{"id":40503,"date":"2018-11-20T08:48:19","date_gmt":"2018-11-20T13:48:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=40503"},"modified":"2023-07-24T14:00:18","modified_gmt":"2023-07-24T18:00:18","slug":"committee-on-diversity-and-inclusion-begins-groundwatering-for-racial-equity-work-on-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2018\/committee-on-diversity-and-inclusion-begins-groundwatering-for-racial-equity-work-on-campus\/","title":{"rendered":"Committee on Diversity and Inclusion begins ‘groundwatering’ for racial equity work on campus"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0The 17-member\u00a0Committee on Diversity and Inclusion<\/a>\u00a0(CODI)\u00a0at Eastern Mennonite University has a broad mission \u2013 and specific plans for implementing its vision. CODI hosts\u00a0<\/span>a racial equity leadership institute introductory forum in the Campus Center main lounge at 7:30 p.m. on Tues., Nov. 27. The forum is cosponsored by the Student Government Association.<\/span><\/p>\n

The event will serve as \u201cgroundwatering\u201d for upcoming cohort-based racial equity trainings, said CODI chair Melody Pannell,<\/a> professor of applied social sciences. The pilot program for the racial equity leadership institute initiative will launch on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in January.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese trainings will in part give people the same language for speaking about equity,\u201d Pannell said. \u201cKnowing what is meant by \u2018white privilege\u2019 or \u2018intersectionality,\u2019 for example, will help us develop shared values relating to expanded diversity.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Comprised of students, staff and faculty, CODI is tasked with working \u201cto develop and sustain a diverse and welcoming community of learning,\u201d according to its mission statement. Through education, training, policy proposals and support of \u201cpractices that foster respect, equity, restorative justice and dignity for every person,\u201d the committee \u201cencourages the critique of dominant narratives and works to develop a campus culture that listens to and learns from counter-narratives,\u201d among other goals<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Reporting to Provost Fred Kniss, the committee supports EMU\u2019s strategic goal<\/a> on diversity, which in part directs the university \u201cto attract, develop and sustain a thriving team of faculty, staff and administrators whose diversity mirrors our student body, community, and the broader church.\u201d Its five subcommittees are focused on marketing and programs, research and assessment\/recruitment, human resources and retention, policies and practice, and curriculum and training.<\/span><\/p>\n

Progress on initiatives<\/b><\/h3>\n

CODI has already been active on campus. It advocated for the \u201cday-on\u201d designation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day scheduled for January 2019, and last spring it joined Faith in Action and the Harrisonburg-Rockingham branch of the NAACP in hosting <\/span>a religious leaders summit and racial equity training<\/span><\/a>. It has also provided various trainings, plus provided support and counsel for a variety of events and initiatives. <\/span><\/p>\n

The committee consults and collaborates with campus departments and other entities, speaks into student life processes and situations, and informs the development of administrative policy and practices. [Read EMU’s\u00a0Statement on Diversity and Inclusion<\/a>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis body will make it possible to thread conversations about diversity more comprehensively through the fabric of our core curriculum,\u201d said Pannell. \u201cIt\u2019s a big vision, but I think that we\u2019re ready and primed for it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

CODI members<\/strong><\/h3>\n