On April first I attended, Salt Lake Community College’s first annual Stories of Transformation: Symposium on Equity and Inclusion. The symposium, designed by Faculty Development, and involving faculty, staff and students from across the college, supplied a virtual and in person gathering space for the SLCC community to share stories related to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, or JEDI.
The all day event featured a keynote speaker, five presentations to the main assembly, and nine breakout sessions in the afternoon. There were also poster presentations from SLCC faculty and tabling opportunities for groups and individuals to discuss JEDI work. Participants gathered at the end of the day to hear closing remarks from Provost Clifton Sanders.
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| President Huftalin - Dr. Kadiri |
President Huftalin, who joined newly appointed Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Juone Kadiri in welcoming the assembly, said of the event, "There is power in community. We have suffered as a community for several years for a variety of reasons. This is, for me, the first of many steps of bringing back community.”
The storytelling styled symposium made for a more familiar atmosphere. Presentations were formatted to be interactive and involved audience discussions and question and answer portions. Faculty Development Director Dr. Liz Rogers reported that 317 people registered for the hybrid event.
Setting the tone for the day, singing "I Am Light," Dr. Kadiri talked about her journey with SLCC and her work in equity and inclusion. Dr. Kadiri shared her intention for the day and the JEDI work she is undertaking to "bring light." She asked participants to take a moment to reflect and invited them to set their own intentions. She encouraged the audience to "find their place" at SLCC, in doing JEDI work, and in the world.
The keynote speaker was Dr. Bryan Dewsbury, an associate professor of biology and associate director of the STEM Transformation Institute at Florida International University. He is a principal investigator at the Science Education and Society (SEAS) research program which explores questions of social contexts in teaching and learning. He helps support higher education institutions undergoing transformation regarding inclusive educational practices as a fellow at the John N. Gardner Institute.
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| Dr. Dewsbury |
Dr. Dewsbury started his presentation by singing Hold On, 'Change is a Comin.' He spoke passionately about his ancestors and the people in his life and their impact on his own story. "Inclusion is a story about people, said Dr. Dewsbury." He talked about how his parents' confidence in him allowed him to see and question systemic flaws. "I saw the folly in how we taught," said Dr. Dewsbury.
He said he started rethinking his role as a professor as he began to really question and listen to students about why they were taking his beginning biology class.
Mentioning the roots of education to the era of enlightenment, Dewsbury said he now thinks more about his job as a facilitator of students "on that journey towards that light,” rather than just as a science professor doing research. He concluded his presentation by encouraging participants to "listen to the stories of students in a way that facilitates change.”
Following the keynote address, Student Success Coach Gwen Spotted Elk and Emily Thompson, program manager of e-Learning at SLCC, shared their story of making sure their work place is a safe, inclusive environment. They started by sharing their personal and professional journeys and experiences with past injustices. "Trauma often proceeds transformation," said Emily. Titled "Stumbling Together," their presentation focused on creating a ‘working agreement’ that allowed them to acknowledge their vulnerabilities without taking offense.
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| Emily Thompson - Gwen Spotted Elk |
They talked about how the document provides them with a solid framework to refer to as they work together and when conflicts arise. "Where there is consistency in word and behavior, it creates stability, safety, and peace," said Emily. Gwen talked about her comfort in knowing they can find solutions when mistakes or disagreements arise because they have set up a space with "mutual respect and open communication.”
Before breaking for lunch, we also heard from Nick Arteaga, community programs coordinator at the Utah Pride Center, and therapist Dr. Candice Metzler, executive director of Transgender Education Advocates of Utah. Their presentation titled "Beyond the Magic and Rainbows" focused on ‘Debunking Myths and Celebrating Triumphs for our Trans and Gender Diverse Community.”
Both Nick and Candice shared their stories of gender transitioning, emphasizing that there is no right way to transition. "Everyone's journey is their own," said Nick. "You know who you are better than anyone else," said Candice.
When asked about what SLCC can do to support LGBTQI+ students, faculty and staff, Nick and Candice mentioned planning for gender-neutral bathrooms. They also talked about how learning to ask about and use correct gender pronouns is a simple thing that everyone can do. Candice concluded by saying "it's all about respect" and Nick spoke about "not assuming.”
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| Dr. Candice Metzler |
Dr. Dewsbury offered a teaching workshop to SLCC faculty during the afternoon session followed by a performance by SLCC Chamber Singers. The afternoon session also included a presentation by Associate Professor Carolina Bloem and student Perla Ramírez, on Latin American Studies. After a final performance by the Chamber Singers student leaders Shari - Fa Harrigan, Jevahjire France, Jessie Tembo, Anna Djedjemel and Beringo Masumbeon, talked about the Black Student Union.
In the closing remarks, Dr. Sanders issued a call to action, "to center [our] actions within a paradigm of "healing," or more precisely, "healing conversations" needed to help people in our college community and beyond find common ground. A commitment to loving our collective self and our community in this way is indispensable to inclusivity, equity, diversity and inclusion at its best.”
Dr. Juone Kadiri closed out the symposium by inviting everyone to gather in small groups, reflect on what they learned, and share ideas about what next steps they could take in answer to Dr. Sanders call to action.
My group included Dr. Dewsbury, a staff member and a professor.
I reflected on the people I met that day and previously who are involved in some way with the work of JEDI. I thought about how the work of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion isn’t exclusive to a title, office or department. JEDI work takes place in and outside of the classroom. JEDI work involves informal and formal conversations and is both seen and unseen. JEDI work requires individual and collective vision with the implementation of tactics and strategies to achieve goals. JEDI work is work.
I thought about the good things people are doing at SLCC and I thought about the work that still needs to be done when it comes to the work of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. I shared with the group ideas about what I can do as a communications coordinator to help share the stories of JEDI work going on at SLCC.
Taking my thoughts back to my team I proposed the idea of a regular feature on this blog to help tell the stories of JEDI work at SLCC. This post is the first of that series. To begin with we will be following up on the many presentations, posters and performances, from the symposium that I couldn’t adequately cover in this post.
The next JEDI Stories of Transformation post will feature the Black Student Union at SLCC.
Thanks to all of the presenters at the symposium for sharing your stories and for those of who took the time to talk to me personally. We look forward to following up with many of you and sharing the work of JEDI at SLCC with our readers.
Tonia Day
Communications Coordinator
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