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Graphic by Adminstration for Community Living
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| Welcome to the May 2021 Office for Diversity Newsletter! Please join us in celebrating our Office for Diversity Learning Community (ODLC) because they are presenting at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE). Further, we want to congratulate all Accountability, Climate, and Equity (ACE) Award winners and STARS 100 Award winners! As always, you will find news and events to connect you with our Texas A&M community.
Finally, congratulations to all Spring graduates! Your hard work has paid off!
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PRODUCING OUTSTANDING SCHOLARSHIPThe Office for Diversity is proud to announce that current and former members of the Office for Diversity have been accepted to present research at the 2021 National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE). The Office for Diversity Learning Community (ODLC) will present a collaborative study during NCORE. The ODLC is composed of the undergraduate and graduate student assistants in the Office for Diversity. The main objective of this learning community is to encourage student research and development, while also addressing communication skills, cultural literacy, and social justice. Current ODLC members include Redeem Francis ‘21, Anthony Ramirez ‘22, Darby Salge ’19, and Lawren Walker ’22
In their presentation, titled “Building Today's Leaders: Student Employment as a High Impact Practice in the Office for Diversity Learning Community,” the members of the ODLC will present their work on the high-impact practice of creating learning communities within student employment opportunities. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about the goals, initiatives, and practices of Texas A&M’s campus culture that were the foundation of the ODLC. The session will also identify the challenges and solutions of elevating student employment to a high-impact practice, and will discuss the influence that the ODLC has had on individual student workers, the Office for Diversity as a whole, and the university.
The results of the study should particularly benefit university student workers and their administrators, especially those within their respective diversity offices.
The ODLC hopes to pass on the tools needed to create an inclusive higher education program, and to expand opportunities for culturally diverse and traditionally underrepresented populations to succeed academically.
Please register for the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE) at NCORE 2021 Registration. Texas A&M University is a sponsor of NCORE, June 7-11, 2021. For more information about the TAMU group discount rate click here.
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Darby Salge '19 Redeem Francis '21 Lawren Walker '22 Anthony Ramirez '22
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Recognize and celebrate the collective accomplishments, stories, and experiences of Asian Americans. Learn more
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PRODUCING OUTSTANDING SCHOLARSHIPDr. Gabriela C. Zapata, Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman, and Dr. Jennifer McGee Reyes will share their research poster presentation, titled “Tenure-Track Faculty in the Age of COVID-19: The Role of Faculty-Retention Programs and Diversity Units,” during the 2021 National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE).
The researchers investigated how a group of 16 diverse tenure-track scholars belonging to STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine), humanities, and social science disciplines were affected by the COVID crisis at the personal and professional level. The participants were part of a faculty-retention program in an R1 institution. The poster will describe the objectives and outcomes of the program, and it will offer information about the support it is designed to offer. Additionally, the authors will provide data on the concerns expressed by the 16 participants.
The authors will also discuss how the Office for Diversity sought to establish palliative actions to address the scholars’ reported COVID-related difficulties, without overstepping on the roles expected to be played by their colleges and departments.
This poster should particularly benefit conference participants who are thinking of establishing a faculty-retention program and/or whose faculty are facing similar situations as those reported by the participants.
The Office for Diversity will host an NCORE 101 panel on June 2, 2021, 3:00 - 4:30 pm CDT, via Zoom. Attendees will receive general orientation information, and they will learn best practices on how to select workshops from past NCORE attendees. Registration information will be available to all NCORE registered participants at Texas A&M University.
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CONNECTING THOSE ADVANCING ACCOUNTABILITYThe Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™(STARS®) is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS was developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) with broad participation from the higher education community.
The Sustainability Champion Awards are sponsored by Texas A&M University’s Office of Sustainability in the Division of Finance & Operations. The Office of Sustainability recognizes individuals and teams of students, faculty, and staff who have demonstrated exemplary effort, dedication, and leadership throughout the year to foster a campus culture of sustainability. The awards include the STAR 100 Awards recognizing the achievements of those who have earned one hundred percent of the points available in their assigned credit, the STARS Exemplary Credit Award that adds to the university’s sustainability rating, and the Overall Top Performer Award. Congratulations to all those nominated and to the award winners. Dr. Jennifer Reyes, Assistant Vice President in the Office for Diversity, was recognized as a 2020 STARS 100 recipient, for her work in Assessing Diversity & Equity, Support for Underrepresented Groups, and Diversity & Equity Recognition, STARS Exemplary Credit recipient, and Sustainability STARS 2020 Overall Top Performer.
Please visit the Office of Sustainability Awards page for details about the awards and previous winners and the YouTube Channel to see the full recording of the event.
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May is Jewish American Heritage Month. Learn more about the contributions of Jewish Americans to culture, history, and society.
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CONNECTING THOSE ADVANCING ACCOUNTABILITY Dr. Timothy Scott, Associate Provost in the Office for Student Success, presented on the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) during the Diversity Operations Committee (DOC) meeting held on April 8, 2021. This is a project for accreditation which seeks to establish the path that Texas A&M will take as an institution over the next five years. This plan focuses on and highlights the disparities existing among undergraduate and graduate students. With this project, the goal is to look at retention and graduation rates for all Aggies, but especially for those that are underrepresented in higher education. If you would like more information on this program, please email Dr. Scott at t-scott@tamu.edu.
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ACE AWARDS CEREMONYThe Accountability, Climate, and Equity (ACE) Awards, formerly known as the Diversity Awards, were renamed in 2016 in the spirit of the goals of the Texas A&M University Diversity Plan.
The ACE Awards acknowledge and honor students, faculty, and staff and their demonstrated commitment to Texas A&M’s Core Value of RESPECT. ACE Awards recipients promote respectful treatment of others, affirm and encourage individuals to take pride in their social and cultural identities, and include everyone in their definition of the “Aggie Family.” The ACE Awards are sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs, the Office for Diversity, the Department of Multicultural Services, Disability Resources, the Women’s Resource Center, Aggie Allies, the LGBTQ+ Pride Center, Health Promotion, and the Student Government Association Diversity Commission.
Congratulations to all those nominated and to the award winners! Watch the 2021 Virtual ACE Awards Ceremony. For more information about the 2021 ACE Award winners, please visit 2021 ACE Awards.
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May is Mental Health Awareness Month. No one should feel alone or without the information, support, and help they need. Resources
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Send July and August events to Crystal Carter at c.carter@tamu.edu by May 28 for consideration in the June newsletter.
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Texas A&M has issued COVID-19 guidance to enhance the safety of those returning to campus. Free testing is available for all students, faculty, and staff who have symptoms or have been in close contact with known or suspected cases. The tests provided through this program are mouth swab tests that do not require assistance. More information can be found at the Student Health Services website.
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Texas A&M University
Office for Diversity
Jack K. Williams Administration Building
1360 TAMU
College Station, Texas 77843-1360
Phone: (979) 458-2905
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