If you missed our 2020 Holiday Observance, no worries! Click the video below to be inspired by student essays and our keynote speaker, Dr. Marc Lamont Hill.
#TransformingLives
All posts by krl8b4
Black Futurity Reading Group’s October Event
Dear UMSL Faculty, Staff, and Students,
The Black Futurity Group invites you to join us in a virtual discussion of an excerpt from Brittney Cooper’s Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers 
Her Superpower.
When: Thursday, October 29th at 1 pm
Where: Via Zoom, passcode: 000498
Reading: “Orchestrated Fury”
For questions, contact Kara Moskowitz (moskowitzk@umsl.edu), Lauren Obermark (ObermarkL@umsl.edu), or Kimberly Welch (kwelch@umsl.edu).
Diversity Alliance Interview Series with Dr. Dana Klar
To celebrate Indigenous People’ Day, we kicked off our Diversity Alliance Interview series by interviewing a member of the United Houma Nation, Dr. Dana Klar, Assistant Teaching Professor in Child Advocacy Studies.
Dr. Klar talks about how her work has shifted during a double pandemic, explains the importance of anti-racism training, explores her experience as a Member of the United Houma Nation of southeast Louisiana and how she incorporates her connection with Indigenous People’ into service learning for students in her Cultural Advocacy class. You won’t want to miss this conversation!
#UMSLProud #Diversity #TransformingLives
Out at Work – LGBTQ Panel Discussion
Join the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Gender Studies and the Office of Student Involvement as we present Out at Work, a panel discussion on workplace experiences from members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Please also check out the following resources:
Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index-www.hrc.org/resources
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
This is a friendly reminder from the Title IX and Equity team that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. While many of us continue to work and study from home, it is important to remember and assist those who remain in unsafe situations at home. All campus employees, who do not have the expectation of confidentiality, are mandated reporters per 600.020 of the Collected Rules and Regulations.
Click here to download the Title IX and Equity brochure with campus and 
community resources
For anyone needing domestic violence resources (for themselves or others), please feel to reach out to the Title IX and Equity Office within the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Dana and Jessica are both happy to assist in any way they can.
ODEI Allies are Awarded for Inclusive Excellence
ODEI is proud to celebrate three campus leaders who were awarded for excellence in their endeavors to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion on UMSL’s campus and beyond. These leaders are critical partners to our office and our collective efforts to work towards inclusive excellence. Learn more about their amazing work below.
Dr. Marie Mora – Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Dr. Mora was honored for her efforts along with 11 other recipients of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics a
nd Engineering Mentoring. “It’s a tremendous honor – and a humbling one – to be recognized along with these other inspiring mentors,” Mora said. “This recognition also confirms my fundamental belief in how one person can make a difference to improve lives, especially when we reach positions to be able to help others achieve the goals they set for themselves. I have devoted a significant part of my career to increase diversity, access and inclusion in the economics profession, in other STEM fields, and in higher education more broadly.”
Dr. Natissia Small – Assistant Provost for Access and Academic Support
Dr. Natissia Small will serve as the principal investigator for the new $1.3 million TRIO Student Support Services grant intended for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds – low-income individuals, first-generation college 
students and individuals with disabilities – as they progress from middle school through to post-baccalaureate programs. Its objective is to increase, by at least 5 percent, the rates at which students persist from one academic year to the next, remain in good academic standing and ultimately earn their degrees. ““We are excited to receive the SSS grant award as it will provide us the opportunity to further meet a unique group of transfer student populations to be served,” Small said. “The TRIO SSS funding allows us to further expand our efforts in meeting academic and non-academic needs of students to overcome barriers that impede degree completion.”
Dr. Jerome Morris – E. Desmond Lee Endowed Professor of Urban Education
Dr. Morris was named the recipient of the Lyle M. Spencer Research Award. Morris has studied the impact of school reforms, as well as the links between 
race, social class and the geography of educational opportunities and Black communities in the South for more than 20 years. He will use the $1 million prize to investigate his theory of communally bonded schooling in three local school districts. “What I’m hoping from this work is that from studying these communities, we will have a better sense of those factors that are conducive to inform this communally bonded model,” Morris said. “Some of the work I’ve done was based on elementary schools. Now, I’m incorporating middle and high schools into that theoretical research. We will have a better sense of what communally bonded schools look like.”
Congratulations for these well-deserved accolades and many thanks for all that you do to support diversity, equity, and inclusion at UMSL!
The Black Futurity Reading Group Invites You to Join us in a Virtual Discussion
Dear UMSL Faculty, Staff, and Students,
The Black Futurity Reading Group invites you to join us in a virtual discussion of microaggressions and black life through excerpts from Claudia Rankine’s Citizen: An American Lyric.
When: Wednesday, September 30th at 1 pm
Where: Via Zoom, passcode: 805948
Reading: Citizen: An American Lyric, excerpts
Additional note: There are several Situation videos that correspond to section vi of Citizen. We will discussion Situation Video 1. For questions, contact Kimberly Welch (kwelch@umsl.edu).
Inclusive Teaching Tips
While online teaching and learning can be challenging for faculty and students alike, research has shown that students from underrepresented groups often face additional challenges. By implementing inclusive teaching practices, faculty can create classroom and online learning environments where ALL student feel like they belong and can learn at high levels. To this end, UMSL’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Center for Teaching and Learning have teamed up to provide you with some inclusive teaching practices and resources. Your continued efforts and thoughtfulness towards helping transform our students’ lives are so very appreciated by all! Thank you!
We also invite you to listen to this episode of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast about fostering inclusion featuring our very own Dr. Marlo Goldstein Hode!
Race-Based Stress and Trauma Group at CPS
In the wake of recent events and related resistance movements, there is increasing awareness of the experience of stress and anxiety related to racial identity. This telehealth (online or phone) group intervention seeks to target race-based stress and trauma through open discussions supplemented by cognitive-behavioral practices.
Specific session topics include discussions and exercises tackling the experience of interpersonal and systemic racism, race-based stressors and their impacts on mental health, and empowerment related to racial identity.
Sessions will be led by doctoral graduate students in the UMSL Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology under the direct supervision of licensed psychologist faculty members.
For more information click here .
Virtual Gathering for Racial Unity Recap
On June 18th, the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion hosted the Virtual Gathering for Racial Unity, an opportunity for individuals to come together, process and share through a panel discussion with questions derived from the campus community. What was evident is that current events are painful reminders of racial oppression that has plagued the nation since its inception.
Nationwide protests have become calls for action, for systemic changes to dismantle racism. We know that there is more to do. While we’ve long understood the need to enhance diversity and inclusion, we now must hold ourselves accountable to making the necessary changes for truly fostering an inclusive environment. We must be committed to recognizing that the worth of all individuals is at the core of inclusion. It also means that we cannot truly be inclusive while students, faculty, and staff of color are marginalized in our institutions.
The virtual gathering prompted reflection about how UMSL should rise the challenges we now face. The gathering, the first of more to come, highlighted the need for action, the need to commit to meaningful, systemic changes. The depth of questions and comments made it clear that UMSL community is ready for the change.
As a community, we have to move towards a deeper understanding of diversity, of equity, of inclusion and to foster an environment that values the diverse perspectives that makes UMSL who we are. As we continue the conversations, it is imperative to recognize the collective efforts that are already taking place, as well as acknowledge the work that needs to be done here at UMSL and collectively commit to taking action.
In my new role as Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, I look forward to working with the campus community to take this collective action. In the coming weeks, I will share my ideas and plans, as well as information regarding our next virtual gathering.
Sincerely,
Tanisha Stevens
Dr. Tanisha Stevens