Dear SCU Community:

First, we wish our students all the best as you prepare for finals, and special congratulations for those completing their degree requirements. We know that this is a busy and eventful time both on and off-campus not only for our students but for our faculty and staff, as we’ve all had to navigate a lot of change this term. 

With the holiday season (for some) upon us, it is an important reminder about the value of community and those things that bring us together.  While the holidays are supposed to be celebratory, we know that this year, they will feel different for many. We hope the holiday season provides a moment to pause and remember all of our loved ones that passed away during this year- those we knew personally and those who we only know by their name or their story. We hope this upcoming break will provide an opportunity for you to rest, relax, heal and restore.

We are excited for what 2023 will bring and look forward to our collective efforts in helping to transform our SCU community.

JEDI Strategic Plan Update

In January 2023, we will be unveiling a website that will be highlighting the different implementation plan efforts of the JEDI strategic plan. You will be able to access the efforts by School/College, Centers of Distinction, and VP area. On Monday, December 5th, we will be recognzing the Inclusive Excellence liaisons for their efforts as they continue to represent their respective areas. These Inclusive Excellence liaisons will continue to serve as part of the Inclusive Excellence Advisory Council.

UNIT UPDATES

I. Inclusive Excellence Division

• A special thank you to everyone that joined us on Wednesday, November 9th for the Celebration of SCU JEDI efforts and First Gen Broncos.

II. LEAD Scholars

• The LEAD Scholars Program hosted a Thanksgiving meal just before the break for LEAD Scholars who were staying on campus, and a grocery shopping trip for those who needed some help buying food for the break.
• We will host a LEAD Check-In and a Holiday party for our students as ways to connect and celebrate as a community before the winter break. 
• Celebrate the LEAD Scholars Program’s 20th Anniversary throughout 2023! Look out for more information early next year. We hope you can join us.

III. Office for Accessible Education (OAE)

• We are almost at finals!! The OAE office would like to remind all of a few items in regards to finals and our office. 
• The OAE office hours will be 8am-6pm starting December 5th through December 16th. 
• There will be no tutoring in Benson 1 until after winter break.
• OAE students must schedule exams through the OAE Portal or call at least 7 days in advance before your test. The sooner the better to make sure that we have room in our testing space. 
• If the OAE office does NOT receive testing materials before the exam date, then we may not be able to administer the test. 
• Masks are required at all times while in OAE testing spaces. 
• The OAE office will be closed between December 23rd and January 1st, 2023 and will reopen on January 2nd, 2023.

IV. Office for Diversity and Inclusion (ODI)

• Please continue to give to support the Ohlone and Muwekma Ohlone Student Scholarship. The scholarship was officially endowed and announced on Indigenous People’s Day. We need your contributions to help further expand the scholarship.
• Department/Unit Climate Studies - since 2020, ODI has helped different academic and non-academic units conduct and implement a departmental climate study. If your department/area is interested in such a study in Winter/Spring 2023, please reach out to rplaza@scu.edu. 
• Tenure Track positions for the 2023-2024 academic year continue to remain open. Please share information about these exciting opportunities with your colleagues and peers at other institutions. To learn more, please visit: https://www.scu.edu/hr/careers   
• The 3rd SCU PowWow is scheduled for Saturday, May 6, 2023. Stay tuned for future emails to learn about ways to get involved on the planning committee.

V. Office for Multicultural Learning (OML)

• Check out the latest episode of our podcast, word on the street! In this episode, OML Student Inclusion Educators Isa (she/her) and Grace (she/her) are joined by Dr. Sharmila Lodhia (she/her), Associate Professor and Department Chair of Women's and Gender Studies here at SCU to discuss the importance of language, specifically the words we use to talk about ourselves. You can listen to the episode on Spotify or YouTube.
• OML will be celebrating Kwanzaa (December 26th-January 1st) and Hanukkah (December 18th-December 26th) with social media posts, honoring the history of both holidays and the communities that celebrate them.  We have a curated holiday playlist on our Spotify account that features songs for Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa called It's the Holiday Season! Stay tuned to our Facebook (@SCU-Office for Multicultural Learning) and Instagram (@scuoml) for more!

VI. Office of Title IX and Equal Opportunity

• Welcome to Aaron Zisser, who officially started on December 1st as the new Director in the Office for Equal Opportunity and Title IX.
• We want to thank Jenna Elliott for her efforts over the past year and half in serving as the Interim Director during this period of transition.

VII. Office of the University Ombuds

• Dialogue is more than just a conversation. Dialogue is about recognizing the shared creative space between people. This space is shaped and formed in the ways we interact. More than simply expressing oneself. Dialogue is also an explicit openness to the other, and a continuous effort to walk the narrow ridge between the two. Would you like to explore dialogue and the ways you could benefit from introducing dialogic processes to address interpersonal and group challenges? Contact the Ombuds at ombuds@scu.edu or call 408-551-3542 for a fully confidential consultation to explore issues, goals, and options.

READING SPOTLIGHT

Viral Justice by Ruha Benjamin

Recently at the Associate for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) conference that was held in Las Vegas, the book Viral Justice by Ruha Justice was spotlighted. Here is a brief description: Long before the pandemic, Ruha Benjamin was doing groundbreaking research on race, technology, and justice, focusing on big, structural changes. But the twin plagues of COVID-19 and anti-Black police violence inspired her to rethink the importance of small, individual actions. Part memoir, part manifesto, Viral Justice is a sweeping and deeply personal exploration of how we can transform society through the choices we make every day. 

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.

WISHING THE SCU COMMUNITY A RESTFUL BREAK, HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND NEW YEAR!

The Inclusive Excellence Team at their Fall Retreat held on November 7, 2022