Welcome to the Office for Equity & Inclusion

The Office for Equity & Inclusion provides leadership and guidance to address systemic inequities for all members of the Wesleyan community. Our culture of inquiry approach to enhancing the educational living and learning experience is designed to promote a healthy, thriving campus climate and a community of excellence predicated on respect for others.

Equity and Inclusion Week 2023

Following the conclusion of the 2nd Annual Diversity Summit in January 2022, we began discussing the implementation of a more robust and substantive event.  

Now, in 2023 we will be hosting the first Equity & Inclusion Week!

Please join us for a week of programs and activities centering the themes of equity and inclusion. From discussion spaces to ‘lunch & learns’ to informal gatherings, we look forward to coming together in community as we practice and uplift our values.

Equity & Inclusion Week is hosted by the Office for Equity & Inclusion and made possible by a committee of colleagues from across the institution. 

 

**  For accommodation requests related to any of the events below, please contact inclusion@wesleyan.edu **

 

MONDAY, JANUARY 30TH

E&I Week Kickoff and Keynote (Event link)
4:15 pm, Memorial Chapel
Reception to follow in Zelnick Pavilion 

Dr. Jonathan Holloway, the 21st president of Rutgers and the institution’s first Black president, will deliver remarks titled, “Being in the Room Where It Happens: Power, Invisibility, and Silence.” He is an eminent historian specializing in post-emancipation United States history with a focus on social and intellectual history, and is the author of several books, most recently The Cause of Freedom: A Concise History of African Americans. Dr. Holloway serves on several boards, including the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the Gates Cambridge Trust, and the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. He is a Fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations.

 

TUESDAY, JANUARY 31ST

Leadership Lunch: Planning an accessible and inclusive event (Event link)
Noon-1:00 pm, Usdan 110

Guest speakers Crystal Rose Hill-Farrell, Director of Student Academic Resources; Dean Laura Patey, Dean for Academic Advancement; and the Accessibility Interns (link) will be leading a conversation on how to plan accessible events. Being mindful of the physical space, delivery of content, advertising, etc., for your student group will help build upon a more inclusive community!
Co-sponsored by the WSA Community Committee (CoCo) and the Office for Student Involvement.
Lunch will be provided. Spots limited to the first 20 people, no more than 2 people per organization. RSVP in WesNest by Friday, January 27th.

 

Administrators & Faculty of Color Alliance (AFCA) meeting (Event link)
Noon-1:00 pm, Usdan 108

AFCA’s mission is to create a supportive environment for promoting personal and professional growth through experiences, events, and resources for administrators, faculty, and staff of color. AFCA is a community building organization that seeks to strengthen the relationship between its members, allies and other members of the Wesleyan community. While AFCA maintains a particular focus on the needs of administrators, faculty, and staff of color, all those who share in its mission and values are welcome to be part of AFCA and help uphold its mission.
Lunch will be provided

 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST

Inclusive Teaching Practices workshop (Event link)
12:15-1:15pm, Usdan 108

As we begin a new semester, those in teaching roles are invited to consider how to support our students and their learning in a way that acknowledges the variety of high school and home community contexts, honors neurodiversity, and helps everyone feel a part of the academic community in our classrooms, and at Wesleyan more broadly. Strategies discussed will apply to a range of teaching formats, from one-on-one meetings to larger group dynamics, from quantitative work to discussion-based classrooms. Anyone in teaching roles is welcome to join us for this ‘lunch & learn.’
Led by Laura Patey, Dean for Academic Advancement and April Ruiz, Dean for Academic Equity, Inclusion, & Success
Lunch will be provided

 

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2ND

BIPOC Connection (Event link)
Noon-1:00pm, The Resource Center

BIPOC Connection provides a bi-weekly safe space for students to reflect on racism, identity, and mental health while building connections through discussions and activities.
This week’s activity: Black History Month Bingo
Hosted by CAPS
Lunch will be provided

 

Queer+ Lunch (Event link)
Noon-1:30pm, Usdan 108

Inaugural gathering for the newly-formed queer, trans, non-binary, LGBTQAI+ faculty, staff, and librarian affinity group. We will share a meal, network, and discuss what on-going periodic gatherings are of interest to attendees.  Let’s build some fab-u-lous queer community! 
Hosted by Roger Grant and Mike Whaley; co-sponsored by Academic Affairs and Student Affairs
Lunch will be provided

 

Workshop: “From Statement to Practice” (Event link)
4:00-6:00pm, Usdan 108

Participants will have the opportunity to learn how to craft a DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging) statement that reflects their department’s or organization’s values and commitment towards creating an inclusive, equitable environment.  They will also discuss ways to implement and actualize statements, while also sharing current best practices and exchanging ideas for future communication and execution. 
Guest Facilitator: Teshia Levy-Grant ‘00, Senior Vice President, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Officer at Webster Bank
This event is open to all members of the Wesleyan Community.
Dinner will be provided; RSVP in WesNest by Wednesday, February 1st

 

Film screening: The Way He Looks (Event link)
8:00pm, Goldsmith Family Cinema
This film screening is FREE

Described by fans as “exquisite,” “charming,” and “refreshing,” The Way He Looks (2014, 1hr 35min) tells the story of Leonardo, a blind teenager searching for independence while navigating growing feelings for a classmate, Gabriel. This film from Brazil was met with international acclaim, winning over 20 awards in the year of its release, including many in the categories for LGBTQ cinema.
A descriptive audio track will be available for those who need it.
Presented in partnership with the Jeanine Basinger Center for Film Studies.

 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3RD

17th Annual MLK Commemoration (Event link)
12:15pm-1:15pm, Crowell Concert Hall
Reception to follow in Usdan 108

At the start of every Spring semester, and as a launch to Black History Month, we come together as a community to honor the civil rights legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  The 2023 MLK Commemoration keynote speaker will be Minneapolis City Council President, Andrea Jenkins.  Andrea Jenkins made history in 2017 as the first African American openly trans woman to be elected to office in the United States. In addition to serving as the Minneapolis City Council President in the wake of the 2020 protests of the murder of George Floyd, she is also a writer, performance artist, poet and transgender activist.

All Wesleyan and Middletown community members are welcome to this event!

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    Pathways to Inclusive Education (PIE)

    Our goal is to remove obstacles along the pathways to secondary and post-secondary education for students in grades 9 through 16, who come from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

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    Resource Center

    The center’s areas of focus include promoting dialogue and coalition building around the intersections of race, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, disability, gender, sexuality, sustainability, spirituality, and social and political activism. 

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    Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct

    The ultimate responsibility for maintaining an environment free of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation rests with all members of the University community.