Dear Bronco Family:

We can’t believe that it is already the start of August with the upcoming school year just around the corner. For some it is even closer, as the Law School begins on August 14th , followed by Jesuit School of Theology (JST) on September 5th and then the start of the Fall quarter.  A lot of planning and preparation is underway and we are excited about the upcoming year.

For the next few weeks, SCU will be hosting send-offs across the country to welcome new student members of our community. We also have many new staff and faculty that will be or have already arrived and are getting settled. We want to encourage you all to welcome and get to know the new members of our community. A series of different welcome back events will be scheduled in September and be on the lookout for email invites and more details in the September Inclusive Excellence newsletter.

In addition, our colleagues in Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions and in various departments will be starting a new enrollment and recruiting cycle for the class of 2028, as well as new faculty and staff. Prospective students, faculty, staff  and their families will be visiting and making decisions about their educational and career plans involving SCU. In light of recent events including the Supreme Court decisions, it is imperative that as current members of the SCU community, that we share our excitement about the value of an SCU education and the valuable contributions that these potential community members  can make.

If you know someone who is visiting SCU and have time, please stop by and say hello, tell them about the area, answer a question or two.  Let them know we are enthusiastic about them choosing SCU and that we will continue to build and make enhancements daily to make SCU a place where they can thrive.  If there are students, faculty or staff who are looking for a new opportunity or are trying to make decisions, make sure to encourage them to think about opportunities at Santa Clara and to direct them to the respective resources on the campus. All of us can play a valuable role in fostering a community of belonging.

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UNIT UPDATES

I. Inclusive Excellence Division

• This past Saturday, July 29th, in collaboration with Enrollment Management and Inclusive Excellence,  SCU hosted the Health, College & Career Summit. This was one of the events which is part of the American Talent Initiative and CA Private College is Possible initiative. Over 300 high school and community college students with their parents attended different sessions, networked with professionals in the field and learned more about various health career opportunities.

 II. LEAD Scholars

• This summer the LEAD Scholars Program partnered with the Healthcare Innovation and Design Program in the School of Engineering to offer summer internships and career exploration activities to eight rising first and second-year students interested in healthcare innovation. As part of this program, Vector Laboratories hosted a site visit campus led by Lisa Sellers, Vector CEO and LEAD Advisory Board member. 

• Congratulations to our 34 LEAD Scholars who received Koret Fellowship funding this year! LEAD Scholars can apply for stipends or other financial support to participate in unpaid internships, undergraduate research, conferences, independent creative or research projects or other learning opportunities. 
• In addition to supporting incoming students during registration in July, the LEAD staff offered virtual information sessions to introduce them to the program, as well as one session on health insurance.
• This summer, the LEAD Scholars Program held staff retreats to engage in strategic and programmatic planning for the coming year, including one retreat held at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose.

III.  Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX

• The Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX is responsible for oversight of reports made to the university when incidents involve harassment and discrimination in all forms including gender and sexual based harassment, discrimination and sexual misconduct. You can file a Request for Support & Assistance form for yourself or someone you know online. As a reminder, if you are a staff or faculty member and learn of an incident alleging this type of concern, you are required by law to report it to the university. 
• Regardless of your decision to pursue a formal complaint and investigation with the University, you are entitled to and given access to supportive measures and support resources. We are happy to discuss any and all options and possibilities for your individual case and needs. You can also reach out to Title IX Coordinator Aaron Zisser directly at azisser@scu.edu further consultation and support. You can also stop by our office at 140 Loyola Hall or call 551-3043.
• Additional Support Services: We understand that sometimes it feels more comfortable to speak with a Confidential Resource. On our campus that includes members of the CAPS team (including Counselors In Residence) and members of the Wellness Center including VPEs and PHEs. If you are curious about Survivor Advocacy and Support, please connect with the Wellness Center. 
• Expanding EO/Title IX Team: Our office continues to grow, which means we can be more responsive and supportive. Alayna Brauer joined the team on August 1st as an EO/Title IX Investigator. Alayna has worked as an immigrant rights attorney, an assistant district attorney, and an investigator with a Title IX office at another university. We are thrilled to welcome her. We are continuing to hire for the remaining investigator position and the Associate Director/Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Outreach and Supports.

IV.  Office for Accessible Education (OAE)

• The OAE is enjoying summer but is still hard at work building our department up to better serve the SCU community. In doing so, this has meant hiring more individuals to take on testing, documentation review and intakes. We would like to introduce Cole and Amy, the newest Accommodation Coordinators! The OAE can't wait to see what the future holds for our new team members.
• Cole Habeck is a University of San Francisco graduate, where he earned a Bachelor’s in Critical Diversity Studies. Prior to coming to SCU, Cole worked as an Anthropology teacher assistant and a researcher, conducting research on educational disparities, ableism, student disability services, and accessibility. As a first-generation, disabled, hard-of-hearing individual, passionate about educational equity, advocacy, and disability justice, Cole is delighted to join the Office of Accessible Education (OAE). In his free time, Cole enjoys drinking large amounts of coffee, gardening, writing, hiking, and relaxing with his three-legged cat.
• Amy Yasukawa was born and raised in the Bay Area (Sunnyvale to be exact), and received her bachelor’s degree from Seattle University. After college, she moved back to the Bay and has been here ever since. Amy is thrilled to be working at SCU in the OAE department! Her hobbies include volunteering with Guide Dogs for the Blind, trying new restaurants, dabbling in arts and crafts, watching musicals, and shopping. Amy is extremely excited about being a part of the SCU community!

V. Office for Diversity and Inclusion (ODI)

• Postings for Tenure Track positions for the 2024-2025 academic year are becoming available. We encourage colleagues to review the postings and to share with interested colleagues throughout your networks. Latest postings can be found:  https://www.scu.edu/hr/careers/
• SpeakOut Institute – we had nearly 30 faculty and staff participate in the 4-day virtual institute sponsored by the SpeakOut Institute. This was the fourth straight year that we have been able to provide this opportunity for faculty and staff.

VI. Office for Multicultural Learning (OML)

• Santa Clara University community members and Rainbow Resource Center (RRC) will be marching in the Silicon Valley Pride Parade! The theme of this year's parade is "Live Out Proud" and will be held on Sunday, August 27th from 10:30am - 12pm in Downtown San Jose.
• We welcome you to sign up and join us in the parade to help represent Santa Clara University and to support our LGBTQ+ community. We also encourage you to wear colorful attire to the parade and show off your Pride best.

VII. University Ombuds

• The Office of the Ombuds continues into the summer and beyond to provide informal, impartial, and confidentially to assist faculty and staff  with conflict, and communication concerns with colleagues and/ or the organization. The Ombuds provides a space for visitors to share concerns, identify and clarify issues, and to explore options toward building a climate of equity, dignity, and respect. Whether for individual concerns or group concerns, all consultation with the Ombuds is confidential. Want to learn more? Schedule your consultation. Contact the Office of the Ombuds at ombuds@scu.edu; 408-551-3542.

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CAMPUS PARTNERS/SPOTLIGHT

Isabella 'Amne Gomez (Muwekma Ohlone, SCU '27) worked with Amy Lueck (Associate Professor, English) to plan a summer cultural campout to engage other Muwekma Ohlone youth (ages 11-20) with cultural practices and opportunities to reflect and build community on their ancestral homelands, where the university now stands. Camp programming--such as making abalone jewelry and pine needle medallions, visits to the de Saisset and Imaginarium to view projects related to Ohlone history, engagement with the Mission Registers held in the Archives, a fire ceremony, and more--were intended to help youth recognize Native identity and cultural practices as personal and academic resources, to build community, and to sustain the vibrancy of cultural practices for the future. 

The camp was held from July 12-15, 2023 on Santa Clara University campus. Participants and chaperones, who came from across the Bay Area and as far away as Kansas, stayed on site in Dunne for the duration of the camp. 

 

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DEI RESOURCES FROM THE LIBRARY

The Library is Exploring New Horizons with a book display at our Library Help Desk. This theme highlights library resources about travel, exploration, and adventure around the world or through different cultures or self-exploration and exploring identity. We invite our campus community to explore our library resources. 

eBook Recommendations: 

Exploring Turkish cultures Description: This groundbreaking series of essays offers new insights into Turkish cultures both past and present. Moving beyond the traditional binaries of east/west, Islam/ secularism, or Europe/Asia, the book contains a variety of perspectives on contemporary Turkey, from actors, directors, critics and other major cultural figures.

Me, myself, and us : the science of personality and the art of well-being 

Description: In Me, Myself, and Us, Brian Little, one of the psychologists who helped reshape the field, provides the first in-depth exploration of the new personality science and its provocative findings for general readers. The book explores questions that are rooted in the origins of human consciousness but are as commonplace as yesterday's breakfast conversation.

The art of the travel journal : chronicle your life with drawing, painting, lettering, and mixed media

Description: "The Art of the Travel Journal offers all the techniques, ideas, inspiration, and step-by-step instructions needed to create artful, one-of-a-kind journals filled with drawings, ephemera, lettering, and more that document our lives traveling around the world--or around the corner"-- Provided by publisher.

Streaming Media Recommendations: 

Alaskan Adventure

Description: Travel with Joel Greene and the Curiosity Quest crew to Alaska for this adventure. Watch as Joel learns about a massive glacier, gets up close to a real black bear, and spots humpback and killer whales off the shore.

The Raw and the Cooked: Culinary Traditions in Taiwan

Taiwan is known around the world as having one of the most diverse cuisines in Asia, and food is the foremost passion of its 23 million inhabitants. The Raw and the Cooked is a sumptuous exploration of the island’s rich culinary traditions, and their relationship to Taiwan's unique mix of cultures. The film begins in Taipei, circles the island, and then heads inland.

Colombia Wild & Free: Two Rivers: Episode 1

Visit Eastern Colombia, a region defined by two powerful rivers: the Orinoco and the Amazon. The Amazon River flows through lush, dense rainforests, while the Orinoco carves its way across a landscape consisting of grassy plains, lakes and floodplain forests. See jaguars, capybaras, anacondas, anteaters and pygmy marmosets, the world’s smallest monkeys.

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CAMPUS DIVERSITY CALENDAR

The Inclusive Excellence Division is committed to expanding awareness of the different diversity-related programming taking place on-campus. For those that use the Live-Whale Calendar, you can use the “diversity” tag to ensure that events will appear on the Diversity calendar that will soon be added to the Inclusive Excellence website.  You can also send your program information to inclusiveexcellence@scu.edu