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University of Rochester Institutional Office of Equity and Inclusion Encompass Fall Newsletter

T Street - Thursday, October 13, 2022
 General 
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Message from Dr. Adrienne Morgan
September marked the beginning of my six-month term as Interim Vice President for Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer (CDO). I am thrilled to be taking on this very important work. While President Mangelsdorf and the Board of Trustees initiate a search for a permanent CDO, I plan to harness the talent, minds, and enthusiasm of the University of Rochester personnel already working to support justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI). 
 
It is my intention to build infrastructure to address all constituencies at the University of Rochester—the River Campus, the Medical Center, the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, the Warner, Simon, and Eastman Schools, the School of Medicine and Dentistry, the School of Nursing, and the Memorial Art Gallery. Coordinating efforts across the university will maximize our efforts to increase equity. 
 
As an approach, I am inspired by the campaign of the Buffalo Bills after the deadly racist attack in the Buffalo Tops supermarket to “Stop Hate, End Racism, and Choose Love.” In Rochester, we must engage with our community, through civil discourse with honorable intentions, to create restorative relations within our own city.
 
We truly have much work to do if we are to move beyond words into measurable change that transforms our culture and improves people’s lives. I truly believe transformation happens at a policy level and therefore policy at the University of Rochester must operate through a JEDI lens. We need to do our work with open ears and open minds to hear the changes that need to be made.
 
As a start toward transformed leadership and policy, the Institutional Office of Equity and Inclusion recently hosted the HIGHER Conference to help women in higher education break through advancement barriers while pulling up women behind them. Changing the face of leadership is a powerful way to effect change.
 
We celebrate Latinx Heritage Month between Sept. 15 through Oct. 15. I would like to express my enthusiasm for celebrating the many cultural achievements of the diverse and creative community. You can access events through this tab on the University Calendar and also find a listing of Latinx Heritage Month events here.
 
At the Medical Center, the Office of Equity and Inclusion is highlighting Latinx medical pioneers, leaders, and activists in the medical field every day. See more at the URMC OEI website, URMCcelebrates.com.
 
I’m inspired and encouraged by the way many of you have already reached out to collaborate with our office and I’m eager to continue the work we have before us. We’ll go farther together. I hope you’ll join us!
 
Adrienne Morgan, Ph.D. 
Interim Richard Feldman Vice President of Equity and Inclusion
& Chief Diversity Officer, University of Rochester
Vice President for Equity and Inclusion, University of Rochester Medical Center

Speakers, organizers, senior leadership, and participants at the HIGHER Conference. 
From left: Angela Clark-Taylor '16W (PhD), Shelitha Williams '15W (EdD), Sasha Eloi-Evans ├óÔé¼Ôäó05, ├óÔé¼Ôäó17W (EdD), Joanne Larson PhD (Photographed by Stephanie Leary)
President Sarah Mangelsdorf (Photo by Stephanie Leary)
Adrienne Morgan '13W (PhD) Photo by Stephanie Leary
HIGHER Conference Audience (Photo by Stephanie Leary)
Nahoko Kawakyu O'Connor '18W (PhD) Photo by Stephanie Leary

October is Dating/Domestic Violence Awareness Month
The Title IX Office of the IOEI is hosting a variety of events this month. More information is available online here.
  • Oct. 1-30: Purple Flag Display near the engineering quad, representing the impact that dating and domestic violence has in our lives.
  • Oct. 10-13: The Clothesline Project, a virtual display @URTITLEIX of t-shirts created by survivors or in honor of someone who has experienced violence.
  • Oct. 16-22: Red Flag Campaign on the Douglass Commons Expression Wall displaying red flags in dating relationships
  • Oct. 20: 
    • Purple Thursday—wear purple to show support for survivors of dating or domestic violence
    • Take Back the Night, Wilson Commons, Gowen Room, 7-9 pm
  • Oct. 25: DVAM Panel Discussion, Hoyt Auditorium, 7-8 pm
  • Oct. 28: BADASS Bystander training, Rush Rhees Humanities Room, 3-5:30 pm

Latinx Heritage Month Keynote Speaker
Don’t miss this chance to hear award-winning poet and spoken word artist José Olivarez speak on October 26th at 6 pm in Hawkins Carlson Room, Rush Rhees Library. José is the son of Mexican immigrants. His debut book of poems, Citizen Illegal, was a finalist for the PEN/Jean Stein Award and a winner of the 2018 Chicago Review of Books Poetry Prize. It was named a top book of 2018 by The Adroit Journal, NPR, and the New York Public Library. He is the co-host of the poetry podcast, The Poetry Gods, and has been honored with numerous fellowships and awards. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Paris Review, and elsewhere. 

Creativity, Black History, and Building Authenticity through Art: A Conversation
“You read something which you thought only happened to you, and you discover that it happened 100 years ago to Dostoyevsky. This is a very great liberation for the suffering, struggling person, who always thinks that he is alone. This is why art is important. Art would not be important if life were not important, and life is important.”      – James Baldwin
 
Performer and activist Vernice Miller will lead discussions about the centrality of art and creativity in addressing social divisiveness at the Douglass Leadership House on Sat. Oct. 16, 3:00 - 4:30 and Sun. Oct. 16, 12:30-2:00. She will also discuss the fascinating historical play she will be directing at the UR International Theatre Program next semester (The African Company Presents Richard III by Carlyle Brown), and lead attendees in exercises aimed at sparking creativity and engagement. All are welcome! 

Global Celebration Committee Seeks Input
A committee comprising faculty, staff, and students from across the University of Rochester is overseeing an initiative to showcase the institution's global diversity. The University community is invited to submit creative ideas that represent Rochester's global diversity in meaningful, valuable, and inspirational ways. The committee will accept submissions through October 31 and make recommendations to President Mangelsdorf in December. A decision is expected during the spring 2023 semester. 

You can find more information and submit your proposals here.
 
 
 

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