Dear SCU Community:

As we start this month of November, we pause to reflect on this powerful quote by Rev Desmond Tutu, “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness”.

It has been a devastating and heart-rending time for many within our community, as local and global events have hit close to home. It is during these times, that we must show compassion to each other and stand up to all forms of hatred and discrimination. As we approach the Day of the Dead and All Saints Day, we honor not only our own loved ones, we also remember those lives lost to terrorism, war, gun violence, illness and disease.  

El Camino de Los Muertos

Join us this Saturday, November 4^th from 5 – 9pm for the El Camino de los Muertos event in collaboration with Bay Area’s Univision, the Mexican Consulate of San Jose and Santa Clara University. Walk along our campus from the Mission Church to the Jesuit Residence and check out various altars from SCU and community organizations in the San Jose/Santa Clara area. Along with the altars on display, there will also be performances by SCU’s Ballet Folklórico group and mariachis, food, music, arts & crafts and more!

Native American Heritage Month

This month of November is also Native American Heritage Month and provides an opportunity for the SCU Community to reflect on the meaning of the land and our collective engagement with indigenous communities. A formal calendar of events is being finalized (more details below under ODI) and will build upon the successful efforts from the Indigenous People’s Day events.  

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UNIT UPDATES

I. Inclusive Excellence Division

• Inclusive Excellence is pleased to welcome Mohammed (Mo) Lotif as the new Assistant Vice President. Mo will be starting his new role on November 6h, as he joins SCU after working at the University of Denver.
• Shá Duncan Smith, Vice President for Inclusive Excellence will be holding Office hours on Tuesdays from 2- 3PM, 2nd Floor in the Walsh Administration Building. Please sign up for a 15-minute slot by using the following link:  https://calendar.app.google/cq8ffHgbfoeRfn916
• Currently in the process of recruiting for the Inclusive Excellence Student Advisory Councils for both undergraduate and graduate students. We will be seeking interested students from all class years who would be interested in getting more involved in planning such events as the Quarterly Diversity Forums and more.  If you are interested, please apply by November 15^th.
• If you submitted a request for the special “Los Broncos” shirts, the order has been placed. We will follow-up once the shirts arrive to arrange pick-up.

II. LEAD Scholars

• We hope you’ll join us for the National First-generation College Celebration events at SCU. Each year our nation celebrates first-generation college students on November 8, the anniversary of the signing of the Higher Education Act. Register today for our signature events!
  • FLI Forward: Breaking Barriers in Education 
    • • Tuesday, Nov. 7 I 2-7 PM
      • Sobrato Campus for Design and Innovation (SCDI)
    • Join us for the inaugural FLI Forward: Breaking Barriers in Education Conference to celebrate and support college and high school students who are first-generation college students and/or from limited-income backgrounds. Sessions are available for SCU, community college and high school students, and SCU faculty and staff who support them. The event will close with a mixer and resource fair. To learn more and register by Thursday, Nov. 2, go to the FLI Forward website.
  • #FirstGenAtSCU: A Fireside Chat with President Sullivan
    • • Thursday, November 9 I St. Clare Room, Library
      • 5:30 Reception & 7:00 Conversation
      • RSVP here by Nov. 7th
    • Join us for a conversation with President Julie Sullivan and LEAD Scholars moderated by SCU first-gen alum, Guisselle Nuñez, class of ‘97. This discussion will explore the triumphs and challenges of the first-generation college experience and how Santa Clara University can continue to foster first-gen success. 

• Erin Kimura-Walsh, Director of LEAD, recently published an essay in Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education, entitled: Showing Up for First-generation College Students: Then and Now.
• The LEAD Scholars Program hosted our final LEAD 20th Anniversary Celebration during SCU Grand Reunion. It was a pleasure to reconnect with alumni and friends of the program. 

• This month, LEAD hosted a range of events for students including a visit to the Kehinde Whiley exhibit at the De Young Museum in San Francisco, coffee chat with ServiceNow, site visit at KPMG, and Halloween party. New first-year and transfer students also met with Dr. Francisco Jimenez, Professor Emeritus of Spanish and author, after reading his book, Reaching Out, for their LEAD Seminar class. 

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.

IV. Office for Accessible Education (OAE)

• The OAE would like to sincerely thank Dave Machado, Brian Bettencourt, and the whole Grounds/Landscape team for their amazing collaboration on a recent accessibility effort. The OAE was notified that an accommodated student was having a disability-related reaction to lavender, a plant which often compliments SCU's walkways. Facilities Operations was contacted about this concern for the student and immediately rectified the situation by removing the lavender from an approved and safe path for the student. This was timely and a tremendous help for the student who can now safely navigate their campus experience. OAE greatly appreciates their partnership in creating a more inclusive and accessible community.

V. Office for Diversity and Inclusion (ODI)

• A special thank you to everyone that helped to plan, attended and participated with the Hispanic/Latino/a/x Heritage Month, Indigenous People's Day, Disability Awareness month and Migration week. It was a busy month of October!
• Veterans Day 2023: In partnership with The Student Veterans of America (SVA) Chapter at SCU along with Associated Student Government, a formal set of Veterans Day activities will be taking place on Friday, November 10^th. All are welcome to attend.
  • • Wreath-laying ceremony at 10:30am outside of the Mission Church
    • Community Luncheon and speakers from 11:30am – 1:00pm in Locatelli

• Native American Heritage Month 2023: The calendar of events is being finalized but will include two opportunities to experience the Augmented Reality (AR) tour, participation in a community service drive by the Native American Coalition for Change, a screening of Time Has Many Voices about the Muwekma Ohlone and a special behind the scenes tour of the California History displays in the de Saisset Museum.
• As part of the month, we are encouraging contributions to the Ohlone and Muwekma Ohlone Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship was unveiled in Fall 2022 and the first recipient started this Fall 2023. Help us continue to expand and grow this scholarship. Every dollar helps to make a huge difference.
• We are seeking interested members of the SCU community to be involved in the respective Heritage Month planning committees. The most immediate need will be those interested in working with the Black History Month committee. If interested, please respond via this form. 
• A number of Tenure Track positions for the 2024-2025 academic year have been posted. Please share information about these exciting openings with your colleagues and peers at other institutions. To learn more, please visit: https://www.scu.edu/hr/careers/ 
• Thank you to our colleagues from the Alumni Association for their support and collaboration with the Grand Reunion celebrations for the different affinity alumni gatherings.

VI. Office for Multicultural Learning (OML)

• We are extremely lucky, grateful and excited to announce Casey Robertson (she/her/hers) as our new Office Manager! Casey most recently served as Office Manager for the Department of Political Science, where she was an active and pivotal contributor. She received a B.S. in business administration with a concentration in accounting from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Prior to joining SCU, Casey worked in the financial services industry where she developed a keen interest in personal finance. She and her husband, Steve Robertson '90, are passionate about serving underserved youth in the community, including first-generation college students at SCU and other institutions.
• OML/RRC is launching Bi-Weekly Digest, a SCU newsletter for staff and faculty. This newsletter will highlight SCU events and resources that center, celebrate and amplify campus climate, culture and identity. As an office that serves faculty, staff and students, our intention for this faculty/staff specific newsletter is three-fold: offer space to celebrate and explore your identities, provide content that will aid in how you support students and finally, bridge the gap between the student and faculty/staff lived experience.

OML UPCOMING EVENTS

VII. Office of the Ombuds

• Avoidance, for many, is the way out of and through conflict. This may work in some cases, but not with ongoing relationships. Avoidance of difficult conversations can create the impression that the avoidant party doesn’t care, is oblivious, or dishonest. Far from avoiding conflict, avoidance sets the stage for crisis. Conflict, when managed well, is an opportunity to grow; welcome the opportunities when they arise.
• The University Ombuds works informally, impartially, and confidentially to assist faculty and staff with conflict, and communication issues with colleagues and/ or the organization. The Ombuds offers consultation, coaching, and facilitation to enhance communication and get the most out of conflict. If you would like to consult confidentially with the Ombuds, Contact the Office of the Ombuds at ombuds@scu.edu; 408-551-3542.

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DEI RESOURCES FROM THE LIBRARY

The Library is celebrating Native American Heritage Month with a book display at our Library Help Desk. Feel free to stop by and browse the items we have available to learn more about the contributions of Native Americans. 

Remember to Ask a Librarian for Additional Resources!  

eBook Recommendations: 

Native America : a history

Description: "I hope to provide students interested in the Native American past with an understanding of how the varied parts of the story fit into a larger whole. My goal is to tell a story of native peoples, to advance an argument. To that end, I focus upon twelve native communities whose histories encapsulate what I see as the principal themes and developments in Native American history"-- Provided by publisher.

We are not a vanishing people: the Society of American Indians, 1911-1923

Description: In 1911, a group of Native American intellectuals and activists joined together to establish the Society of American Indians (SAI), an organization by Indians for Indians. It was the first such nationwide organization dedicated to reform. They used a strategy of protest and activism that carried into the rest of the twentieth century. 

Wilma Mankiller: a life in American history Description: An excellent resource for students of Native American women's history, Wilma Mankiller provides an overview of contemporary federal Indian policy and explores how Mankiller negotiated the relationship between the Cherokee Nation and the United States in the late 20th century. Wilma Mankiller's work for the Cherokee Nation helped to create a flourishing economy, an increased sense of pride, and a renewed sense of community for the residents of the nation over the twenty years that followed. Streaming Media Recommendations:  What Was Ours Description: An Eastern Shoshone elder and two Northern Arapaho youth living on the Wind River Indian Reservation attempt to learn why thousands of ancestral artifacts are in the darkness of underground archives of museums and churches, boxed away and forgotten. Like millions of indigenous people in many parts of the world, they do not control their own material culture. It is being preserved, locked away, by ‘outsiders’ who themselves do not know what they have. These beautiful ancestral objects — drums, pipes, eagle wing fans, medicine bags, weapons, and ceremonial attire — are far from home, their meaning slowly being lost to time. Should tribes attempt to bring them back? Many want to, including our three main characters. But why do they want them back? What answers do they seek from these artifacts? How can they take control of their own past? Is recovering what’s lost even possible anymore? Night Chants: Native American Flute Description: Pure, haunting American Indian flute music (solo or with occasional percussion) that touches the soul. Music played on a variety of Dakota, Hopi, Navajo… flutes, expressing joy, sorrow, love and belief. The legacy of ancient traditions of sacred and secular music, that have been passed down through generations of families and communities. (Album cover and article)

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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 on the Inclusive Excellence website.  You can also send your program information to inclusiveexcellence@scu.edu