NIRSA JDEI Implementation Team updates: Fostering belonging

NIRSA’s founding is unique among higher education associations in North America. In 1950, 20 intramural directors from 11 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) came to Dillard University to share skills and wisdom in the hope of advancing the good work of their profession. Dr. William Wasson’s vision to bring professionals together initiated the National Intramural Association (NIA), which marked the professionalization of collegiate recreation as a distinct field of practice.

By the mid-1950s the Association had become racially integrated and the election of John Heffenan from Brown University in 1957 initiated a 30-year chain of white males exclusively serving as NIRSA President. In 1987, Mary Daniels of The Ohio State University was the first woman to serve as NIRSA President. In 1989, Jesse A. “Tony” Clements of the University of Illinois became the first Black man to serve as the Association’s President since Ross Townes in 1956. Still, Juliette Moore of the University of Arizona would have to wait another decade before being elected as the first Black woman to hold the office of NIRSA President.

While both men and women were actively involved in NIRSA’s founding, by 1960, leaders put forward a motion that was adopted by members to formally exclude women from Association membership. They later reinstated women as Association members in 1971—one year before the passage of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

Over the decades, the actions of many have contributed immensely to creating the Association we have today and have been instrumental in helping get us to where we are by articulating our Association’s expectations for belonging.

Over the past 12 years, significant progress has been made to try and create a more inclusive association. In June 2011, six strategic values were adopted by our association. Equity, diversity, and inclusion was one of those values. The EDI Commission was formed to help integrate this value into the fabric of our association. Among the most notable outcomes of their work include NIRSA’s Statement for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, NIRSA’s statement on marriage equality, partnering with the NIRSA Champ Series to create NIRSA’s Transgender Athlete Participation Policy, and the creation of the EDI Resource Guide.

In 2020, given the global conversation around racial injustice, it was apparent that NIRSA too needed to re-examine its priorities. To see this come to fruition, 122 Consulting, NIRSA Staff, and a newly created Climate Study Steering Committee made up of NIRSA volunteers worked together to assess NIRSA’s climate, culture, and structures. Initial findings were provided to the membership at the 2023 NIRSA Annual Conference in Portland, Oregon. Through communication after the conference, the formal report and executive summary were shared with members.

Shared norms for JDEI

Eight recommendations emerged from the Climate Study report, including a charge to “Develop a set of shared norms and language for Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (JDEI).” Partners from 122 Consulting advocated for shared language across the Association to inform other recommendations in this work. The Climate Study Implementation Team has worked to develop shared expectations for belonging that will inform other recommendations.

As the Implementation Team continued its work, the following elements have been focal points:

• Build a clearer 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, NIRSA’s Board of Directors, and NIRSA committee leadership (a top-down approach as opposed to member-driven initiatives)

Throughout the year, we’ve been working to develop a set of shared expectations for belonging: During meetings, at in-person events like ERSL and the NIRSA Annual Conference, and during a virtual “Centering Belonging” session offered this summer, we met with members and shaped our work. The Climate Study Implementation Team would like to underscore the importance of having shared expectations for belonging as our Association’s members, volunteers, and staff move forward together. We recognize the role of personal learning and the value of grounding our work in shared expectations as our Association strives to foster an environment of belonging.

Clear expectations

At their September 2023 meeting, the NIRSA Board of Directors approved shared expectations for belonging: Justice, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect.

NIRSA’s Shared Expectations for Belonging

NIRSA acknowledges and celebrates the diversity that thrives within our many different communities and encourages others to do the same. NIRSA explicitly recognizes past harms and policies within the organization’s history that have caused inequities regarding race and all intersections of identity. NIRSA’s shared expectations for belonging are composed of five dimensions: Justice, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect.

• Justice is exemplified by dismantling barriers and actively building systems and practices for people and communities to reach their full potential
• Diversity is exemplified by honoring shared and individual experiences, values, beliefs, and identities through meaningful representation
• Equity is exemplified when members have opportunities and access to resources based on their individual needs to excel within the field
• Inclusion is exemplified by creating a culture and environment where people feel valued and celebrated as their whole selves
• Respect is exemplified through the understanding of individual differences, contributions, and lived experiences