On April 23, 2023, President Joseph A. Favazza, Ph.D., hosted his annual Diversity and Inclusion Innovation reception. Each year, students, faculty, and staff submit project proposals designed to expand diversity and inclusion on campus.
“These ideas are grassroots…brought to us by students, faculty, colleagues, and staff,” explained Chief Diversity Officer Ande Diaz at the event.
The grassroots nature of the proposals are part of what makes the initiative so special. The creation and inspiration behind these initiatives is not manufactured elsewhere, but rather grown and brainstormed right here on campus.
This year, the eight funded projects allowed the College to take another step forward. Each and every funded innovation project was multidimensional in its action plan, impact, and collaboration with other departments or community members.
“This event speaks to the creativity but also the commitment of those in our communities who want to make progress related to inclusion, equity, and diversity,” said President Favazza.
The funded projects this year were:
World Vision Song Contest 2023 submitted by Professor Mohler and Professor Orrego, Modern Languages and Literatures. The Worldvision Song Contest was a multi-lingual performance celebrating the linguistic and cultural diversity of the language programs at Saint Anselm College. Faculty and students from across the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures formed performance groups and competed for prizes at a live event. The contest’s goal was to foster interest in foreign-language study at the college, as well as to enhance participants' knowledge and appreciation of music in their chosen language.
Rania Matar - Middle Eastern Photo Club, Professor Shea and Professor Talpin, Fine Arts and Modern Languages and Literatures. Rania Matar is a Lebanese/Palestinian/American photographer who makes images of women and girls in both the United States and the Middle East. Her work speaks to individuality and identity, but also to the universality in our lived experiences – including gendered and ethnic prejudices. This project established a student/faculty/staff/monastic photobook club to discuss her work ahead of an event with Matar, open to the entire campus community, but facilitated by the book group.
DEI Initiative Panel: Diverse Individuals in Leadership Positions; Class of 2023 and 2024 Justin Villaneuva and Kim Tran, President of Men of Color and Women in Business. Only 14% of accountants are minorities and 2% are of African American descent. This project created a panel of diverse individuals in leadership positions discussing topics such as the hardships of getting a foot into the industry and the discriminations they face on a daily basis. The organizers worked to bring panelists in the business industry from all backgrounds to reflect and inspire our student body. Their goal was to encourage and increase the pipeline into various business industries to change the current DEI issues.
Leveraging Teaching, Teacher Preparation and Higher Education to Disrupt Injustice, Education Professor Sherman Olivia Ridge ’23. Education and political scholar, Dr. Deborah Loewenberg Ball, presented a public lecture for the Saint Anselm Community, with additional small group discussion sessions focused on how teaching, teacher preparation, and higher education can be leveraged to disrupt systemic injustice.
To be a man: Masculinity, Race, and Gender with Philosophy Professor Banach, Education Professor Gregory. Toxic masculinity and its associated views of maleness are behind much of white supremacy, sexism, and homophobia as well a driving force behind sexual violence. This project looked at our conceptions of masculinity in photography, graphic novels, hip hop music, and trans poetry with hands-on activities in each of these areas to explore with students the linkages between how we think of masculinity and our attitudes towards race, queerness, femininity, and sexuality.
Learning from/with the Spanish Speaking Community of N.H., Modern Languages and Literatures Inés Vañó García, Career Development Director Steve Koppi. This project provided students the opportunity to cooperate and collaborate with multiple organizations that closely work with the Spanish-speaking community in our area. By experiencing the diversity from a local perspective, these opportunities enriched students' experiential learning beyond the classroom. They practiced their linguistic skills, and actively engaged with/along the Latinx population and their daily experiences. This pilot program built capacity for future Spanish majors/minors internships.
Promoting Equity and Inclusion in the Classroom, Education and CTE-Co Director Dr. Dianna Gahlsdorf Terrell, Professor of Theology CTE-Co Director Dr. Gilberto Ruiz. The Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) hosted University of North Carolina professors Dr. Kelly Hogan and Dr. Viji Sathy to offer their 90-minute workshop, "Introduction to Inclusive Teaching." During the workshop Hogan and Sathy asked participants to reflect on inequities and diversity in their classrooms. After providing a framework for inclusive design, Hogan and Sathy led participants in exploring inclusive techniques readily implemented with any discipline.
Faculty Development Workshop on Dialogue, Professor of Sociology Sara Smits-Keeney, Meelia Center Director Nicole Lora ’06. This project hosted a workshop on dialogue teaching and learning methodologies. With so much dialogue happening across campus, the organizers we hoped to bring together key stakeholders to understand better the different models being utilized, share dialogue research and resources, and strategize on how to institutionalize dialogue at Saint Anselm College.