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The Office of Equity and Inclusion's IDEA Newsletter!

Rhona Little - Friday, September 16, 2022
 IDEA Newsletter 
 

Message from the Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer

Dear Members of the Loyola Community,

Loyola has been my professional home for over two decades. Although I have served in many areas of the University, I have found two of Loyola’s core values to be essential to our becoming: diversity and a constant challenge to improve. These two core values have positioned us as a Jesuit, Catholic institution in the city of Baltimore to live out our mission and affect change not only in our city, but also in our world. It is our students, faculty, and staff that makes Loyola a wonderful place to learn, grow, and study.

As we start a new academic year, the Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI) presents its first issue of the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility) Newsletter. This bi-monthly newsletter has been designed to curate the diversity, equity, and inclusion educational opportunities and initiatives that help to improve campus climate at Loyola. As a hub, the OEI strives to become a University-wide resource for diversity, equity, and inclusion with many campus partners. Please check out all the offerings from various departments and affinity groups. I look forward to a great year!

Let us continue to grow together!

Rodney L. Parker, Ph.D.
 

Meet the Team:

 

Rodney L. Parker, Ph.D.
(he/him/his)

Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer

 

Dr. Parker serves as a member of the President’s Cabinet and leads the President’s Council on Equity and Inclusion. He works to address challenges around racism and diversity issues to help Loyola become the welcoming, inclusive Jesuit, Catholic university we aspire to be.

Dr. Parker, who joined Loyola in 2002, has expressed that his favorite aspect of working at Loyola is the sense of community and the genuine care for people. He enjoys mentoring students and getting them connected to different parts of campus.

Dr. Parker holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University, a Master of Divinity and Master of Theology from Duke University, and a Master of Science in Pastoral Counseling and Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Loyola. 

Rhona Little, MPH
(she/her/hers)

Diversity and Inclusion Specialist


Ms. Little provides direct support to university community members and has a significant role in the implementation of the university’s vision and strategic plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Within OEI, Ms. Little’s responsibilities include overseeing the Undergraduate Diversity Advisory Board, developing and leading inclusive trainings for students and employees, collaborating with campus partners to implement DEI best practices, and serving as a member of the President's Council for Equity and Inclusion.

Ms. Little's greatest passion is to help people feel seen, heard, and valued. She is a proud alumna of both the University of Maryland Baltimore County, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Health Administration and Policy, and the University of Maryland College Park, where she earned her Master of Public Health in Community and Behavioral Health.

Marianna Carlucci, Ph.D.
(she/her/hers)

Equity and Inclusion Faculty Fellow


As the Equity and Inclusion Faculty Fellow at Academic Affairs, Dr. Carlucci's work centers around equitable hiring practice, recruitment and retention of minoritized faculty, faculty development (inclusive teaching practices, leadership development), and creating a welcoming environment for faculty, students, and staff. She works with individual faculty, department chairs, and departments on equity and inclusion projects.

Dr. Carlucci, who is also an associate profressor of psychology, describes her relationship with her students as symbiotic, one in which they learn from one another: “When a student enters my classroom, they are my student for life. I am interested not only in their ability to learn the class material, but also about their growth and development as people."

Dr. Carlucci received her bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. in Psychology from Florida International University.
 

President's Council on Equity and Inclusion

The President’s Advisory Council on Equity and Inclusion was established in 2017 with a mission of educating leaders, both at and produced by Loyola, for a diverse and changing world with a commitment to diversity as a necessary component of academic excellence.  Made up of administrators, faculty and staff, the advisory council explores and issues recommendations to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion at the university.

The Council’s aim is to foster a both diverse and welcoming atmosphere at Loyola by spearheading initiatives such as:

  • Assessment and programming to address campus climate 
  • Training for all members of the community on engaging difference 
  • Recruitment, hiring and retention practices that enhance diversity 
  • Review recruitment and retention practices to enhance diversity 
  • Enrollment practices that enhance diversity 
  • Spaces on campus for affinity groups 
  • Related educational opportunities for the University community 
  • Engagement with the city of Baltimore 
  • How to create a culture of accountability on diversity issues 
  • External engagement on diversity and equity – boards, alumni, etc.
  • Serve as an advisory board to the president and to the senior officer for equity and inclusion
  • Make recommendations for the job description for the senior officer for equity and inclusion

To contact the President’s Advisory Council on Equity and Inclusion, please contact the Office of Equity and Inclusion at officeoftheceio@loyola.edu.
 

Upcoming OEI Events and Activities

Diversity Advisory Board Seeks First Year and Transfer Students

The Diversity Advisory Board amplifies undergraduate student voices on matters of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Student members serve as advisors and problem solvers who support the Office of Equity and Inclusion and the University’s mission of equity. 

If you are a first year or transfer student, please consider joining this important board. This experience will support you in your own leadership development as you work with faculty, staff, and administrators who are leaders committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion at Loyola.

Apply for the Diversity Advisory Board by Wednesday, September 14, 2022.


Please reach out to rlittle1@loyola.edu should you have any questions.

Fall 2022 Brown Bag Series

The office of equity and inclusion, in collaboration with campus partners, is hosting a series of lunchtime discussions that will engage the campus in conversation focused on gender diversity and inclusion; and support the university’s commitment to creating a community that recognizes the inherent value and dignity of each person.

Fall semester sessions include:

 

Gender Diversity and Inclusion Training

Thursday, September 15
12:00pm - 1:30pm
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In this broad presentation, we will explore theories of gender identity, learn about gender-based bias and discrimination, and discuss ways in which it applies to our Loyola community. Our hope is to expand your knowledge and awareness of the gender spectrum and gender-related issues to build a greater sense of belonging, inclusion, and well-being across our campus community. Open to all students, faculty, staff, and administrators.

Facilitators: Beth Berenson and Ryan Sappington
RSVP
 

Navigating Interpersonal Allyship

Monday, September 26
12:00pm - 1:30pm
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In this session, participants will learn and practice a series of vocabulary tools that support gender inclusive practices in classrooms, offices, and conversations. Participants will learn and practice describing the differences between assigned sex, gender identity, and gender expression. They will also practice identifying microaggressions around gender identity and gender expression, along with modeling inclusive language (including pronouns).

Participants will leave with an increased understanding of their own social identities and their roles in interrupting oppression to make Loyola’s campus safer and more welcoming for all gender-queer members of our community. Open to all students, faculty, staff, and administrators.

Facilitators: Stepf Diaz and Tim Cherney
RSVP
 

Gender Inclusive Practices for the Classroom

Monday, October 3
12:30pm - 1:30pm
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Loyola students identify across a full spectrum of gender identities and gender expressions. This session will highlight ways in which faculty, administrators, and staff can cultivate gender-inclusive teaching and learning environments for students of all genders and respond to the harmful impact of gender stereotyping and misgendering on student learning. Participants will engage with key concepts in inclusive teaching and will be equipped with tools to help them develop inclusive strategies that support all curriculum, policies, classroom facilitation, and interactions with students. Open to all students, faculty, staff, and administrators.

Facilitators: Emalee Quickel and Marianna Carlucci
RSVP
 

Gender Diversity and Inclusion Training

Wednesday, October 19
12:00pm - 1:30pm
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In this broad presentation, we will explore theories of gender identity, learn about gender-based bias and discrimination, and discuss ways in which it applies to our Loyola community. Our hope is to expand your knowledge and awareness of the gender spectrum and gender-related issues to build a greater sense of belonging, inclusion, and well-being across our campus community. Open to all students, faculty, staff, and administrators.

Facilitators: Beth Berenson and Ryan Sappington
RSVP
 
 

Campus Highlights and Opportunities

Loyola is host to a variety of trainings, activities and events throughout the year, many of which foster engagement and open dialogue surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion. Below are some amazing opportunities offered during September and October 2022.
 

Register for Safe Zone Trainings

Safe Zone at Loyola University Maryland fosters an affirming environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans & gender non-comforming, queer, pansexual, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQPIA+) members of the University community and their allies. In support of the University’s mission to promote intellectual excellence and ethical leadership in the Jesuit tradition, Safe Zone at Loyola:

  • Cultivates dialogue, understanding, and fellowship among all University community members around LGBTQPIA+ issues and contributions
  • Sponsors designated Safe Zones around campus that offer safety, support, and confidentiality for LGBTQPIA+ students and their allies
  • Offers training to faculty, staff, administrators, and students on how to fully welcome, support, and value LGBTQPIA+ people and perspectives in the University community

Becoming Safe Zone trained at Loyola is a three-step process. Training sessions should be completed in order and upon completion of Session 3, participants have the opportunity to sign a commitment to contributing to an affirming campus for LGBTQPIA+ members.

Please check out a list of the current members of Loyola's Safe Zone Network.

2022-2023 Safe Zone Training Dates

Friday, October 7
Start End   Event         Location
3:00pm 5:00pm SafeZone Session 1: LGBTQPIA+ Awareness Online Event
Friday, October 14
3:00pm 5:00pm SafeZone Session 1: LGBTQPIA+ Awareness Online Event
Friday, October 21
3:00pm 5:00pm SafeZone Session 2: LGBTQPIA+ Allyship Online Event
Friday, October 28
3:00pm 5:00pm SafeZone Session 2: LGBTQPIA+ Allyship Online Event
Friday, November 4
3:00pm 5:00pm SafeZone Session 3: Creating Affirming LGBTQPIA+ Spaces Online Event
Friday, November 11
3:00pm 5:00pm SafeZone Session 3: Creating Affirming LGBTQPIA+ Spaces Online Event

 
 

Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice

(Applications Due: September 19th; Conference Dates: October 22nd – 24th; Washington DC)

Join the Loyola delegation for the largest annual gathering of U.S. Jesuit-affiliated institutions: Jesuit colleges & high schools, JVC, Jesuit Refugee Services, Jesuit parishes, and more! Learn about issues affecting human dignity like systemic racism and mass incarceration, immigration reform, the School of the Americas, environmental justice, and fair trade. The Loyola delegation is organized by CCSJ and Campus Ministry.

To learn more and apply to be a part of the delegation, visit Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice - Loyola University Maryland.


LoyolaVotes!

Mid-term elections are quickly approaching! Whether you are registered to vote, not registered to vote, or not sure—visit www.loyola.edu/vote for help with voter registration, make requests for absentee/mail-in ballots, and to receive voting reminders via text or email.

Get registered, educated, and develop a voting plan with LoyolaVotes!
 

2022 Diversity Reading Groups- Join the Conversation!

Our annual Diversity Reading Groups offer a range of great reading opportunities in the month of October designed to invite every member of the Loyola community into shared conversations about diversity and inclusion. In this way, the Diversity Reading Groups support and sustain ongoing conversations around racial justice and feminism, masculinity, higher education and slavery, colonization, religion, and how to take action against oppression—on our campus and beyond.

This year, we have groups that will meet virtually, in-person, or in a hybrid format (i.e., your choice: you can attend in person or online at your discretion).

Academic Affairs will provide complimentary books. We are offering participants two options:

  • Kindle version (e-book)
  • Hard Copy (in-person pick up only)

To make sure all participants receive their books on time, we encourage participants to sign up for a group by Friday, Sept. 16. 

Learn more about the Diversity Reading Groups.
 

Black Educators and School Reform: Looking Back and Moving Forward

Join the Center for Equity, Leadership, and Social Justice in Education for a panel discussion and book signing that celebrates the publication of Not Paved For Us: Black Educators and Public School Reform in Philadelphia (Harvard Education Press, 2022) by Camika Royal, Ph.D., associate professor of urban education in the School of Education. Participants will discuss the struggles and triumphs of Black educators in the shifting political nature of school reform.

Event Details

October 6, 2022
McGuire Hall
6 - 7:30 p.m.

Panelists include noted pedagogical theorist and professor emerita at the University of Wisconsin, Gloria Ladson-Billings; the first chief of the office of equity for the School District of Philadelphia, Sabriya Jubilee; Baltimore City educator Tanefa Wallace; and Morgan State University professor Vanessa Dodo Seriki will be the panel moderator.

Click here to learn more or to RSVP
 

New Public Health Campaign and Services from the Counseling Center

This Fall 2022 semester, The Counseling Center is devoting its Public Health Campaign to uplifting, promoting, and engaging the campus community in a conversation on Gender Awareness, Inclusivity, and Health. This will be highlighted by a series of hardcopy and virtual posters shared across campus, as well as a website with video, photographic, and written content all devoted to the topic. You can find additional information about this campaign when it launches in September on their website here under the tab “Public Health Initiatives.”

The Counseling Center is also preparing to re-start their group counseling and workshop services for the Fall! They offer several phenomenal groups and workshops that range from spaces to process individual and interpersonal experiences to spaces devoted to learning new coping skills. The Center also offers supportive spaces for folks who hold specific identities, and those offerings include:

  • Empower (for BIPOC students)
  • Abolishing Racism
  • In, Out, and In Between (for LGBTQIA+ students)
  • Men’s Group
  • Excel (for students with disabilities)

Please check out the Groups page on the website here for specific descriptions and details for each group, as well as a sign-up sheet to express interest!

 

EVENT

Rita's and Resources

Wednesday, September 14
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Quad, 4501 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21210, United States
Link
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Join us on the Quad from 2-4pm on September 14th to learn about resources at Loyola!
RSVP

EVENT

Navigating the Rocky Relationship Between Student Loans and Student Debt

Tuesday, September 20
6:00pm - 8:00pm
McGuire Hall, 4501 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21210, United States
Link
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Dr. JP Krahel presents another session on financial literacy and managing your students loans. This event is sponsored by First-Generation Student Success, but all students who are interested are welcome to attend!
 
RSVP

EVENT

The Office of Financial Aid presents: FAFSA and You!

Tuesday, October 18
6:00pm - 8:00pm
McGuire Hall, 4501 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21210, United States
Link
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Come meet with members of the Office of Financial Aid as they help demystify the FAFSA and answer all of your financial aid-related questions. This event is sponsored by First-Generation Student Success, however all interested students are welcome to attend!
RSVP

EVENT

Community Engagement Fair

Monday, September 12
4:00pm - 6:30pm
McGuire Hall, CCSJ - Humanities Building, Suite 142* (adjacent to Diane Geppi-Aikens Field) YRI - 5104 York Road (small building with the green awning), Baltimore, MD 21210, United States
Link
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Join us at the Community Engagement Fair where you can explore the various community engagement, service, advocacy, and justice opportunities offered by the Center for Community, Service, and Justice throughout our York Road and Baltimore community. Meet community partners and find the opportunity right for you. Community service, advocacy initiatives, and community engagement are just a few of the opportunities at Loyola where you can live out our Jesuit values of being a person “for and with others.” Student interns will be available to share more information about occasional/one-time and weekly service opportunities as well as advocacy opportunities, and courses you can take on-campus that offer service-learning opportunities. If you’re interested in learning more about ways to serve and connect to our Baltimore community, you won’t want to miss this event.
RSVP
 

HR Trainings and Workshops

Creating an Inclusive Team and Promoting a Culture of Respect

We all come to work with the expectation that we are going to be treated appropriately – be shown respect, have our ideas and opinions listened to, be provided with the information we need to do our jobs and feel safe. This training session will empower attendees with the awareness and knowledge to cooperate and communicate with respect, embrace differences, address concerns in a constructive way, and help contribute towards a collective vision built on a collaborative, respectful and harmonious work culture. Facilitated by KEPRO.

  • Date: 10/25/2022 from 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
  • Location: Online Webinar
  • Registration link is here.

Unconscious Bias and Microaggressions

Everyone has unconscious bias. It means that our brains are predisposed to making quick judgments based on deeply rooted subconscious attitudes. Every employee brings this bias with them into the workplace. It shapes the way we think, act and interact with others. While these deep-set attitudes are difficult to eliminate completely, it is possible to raise awareness of our bias and discover strategies to move towards conscious action. Facilitated by KEPRO.

  • Date: 11/8/2022 from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
  • Location: Online Webinar
  • Registration link is here.

Linkedin Learning Modules

Additional DEI training modules are available to employees through LinkedIn Learning. To access these modules, please visit: https://www.linkedin.com/learning-login/. Employees should type in their Loyola email address and select continue. Employees should then type in DEI or the specific course in the search bar at the top of the page. Below are a few of the trainings provided:
  • Drive Organizational Change for DEI
  • Be an Inclusive Organization People Won’t Leave
  • What is diversity, inclusion, and equity?
  • DEI in a new normal
  • Become aware of unconscious bias
 

IDEA Resources

Below are links to resources, support networks, and organizations that can help foster inclusion, diversity, equity, and accesibility initiatives. Please note, this is not an exhaustive list; if you would like to submit an item, please email Rhona Little.
 

IDEA Spotlights

Each newsletter, our office will be celebrating the diversity found within Loyola's community by highlighting one student (undergraduate or graduate) and one FAS (faculty, administrator, or staff) who are working to make Loyola a welcoming place for all people.

Do you know someone who you think should be featured? To submit a nomination for the IDEA Student Spotlight or the IDEA FAS Spotlight, please fill out this form.


If you would like to contribute relavent news items, events, professional development opportunities, or community updates and accomplishments, please send them to rlittle1@loyola.edu


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