On behalf of NIRSA’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Commission, I invite you to take some time this week to review the resources below. Whether you choose to integrate them into an upcoming staff training or you are simply reading them to expand your understanding on the vital topics of equity, diversity, or inclusion, these resources can help shape your perspective on social justice.

Produced by Trans Student Educational Resources | transstudent.org

This resource breaks down the various continuums on which people can identify such as gender identity, gender expression, or emotional attraction. The webpage provides definitions and examples to clearly articulate the differences between some of the terminology that gets used interchangeably (when in actuality, they have different meanings such as the differences between sex and gender).

The graphic would be a great handout to present at a student staff training about gender and sexuality, which could then be linked to a conversation about which of your department’s policies, facilities, or programs are designed to welcome people with marginalized gender or sexual identities into your recreation center.

By Bobbie Harro | Readings for Diversity and Social Justice

This chapter explores the social identities we are all born into and how we move through what she terms the “cycle of socialization” in which various actors (family, educational system, and others) socialize us to play out prescribed roles based on those identities. The cycle offers a method by which we can all reflect on our social identities and examine the impact socialization has had on our sense of self and understanding of others. Also see Harro’s “cycle of liberation” to learn ways to break out of the socialization cycle.

As professionals in collegiate recreation, having an improved understanding of the forces of socialization can prepare us to better support our students who may be experiencing tension between the messages they received from their families, professors, religious leaders, and peer groups and how they feel themselves. This article could also be used to inform a training for manager-level student employees, encouraging them to think through their own cycle of socialization and how it shows up in the work they do as student leaders at the recreation center.

By Robin DiAngelo | What Does It Mean to be White? Developing White Racial Literacy

This chapter discusses the impact of white people remaining silent in discussions on race. DiAngelo provides numerous examples of rationales white people often use to justify their silence in race-related conversations and also sheds light on how each of those rationales have a negative impact, even if good intentions were behind the choice to remain silent. The chapter is also helpful in how it provides explicit examples of when white silence is a constructive tool to utilize.

Reading and discussing this resource with co-workers at your department’s professional staff retreat could help start critical dialogue about how white people can best show up to the conversations on race that are happening regularly on college campuses and in recreation centers across North America. Check it out from your local library or pick up a copy of the book for your professional library.

By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | Ted Talk

In this 19-minute Ted Talk, novelist Chimamanda Adichie uses her own story to illuminate how allowing a group only one story restricts our ability to see members of that group as the multifaceted human beings they are. A single story risks reducing people down to a stereotype.

This video would be a great tool to utilize at a student staff training for front desk attendants on the topic of how to minimize harmful interactions based on stereotypes while providing excellent customer service.

Add your voice to the conversation

We encourage you to connect with colleagues from across North America on this important topic. Join NIRSA’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Community of Practice today to find more resources or to participate in the online discussion.

Associate Director of Administration at  | NIRSA Profile

Erin Patchett, PhD., is currently the Director, Administration & Assessment for Campus Recreation at Colorado State University and the President for the NIRSA Board of Directors; you can email her at erin.patchett@colostate.edu.