Pictured above is a CREATE conversation with the inagural vice provost of dei, dr. sibby anderson-thompkins and sewanee's first black rhodes scholar, klarke stricklen, c'22.
MISSION
C.R.E.A.T.E at Sewanee stands for Conversation-Rich Education for Anti-racist Teaching and learning Environments. C.R.E.A.T.E at Sewanee seeks to model how to have challenging conversations about race, acknowledging that we cannot confront racism unless we can talk about it.
Current goals of creatE as of 2024
The C.R.E.A.T.E at Sewanee Initiative has pivoted to focuses on engaging in conversations around anti-racism with individuals who come from outside of the Sewanee gates. The pivot of the initiative allows for the Sewanee campus and community to see how to model anti-racist conversations and/or have a safe place to ask questions regarding anti-racism. Speakers are invited to come Sewanee and engage in an interview-style conversation in front of an audience (as pictured above) with a hand-selected Sewanee interviewer. Audience sizes can range from 30 to 100 or more attendees.
The C.R.E.A.T.E at Sewanee Initiative falls under the Division of DEI and lives in the Office of Equity and Equal Opportunity. To contact a member of the CREATE Team, please email deicreate@sewanee.edu.
ORIGINAL CREATE TEAM MEMBERS who helped to form the initiative, prior to 2024
- Betsy Sandlin, Interim Dean of the College
- Cassie Meyer, Assistant Dean for Student Equity and Career Readiness
- Chris Champion, Director, Human Resource Administration
- Faith Vaughn, Assistant Director of Admission
- Jeffrey Guerra, C'24, Student Program Assistant
- Jessica Welch, Director, Human Resource Development
- Liesl Allingham, Chair, Department of German and German Studies
- Matt Brown, Director of ADA
- Sylvia Gray, Senior Director of Equity, Equal Opportunity, & Title IX
- Tanya Ingvoldstad, Sewanee Dining
HOST & SPEAKER DOCUMENTS, logistics, and Expectations
- CREATE typically requests that the speaker provide a minimum of two-days of their time for CREATE events. The speaker should utilize the Virtual Sewanee Campus Map for their visit. If the speaker requires ADA Accommodations, please email the host directly and copy ADA@sewanee. edu. The host is expected to cover their cost of lodging and travel. Meals will be covered by the CREATE Host in accordance with the CREATE itinerary (i.e. once the speaker arrives in Sewanee). Meals are covered during the time that speaker is scheduled to be in Sewanee for events specifically related to CREATE (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner). The speaker will be provided a check of an agreed upon amount that will be placed in hand to the speaker at the conclusion of the speaker's final CREATE event.
- CREATE events typically include:
- DAY 1: Arrival around Lunch (12p or 1p CST) to meet the host and go over the itinerary. The rest of the day is dedicated to the speaker so that they can relax and prepare for Day 2. Dinner is also provided to the speaker according to the itinerary.
- DAY 2: Breakfast is provided to the speaker around 9:30 am CST. The speaker takes an optional guided tour of the campus from 10:30 am to 11:30 am. A break from 11:30 am to noon. Lunch is provided at noon with invited guests. The lunch allows guests an opportunity to meet the speaker and ask questions related to their background, work, journey, and the upcoming CREATE topic. Some guests may not be able to attend the speaker's CREATE session, so they are often invited to have time with the speaker in an informal setting. The speaker is allowed time to rest prior to their session. The speaker session is typically at 5 pm CST. The CREATE session is typically during the hour of 5 pm - 6 pm CST. The breakdown of the conversation is one full hour with about 35-40 minutes of conversation via an interview and the remaining time for questions and conversation with the audience. Dinner is typically provided to the speaker at 6:30 pm, CST. Select guests are also invited to have a meal with the speaker. The dinner guests are typically the sponsors, partners, and/or volunteers who assisted in organizing the CREATE session of the speaker.
- CREATE events typically include:
- If the speaker requires ADA Accommodations, please email the host directly and copy ADA@sewanee. edu.
- The CREATE host will be asked to complete a Form 19 found on this website. Please provide the proper legal name for the speaker. Combine this form with the W-9 form that must be completed by the speaker.
- The speaker will be asked to provide the host with:
- a headshot for promotional purposes
- a bio (250 words or less) in a word document or email
- A link to your work (books, articles, etc.) that is based on the topic you will discuss (this is so that items can be purchased up to a certain amount, printed, or electronically provided to the audience). This can also be a link to work that is not your own, but that is recommended reading or viewing related to the topic.
- Although not expected, whether you will need any audio-visual equipment (projector and screen). Some speakers have items they wish to show or play during their conversation
- Any food allergies
- Any ADA accommodations (please copy ADA@sewanee.edu when emailing the host)
- The Title of your topic (an example of a prior Sewanee promotion can be seen [HERE]).
- The speaker will be asked to complete the following [W-9] form. Please provide the proper legal name and associated information. Submit your completed form to your host or Dr. Sylvia Gray at smgray@sewanee.edu
- The purpose of a W-9 form is to provide your correct Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) to the person who is required to file an information return with the IRS to report, for example:
- Income paid to you.
- Real estate transactions.
- Mortgage interest you paid.
- Acquisition or abandonment of secured property.
- Cancellation of debt.
- Contributions you made to an IRA.
- The purpose of a W-9 form is to provide your correct Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) to the person who is required to file an information return with the IRS to report, for example:
CREATE Thanks you in advance for engaging in anti-racist conversations and how to model them, with our campus and any attendees from our broader community. Follow us on social media via Instagram under @sewanee_create.
