Erika Orman

Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion

 

Category: Exemplary

 

Description: "The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) competency area includes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to create an institutional ethos that accepts and celebrates differences among people, helping to free them of any misconceptions and prejudices” (p. 12).

 

            The following are ways in which I have achieved this competency:

• “Integrate cultural knowledge with specific and relevant diverse issues on campus”

        (p. 12)

• “Assess and address one’s own awareness of EDI, and articulate one’s own differences and similarities with others” (p. 12)

• “Demonstrate personal skills associated with EDI by participating in activities that challenge one’s beliefs” (p. 12)

• “Facilitate dialogue effectively among disparate audiences” (p. 12)

• “Interact with diverse individuals and implement programs, services, and activities that reflect an understanding and appreciation of cultural and human differences” (p. 12)

• “Recognize social systems and their influence on people of diverse backgrounds” (p. 12)

• “Analyze the interconnectedness of societies worldwide and how these global perspectives affect institutional learning” (p. 12)

 

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion has become extremely important to me over the past two years and is now an integral part of my daily life and student affairs practice.  Prior to attending my Master’s program, EDI was not something of which I was particularly aware.  I was open to learning about difference and always considered myself to be culturally sensitive, but I did not know about the deeply rooted dynamics of privilege and oppression.  As a result of my CSP coursework and other experiences, I now have a deeper understanding of my own privileged and oppressed identities and how dynamics of privilege and oppression play out on campuses and in society at large. 

 

CSP 6035. The Multicultural Competence in Student Affairs class was a very useful opportunity for me to learn more about privilege and oppression, specifically as it relates to access to, and persistence in, education.  I completed several critical reflections in which I reflected on my identities and how they impact how I enter spaces.  These helped me reach a deeper understanding of how my privileged and marginalized identities intersect to shape my experiences.  Through these reflections, I made meaning of the experiences I had on campus.  Two such experiences were attending the Black Issues conference and a Latino Student Union meeting.  Because of CSP 6035, I was able to think critically about how my identities and experiences caused me to view these events. 

 

For a CSP 6035 class assignment, I also had an opportunity to co-facilitate a workshop for fraternity men on gender and masculinity.  I presented alongside two fellow graduate students in the CSP program who also worked with Fraternity & Sorority Life at BGSU.  We chose this presentation topic specifically because we observed a need within the fraternity community at BGSU to engage in deeper conversations about privilege and oppression.  Many of the fraternity men are White, straight, and from the middle class, affording them a significant amount of privilege.  We wanted to challenge them to understand their privilege and understand how their identities play into the way they perform masculinity.  Preparing and delivering this workshop helped me not only to learn more about gender and masculinity, but also helped me build skills in facilitating dialogue about sensitive EDI issues.  We used a variety of activities to build a supportive environment but also to challenge the men to think critically.  We felt the presentation was very successful because the men were vulnerable in sharing their experiences and were open to learning more about privilege as it relates to gender. 

 

Black Issues Conference.  As previously mentioned, I facilitated a presentation at the 2013 BGSU Black Issues Conference with two of my classmates.  We presented on the historical context and modern implications for using the “N-word.”  This was definitely an activity that pushed me outside my comfort zone.  As a White woman, it was certainly a risk for me to present on such a sensitive topic.  However, the presentation was extremely successful and garnered an enthusiastic response from the audience.   We were able to facilitate a respectful dialogue between people with differing opinions on how and when the N-word is appropriate to use. 

 

Attending and presenting at the Black Issues Conference helped me better understand Black students’ experiences, particularly on the BGSU campus.  As they shared their stories, I felt more connected to these students.  Increasing my understanding of Black students at BGSU supplemented the knowledge I learned in the classroom about Black students more generally.  As a result of that experience, I became a better student affairs professional. 

 

South Africa. Finally, my internship at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa helped me to gain deeper perspective on my U.S. culture in a non-Western context.  A surface-level example that betrays underlying cultural foundations is the difference between the two cultures in regards to time.  I was often frustrated by loose adherence to time schedules in South Africa.  Although intellectually I can understand this cultural difference, it was still frustrating when my ride to the airport did not arrive and I nearly missed my flight!  This took some additional reflection after leaving South Africa to work through the cultural differences around time.  

 

I also spent a lot of time reflecting on my privileged identities, specifically my relative financial privilege and my White privilege, and how they impacted my interactions with people in South Africa.  The UWC campus is home to nearly all students and staff of color, meaning it was the first time in my life I lived in a place where I was in the racial minority (yet still in the privileged class; an interesting contradiction to racial minority groups in the U.S.).  It felt uncomfortable at times, but that discomfort has shifted my worldview.  This was one of the most influential experiences of my life and has certainly helped me build a greater understanding on issues of EDI.  

 

 

Reference

ACPA & NASPA (2010).  Professional competency areas for student affairs

               practitioners.  Washington, DC: Authors.