To Our Sewanee Community,

The Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (CDEI) exists to facilitate the University’s efforts to cultivate an inclusive community. As we get the new semester underway, and especially in light of the powerful statements made by the Board of Regents and Vice-Chancellor Brigety, the CDEI would like to encourage our community to take advantage of the resources related to diversity and inclusion.

Here are some resources and suggestions to consider:

  • Reach out to one another. 
  • The Ayres Multicultural Center, Office of Civic Engagement, Dialogue Across Difference programs, All Saints' Chapel, the CDEI and the Wellness Center, among others, have a wide variety of resources and programming available to students, faculty and staff.   
  • This summer, student leaders from the Community Engagement House (COHO) produced the Allyship in Action resource page, which invites all of us into actionable steps around diversity and inclusion through short videos from faculty and staff.
  • If you are teaching, consider how to bring discussions and materials related to racism and social injustice into your classes in the fall. If you are a staff person running programming or a student leader, think about how these issues connect to what you do. Use your voice and your influence.  
  • If you are faculty, as you design and refine your courses, review the recommendations for inclusive pedagogical approaches on the Center for Teaching webpage and consider trauma-informed pedagogical approaches as well (see HERE for a webinar by Dr. Mays Imad). Do not ask Black Americans and other people of color to speak for all people of color, but rather create conditions where all voices and experiences are valued and respected. 
  • All of us are responsible for ensuring that Sewanee is a respectful, welcoming community for all. Report any instances of bias or hateful conduct that you experience or witness. You can do this whether you are on campus or studying remotely using the Hateful or Bias Conduct Reporting Form.
  • If you have resources or expertise to share, please let us know so we can get the word out.

If you have questions or suggestions for the committee, please feel free to contact any of the committee members.

Sincerely,

Nancy Berner, Provost, on behalf of the Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion