By Andrea Snead, University of Central Florida
NIRSA’s Strategic Values Commission for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion has been busy in the build up to the 2014 Annual Conference in Nashville.
In addition to soliciting and submitting a wide range of presentation proposals for educational sessions at this year’s conference, our group has also been working to build out the framework for the resource library in the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Community of Practice.
And while the discussion forum and resource library have been a great platform for NIRSA members to exchange ideas, pose questions, or seek resources around any of the many domains related to equity, diversity, or inclusion, there simply is no substitute for the face-to-face sharing and learning that goes on at a NIRSA Annual Conference.
What topics would you like to see discussed during the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Town Hall at NIRSA 2014?As part of the outstanding lineup of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion sessions planned for NIRSA 2014, the Commission for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion will also be facilitating the second consecutive town-hall style, open forum discussion, where attendees will be able to share and listen to issues related to access, risk management, shared competencies, and social justice in the field of campus recreation and how to apply these values to our shared profession.
Before we get to Nashville though, we want to know what’s on your mind when it comes to the challenges you face or the breakthroughs you’ve made around equity, diversity, and inclusion. Are you looking for help making your programs or facility space more inclusive for your campus’s transgender community? Are you looking to talk to someone who has brought a new dimension to their school’s adaptive programming? Maybe you’re looking for the latest research around how to program for an increasingly globalized campus community. Whatever the topic or issue, problem or question, we want to know what resources your campus is looking for in its efforts to uphold principles of equality and solidarity in valuing human rights and physical abilities within a broad range of dimensions.
We invite you to post your questions, comments, or anecdotes in the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Community of Practice discussion forum in the coming weeks; or you can email your suggestions directly to the Commission. The Commission will be using any proposed topics, as well as those issues that have consistently surfaced throughout this past year, to focus the discussion at this year’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Town Hall. And we hope you’ll plan to join us, Friday, April 25, from 1:15-2:15pm, as NIRSA members exchange ideas, ask questions, and learn more about NIRSA’s efforts to integrate equity, diversity, and inclusion as a strategic value of NIRSA.
Andrea Snead is the Outdoor Adventure Coordinator for the University of Central Florida’s Recreation and Wellness Center. She also serves as a member of NIRSA’s Strategic Values Commission for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
