By Wendy B. Motch-Ellis, Director, Titan Recreation, Associated Students, Inc. at California State University, Fullerton and Chair of the NIRSA Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Commission

As we embark upon our shared time together at the 2016 NIRSA Annual Conference, the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Commission invites you to engage in numerous opportunities in Kissimmee to connect and network with your fellow colleagues and strengthen your skills and competencies around equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Whether you are an established collegiate recreational professional or just emerging in the field, it’s important that we take the time to celebrate our strengths and at the same time be intentional about ensuring that we each have the core competencies necessary to lead into the future. We encourage you to visit or revisit NIRSA’s Professional Competencies prior to conference and to take advantage of the many opportunities that will be available at the conference to strengthen your core competencies.

Officially kicking off the conference will be the Opening General Session and a keynote address with Clint Smith, an educator, writer, and poet, who will inspire us with a call to action using the spoken word to blend art and social activism. Throughout the week, there will be several social events, such as the Lee Wasson People of Color Social and the LGBTQI Social. Have you had the honor of meeting Lee “Mamma” Wasson? or have you ever seen the beautiful NIRSA Foundation quilts that are raffled off every year up close? Did you know that NIRSA was founded by several Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and that NIRSA celebrates and honors our rich diversity and history? Did you know that being an ally is an incredibly powerful role that you play in supporting others?

The Lee Wasson People of Color social is open to everyone and provides networking and mentoring opportunities, fosters involvement of people of color in the Association, and encourages active participation in leadership roles. The LGBTQI Social is also open to everyone and fosters and encourages the involvement of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and inter-sex individuals and allies in the Association. We encourage everyone to stop by the social events—mingle, network, and celebrate our rich diversity and history.

In addition to the social events, there are several scheduled round tables that are sure to stimulate conversation and provide tools to increase your equity, diversity, and inclusion competencies. The conference will offer roundtable discussions for HBCUs. There will be a Christian roundtable guided discussion on how to best deal with personal beliefs while being surrounded by others who may not share the same belief systems. And the Friends of Bill W. will gather to provide support and networking for individuals seeking spiritual support and encouragement on their journey of recovery.

The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Commission will also lead a roundtable discussion on the intersection of multiple identities. This roundtable will be followed by a commission update and a discussion on national issues impacting higher education—issues like the Black Lives Matter movement, the backlash legislation impacting LGBT-inclusion in many states, and the reality and impact of microagressions on daily life.

This year, there will be a plethora of educational sessions that will focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion competencies. For a detailed description of the sessions that fall within the EDI track, visit the NIRSA website. There are ten sessions that fall directly within the EDI track:

  • “The Culturally Competent Leader”
  • “Let’s Change the Game: the Impact of Including Unified Sports in a Competitive Sports Program”
  • “Examining the Experiences of Female Intramural Officials: A Qualitative Study”
  • “Interculturally-Focused Student Hiring: Beyond the Buzz Words”
  • “Play On: Rethinking Your Department’s Programming Philosophy”
  • “Gender Nonconforming Students: Locker Room Use and Program Participation”
  • “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Commission program on Identity Development and Roundtable Updates”
  • “A Conversation with Successful Women in NIRSA”
  • “Everyone Plays: Applying the Dear Colleague Letter to Campus Recreation”
  • “Heterosexism and Homophobia: Research and Practical Implications Surrounding LGBT Issues in Campus Rec”
  • “Serving Students with Disabilities”

In addition to the ten sessions in the EDI track, there are also several additional sessions that touch on aspects of equity, diversity, and inclusion. The following sessions will also overlap with elements of equity, diversity, or inclusion:

  • “What Are Global Perspectives”
  • “Origins of Collegiate Recreation/NIRSA”
  • “Multi-Generational Perspectives in Collegiate Recreation”
  • “Applying the Multi-institutional Study of Leadership Findings and the Social Change Model to Collegiate Recreation”
  • “Know Your Power: Sexual Assault Prevention and Education”
  • “Campus through Their Eyes: Exploring Leisure, Involvement, and Social Integration with African American Male Undergraduates”
  • “Hot Topics in Collegiate Recreation”

Also in 2016, NIRSA will be partnering with Special Olympics to host a Bocce Ball Unified Sports® Experience. Unified Sports® Experiences brings together Special Olympics athletes and people without intellectual disabilities in a competitive environment. Derived from Special Olympics Unified Sports®, Unified Sports® Experiences are programs which promote social inclusion through shared sport training and competition experiences for individuals with and without intellectual disabilities. On the heels of the recent announcement from NIRSA and Special Olympics North America, these two organizations hope that NIRSA 2016 attendee participation will inspire them to support Unified Sports® within their communities.

Finally, there will be gender-inclusive restrooms available at the conference and many of the recommendations from the past few years’ Annual Conference Inclusion Audits have been incorporated to ensure that the conference is accessible and welcoming to everyone.

As you celebrate your strengths and strengthen your core, we encourage you to become of member of NIRSA’s Professional Registry, which incorporates critical competencies related to equity, diversity, and inclusion. The conference is sure to be stimulating and engaging and we are excited about our bright future!

For more information about the NIRSA Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Commission, please contact commission chair Wendy B. Motch-Ellis or NIRSA Leadership Programs Coordinator Amanda Adams.