can apply their knowledge to the Â鶹´«Ã½ classroom and the greater community. Participants will engage in conversations about social class and explore ways to begin the disruption of social stratification in a national context.
Anti-Semitism
This session focuses on the socio-political, historical, and modern iterations of Anti-Semitism in the US and globally. Participants will engage interactively to understand the relevance of Anti-Semitism in the past and present to their work, students, and our campus communities. Through this session participants will reflect on their socialization related to Jewish culture or faith, develop interfaith skills, and develop personalized action plans contextualized by the socio-political, historical, and modern contexts of Anti-Semitism.
Straight Facts about Queer Life
Discuss the challenges queer and transgender folks face and what students can do to be a better advocate for particpants across the gender and sexuality spectrums.
Race & Racism 201
This interactive workshop will provide participants with an overview of modern oppressive systems, with critical examination of positionality and identity within those systems. Participants will also examine their own praxis of race by dissecting and engaging developmental and sociological theory.
Available Workshops
- Wednesday, March 27th, 9:30am-11:30am
Race & Racism 101
This session provides an overview of the history and role of race within US history, including its current role within contemporary culture. Participants will engage in critical analysis of race, ethnicity and nationality, as well as examine their own respective identities as it relates to race & culture.
Available Workshops
- Thursday, February 8th, 1:30pm-3:30pm
DREAMer Zone
Dreamer Zone builds awareness around the lived experiences of DREAMers (student who identify as undocumented) on the Â鶹´«Ã½ campus. Training participants will engage in activities to increase knowledge on terminology and policy affecting national identity, privilege and advocacy.
Available Workshops
- Wednesday, March 6th, 9am-11am
- Thursday, March 21st, 1:30-3:30pm
Disability & Accessibility
This session focuses on the historical contexts and the current realities of disability. Participants will engage with one another and the presenters to understand the evolution of disability identity and the current implications this may have in their lives. Throughout the session, participants will reflect on their language usage and potential implicit bias toward folks with disabilities. This work will aid in the action plan that participants will develop at the end of the session.
Sexism & Gender Justice
Explore key ideas and issues associated with gender, gender justice and feminism. Participants are introduced to sexism and learn to identify when sexism is happening while engaging in discussions about ones own experiences with sexism at Â鶹´«Ã½ and beyond.
Decolonizing Higher Education: Advocating for Place-Based Learning
This session will explore the historical impact the U.S. education system has had on the cultural identity and identity development of Asian, Pacific Islander, and Native American communities and students. As a result of colonization and imperialism, academic achievement has been defined without consideration of the identities, cultures, places, and communities from which Asian Pacific Islander and Native American students reside. Through pedagogical practices and ecological theoretical framing, institutions of higher learning can play a role in disrupting colonization and empower Asian, Pacific Islander, and Native American people to transform their learning to meet the needs of the communities from which they seek to serve.
Program Learning Outcomes
Our goal is to make presentations and related materials accessible to everyone. Information Disability Resource Center five (5) days in advance of accessibility barriers you may encounter.
- Demonstrate awareness of issues and concerns of Â鶹´«Ã½'s diverse community
- Demonstrate knowledge of policies, laws and practices affecting Â鶹´«Ã½'s diverse community
- Recognize and articulate identities you hold
- Identify and articulate privilege identities
- Recognize where to direct individuals for more resources regarding identities
- Identify personal actions to support yourself as well as marginalized communities
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