Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Commission to meet for Summit in November

In the wake of the tragedies and violence in Louisiana, Minnesota, Dallas, and Orlando among others, the NIRSA Board of Directors took the opportunity this summer to reaffirm its commitment to maintaining open dialogue that articulates the values of the Association.

Among these values is a celebration of equity, diversity, and inclusion with the understanding that it is our responsibility as professionals within higher education to continue to not only generate social justice resources, but to also model inclusive practices within our respective campus communities. Specifically, we’ve set the goal of providing ever-expanding resources for our membership revolves around three areas of education:

1. Provide educational resources for professional development for collegiate recreation professionals.
2. Create continued educational resources for collegiate recreation departments on campus.
3. Develop further educational resources for NIRSA.

In an effort to help advance NIRSA’s position relative to issues of social justice, the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Commission has worked to achieve several milestones since its inception in 2012. Most recently, while formulating 2016–2017 strategic goals for its work, the Commission developed educational tools and activities surrounding identity development. It utilized this work as a platform for discussion at the 2016 NIRSA Annual Conference in Kissimmee, FL.

Attendees of that conference may recall the EDI Commission’s roundtable where it used an identity wheel to spark dialogue and self-reflection around the intersection of multiple identities and the relationship between dominant and subordinate identity groups. Since NIRSA 2016, the NIRSA Board of Directors has continued discussions with the Commission about how to maximize the number of members who receive educational materials and resources relative to issues of social justice.

Thanks to funding approved by the NIRSA Board this spring, the EDI Commission will gather this November at Georgia Institute of Technology for the NIRSA EDI Summit. Over the course of the three-day event, members of the EDI Commission will be joined by other leaders in the field to engage in discussion meant to result in strategies, educational tools, and curricula designed to help our membership champion social justice initiatives on their respective campus communities.

Though the Commission is privileged to have a wealth of diverse experiences and expertise among its members, it was careful to approach this event with intentionality in order to bring as many voices representative of our Association to the table as possible.

In Atlanta, the Commission will be joined by a number of individuals who are knowledgeable regarding issues surrounding equity, diversity, and inclusion:

• David Davenport, Director of Recreation and Chief Diversity Officer at Austin Peay State University, will represent the NIRSA Board of Directors perspective
• Victoria Lopez-Herrera, Associate Director for Student Development in Campus Recreation at the University of Texas at San Antonio, is very active in social justice education—particularly around Latino/a issues
• Cara McFadden, Assistant Professor of Sport and Event Management at Elon University, will help facilitate the Summit by utilizing her vast experience with curriculum development, leadership, student development, and professional development
• Ken Morton, Director of Campus Recreation at Stephen F Austin State University, is a member of the NIRSA Board of Directors
• Pam Su, Director of Recreation at San Francisco State University, is a liaison to the state university system for Asian and Pacific Islander students and has done a lot of work in supporting system efforts regarding diversity
• Lashica Thomas, Assistant Director of Operations and Marketing for Campus Recreation at Columbus State University
• Mark Williams, Director of RecSports at the University of Notre Dame, has served as a leader in the NIRSA Championship Series and is a current NIRSA Services Corporation Board Member; he will represent the perspective of those at faith-based institutions
• Pam Watts, NIRSA Executive Director, and Erin O’Sullivan, NIRSA Executive Communications, Advocacy, and External Affairs, will represent NIRSA Headquarters
• Tanya Williams has been hired—based on her extensive work as a social justice educator, consultant, and coach—to help turn discussions and ideas expressed in the Summit into concrete, accessible resources for NIRSA members

At the conclusion of the Summit, the Commission hopes to achieve tangible progress on its goal of creating educational resources and curricula for our membership. It will be these resources that help develop socially-responsible leaders who are willing to engage in the types of discussion and decision making on their respective campuses that will lead to transformational change.