2020 has been a difficult year for most of us, and even more so for our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities. With the passing of civil rights and social justice leaders John Lewis and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; the lack of depth, accountability and justice in the investigation of the killing of Breonna Taylor; the ongoing pandemic; the election, and much more, our community is hurting.
We see it in our Zoom meetings, we read it in our emails, and we hear it in the strained and exhausted voices of our colleagues and students. Words fall short of the comfort and care that so many of us inherently deserve, but we need to speak them anyway: You are not alone. We are here with you. The pain and exhaustion you feel is seen and validated. We will continue fighting, disrupting, dismantling, speaking out, advocating, and working towards a future that is anti-racist and equitable and allows each individual to live and love authentically, fully, and safely.
Please take care of yourselves. And if you have energy leftover, check in on friends, family, and colleagues. We can and will get through this, together.
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Mary Ontiveros is Retiring |
All good things must come to an end.
As you may have read last week in Source, our passionate leader and guiding light, Mary Ontiveros, is retiring from CSU after 45 years. Mary will be marking her final day on Dec. 31, 2020.
If you would like to contribute a note, photo (historical or current), or short video to wish Mary well as she enters this next chapter, please send an email with the subject line "Mary Tribute" to diversity@colostate.edu before November 25th.
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Monday, October 19
11:00am – 1:00pm
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Keynote: Dr. Melina Abdullah |
The 2020 Diversity Symposium Planning Committee is thrilled to announce our opening keynote speaker, Dr. Melina Abdullah. Dr. Abdullah is a recognized expert on race, gender, class, and social movements.
She is also Professor and former Chair of Pan-African Studies at California State University, Los Angeles. Dr. Abdullah earned her Ph.D. from the University of Southern California in Political Science and her B.A. from Howard University in African American Studies.
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In partnership with the Rams Read initiative, we are thrilled to announce a second keynote speaker, Claudia Rankine. Rankine is the author of six collections of poetry, including Just Us: An American Conversation, Don’t Let Me Be Lonely, and Citizen: An American Lyric, which is the focus of the Rams Read program.
Rankine teaches at Yale University as the Frederick Iseman Professor of Poetry. She lives in New Haven, Connecticut.
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Wednesday, October 21
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
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Schedule Overview
9:00 – 10:30am Sessions
11:00am – 1:00pm Keynote: Dr. Melina Abdullah
2:00 – 3:30pm Sessions
9:00 – 10:30am Sessions
12:00 – 1:30pm Sessions
2:00 – 3:30pm RBEI Townhall
9:00 – 10:30am Sessions
1:00 – 2:30pm Keynote: Claudia Rakine
2:30 – 4:00pm Sessions
4:00 – 6:30pm Career Center’s Diversity Connect
Education Strand Day!
9:00 – 10:30am Sessions
12:00 – 1:30pm Sessions
2:00 – 3:30pm Sessions
9:00 – 11:30am Sessions
12:00 – 1:30pm Sessions
2:00 – 3:30pm Sessions
*Links are CSU eID password protected
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Bias Reporting System Presentations
Offered by the Bias Assessment Team
The Bias Assessment Team is offering two opportunities to learn more about the Bias Reporting System, open to CSU faculty and staff*. Join virtually and hear about what happens when someone submits an incident of bias to the Bias Reporting website, how CSU tracks bias incidents, and how the Bias Assessment Team roots their work in education, assessment, and community support. Registration not required.
September 30, 2:00 - 3:00pm
- https://zoom.us/j/96797835224
OR
October 15, 10:30am - 12:00pm
- https://zoom.us/j/91554414739
*Additional learning opportunities directed towards students will be available soon
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Disability in the Workplace Sessions
Offered by the Student Disability Center and CSU Career Center
Navigating the workforce while having a disability can be difficult. This session will explore federal laws that protect and support people with disabilities, discuss how and when to disclose a disability to an employer, and offer resources for job searching and the application/hiring process.
Tuesday, October 6, 2:00 to 3:00pm
OR
Friday, October 9, 11:00am to 12:00pm
For questions or accommodation requests, contact Joe Tiner. Accommodation requests should be submitted at least 24 hours before hand.
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JOIN US THIS OCTOBER FOR OUR MONTH-LONG CELEBRATION OF: COMING INTO QUEERNESS
Some highlights for faculty/staff include:
- LGBTQ+ Documentaries hosted by ACT Film Festival
- Online Safe Zone Training | Thursday, October 8 from 9:00am – 12:30pm
- New Approaches to Understanding Trans* Student Experiences in Student Affairs | Thursday, October 8 from 12:00 – 1:00pm | Presented by Dr. Kari Dockendorff
- National Coming Out Day | Monday, October 12 from 11:00am – 2:00pm
- First Annual Borderlands Speaker: La Espiritista | Wednesday, October 14 at 6:00pm
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National LGBTQ+ Center Day | Monday, October 19, all day
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We’re looking for CSU alumni to share about their experiences as LGBTQ+ students as a way to celebrate our center’s history. Contact maggie.hendrickson@colostate.edu for more info.
- Let's Talk More About Pronouns & Trans Inclusion Workshop | Wednesday, October 21 at 4:00pm
Click the images below to learn more about each event
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Latinx Heritage Month Celebrations Continue
Offered by El Centro
Keynote Speaker: Johanna Toruno | Thursday October 8th 5:00pm-6:00pm MT
Johanna Toruño, a self-taught visual artist, based in New York City and now living in Washington D.C, uses the streets of NYC as her public art gallery and calling for unity on matters that affect folks of color, particularly women of color, to deliver powerful, poetic messages of community heritage and activism, while also making people around the states be confronted to messages of pride and rebellion. She Founded her series called, “The Unapologetic Street Series”, where she puts posters throughout various neighborhoods to bring attention to conditions that are dividing communities, in turn she hopes to build solidarity. With her work being displayed on Instagram platform, and with over 175k followers she states, “Instagram is a platform, but the streets are my mic.”
Meeting ID: 978 8856 5487
First Annual: Borderlands Speaker | Wednesday October 14 6:00pm-7:00pm MT
The Borderlands Speaker is an intentional collaboration between the Pride Resource Center, El Centro and Ram Events to honor the overlap of Latinx Heritage Month and LGBTQ+ History Month. The Borderlands Speaker seeks to honor the intersectional experiences, stories and contributions of the Queer Latinx community. Join us as we hear poetry from La Espiritista, a writer, performance artist, and healer based out of Seattle whose art is a manifestation of their exploration of queer spirituality.
Meeting ID: 982 5982 0425
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FALL 2020 VPD ZOOM OFFERINGS: |
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In order to directly address anti-racism at Colorado State University, the Office of the Vice President for Diversity announces a series of racial justice-focused sessions to be held throughout the fall 2020 semester.
Registration is required.
Sessions limited to 100 attendees.
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Join Dr. Cori Wong for a series of community discussions on a variety of topics surrounding equity, anti-racism work, and diversity at CSU. Topics and descriptions available at the link.
Registration is not required.
Sessions limited to 300 attendees.
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Introducing Feminist Frameworks Online Course
Introducing Feminist Frameworks is a two-course online badge program that provides a functional framework for advancing critical understandings of feminism, intersectionality, gender, and systems of oppression.
Courses are self-paced and contain 5-7 modules that typically consist of a reading, video lecture, and multiple choice quiz. Students may enroll in one of both courses and have 3 months per course to complete.
Full-time CSU employees may be eligible for a 50% discount on tuition, reducing the cost to $37.50 for an individual course, or $63.50 when registering for both.
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The Office of the Vice President for Diversity is celebrating 10 years!
2020 marks the 10th anniversary of the Vice President for Diversity office’s existence here at Colorado State University! While there is always more work to do, we plan to celebrate this important milestone together with our campus community in early 2021.
Thank you for supporting the work of the VPD!
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What We're Reading
We are reading a variety of books centering race and anti-racism, including: How to Be An AntiRacist, by Ibram X. Kendi; So You Want to Talk About Race, by Ijeoma Oluo; When They Call You A Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir, by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele; and The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander.
You can also find a variety of books on diversity, ethnicity, culture, feminism, LGBTQ+, privilege, and more at the CSU Bookstore.
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Office of the Vice President for Diversity
Colorado State University
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