NIRSA’s JDEI Implementation Team: Centering belonging for NIRSA

NIRSA continues to pursue its commitment to strive for inclusive excellence through an anti-racist and equity lens by taking action on the recommendations provided by the 122 Consulting Climate Study. As a reminder, in 2021, NIRSA partnered with 122 Consulting to embark on a climate assessment initiative with the aim of gathering data about the ways members were experiencing the Association through a lens of justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion (JDEI). 122 Consulting—a minority and women-owned consulting firm—specializes in working with leaders, businesses, sports teams, nonprofits, higher education institutions, and other organizations to create thriving communities committed to justice.

To see this assessment initiative come to fruition, 122 Consulting, NIRSA Staff, and a specialty Climate Study Steering Committee worked together to assess NIRSA’s climate, culture, and structures to determine areas in which the Association supports inclusion and where there are barriers that prevent true equity. Initial findings were provided to the membership at the 2022 NIRSA Annual Conference & Campus Rec and Wellness Expo in Portland, Oregon. After the conference, the formal report including the results from the study was shared with members and the executive summary was made available on the NIRSA website.

Digging in

The JDEI Implementation Team was created in Summer 2022 to oversee the work of implementing the recommendations over the next two years.

The following recommendations will be the focus of the implementation work:

• Build a clear process for members to report grievances or concerns about exclusionary behavior
• Cultivate a robust curriculum for JDEI member education that’s driven by NIRSA Staff, the NIRSA Board of Directors, and NIRSA committee leadership (top down versus member-driven initiatives)
• Develop a set of shared norms and language related to JDEI topics
• Focus organizational resources on cultivating relationships with minority-serving institutions
• Implement inclusive hiring practices
• Improve vision, mission, and strategic plan to reinforce shared JDEI language and values
• Increase transparency and accountability for NIRSA boards of directors and NIRSA Staff leaders
• Practice inclusive membership recruitment
• Review all policies for equity concerns, including exclusive or divisive language

During Fall 2022, the JDEI Implementation Team’s focus was on creating a plan to begin recruiting NIRSA members in the coming spring for actions teams around the above recommendations. The Implementation Team decided to stagger recruitment for action teams over the next year and a half. The focal point for the first year of work is centered around developing a set of shared norms, reviewing policies, and developing educational curriculum for members. With the two-year commitment of current Implementation Team volunteers, this work will continue to evolve over time.

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In February, the Implementation Team met in-person at the University of Central Florida in conjunction with the Emerging Recreational Sports Leadership (ERSL) Conference. During their time together, the team accelerated work on the recommendations from the climate study. The team focused on finalizing a draft of shared norms, creating a plan to solicit feedback on the draft, developing a framework and training materials for NIRSA committees to use to review policies through an equity lens, and drafting an outline for educational curriculum.

The session “Centering Belonging for NIRSA” was presented at ERSL and at the 2023 NIRSA Annual Conference where we shared a draft of the shared norms. As co-chairs, we have facilitated dialogue among conference attendees and Implementation Team members have gathered feedback from attendees in smaller focus groups. This provided the Implementation Team with feedback that has informed this critical work. During the NIRSA Annual Conference the team presented the shared norms twice, once for professional members and once for student members.

The following questions were asked:

• Now that you know the shared norms, what do they mean to you?
• How would you like to see the shared norms communicated?
• What are ways that you would like to learn about the shared norms?
• How would you educate others about the shared norms?
• What behaviors should members, volunteer leaders, and NIRSA Staff exhibit to center these shared norms?

In the wake of those two in-person events, here is a short recap of the recently taken actions as of March 2023:

• Review of feedback from sessions with members for the Association’s shared norms; we will facilitate virtual sessions over the summer
• Co-chair Cara Lucia has secured IRB approval for a JDEI Shared Norms study; additionally, the Recreational Sports Journal (RSJ) Board approved publishing a special issue dedicated to JDEI
• Abby Van Note, Coordinator of Instructional & Inclusive Programs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Elishea Borin, Assistant to the NIRSA Executive Office, led the team in the creation of committee chair training for equitable practices; this year, committee chairs are set to review current policies and implement changes
• Educational Curriculum Action Team members selected, including: Nina Ciudad-Cole, General Manager at Stanford University; David Grassi, Member Services Coordinator at Washington State University; and Asia Wright, Assistant Director of Fitness at the University of South Florida

Moving forward

On June 7 at 1:00pm Eastern, 10:00am Pacific, there will be the virtual session “Centering Belonging: Engaging the full potential of NIRSA;” this is a chance for members to provide feedback on planned action about NIRSA’s shared norms and language for justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Implementing sustainable change takes time and NIRSA Staff, volunteer leadership, and the Implementation Team are committed to continuing this work. Over the coming year, members will be invited to contribute to this work and the Implementation Team will continue to communicate progress.