Campus Community Invited to Visioning Sessions with Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion

The members of the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion are hosting two back-to-back workshops on Wednesday, Feb. 10, for University community members to discuss recommendations on how to create a more diverse and inclusive campus climate.

The Visioning Sessions on Diversity and Inclusion will be held from 3:45-5:45 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. in Goldstein Auditorium at Schine Student Center.

Individuals and representatives of all campus groups and organizations concerned with diversity and inclusion are welcome to participate and may participate in either session; the agenda for each session is the same.

The goals for the sessions are for the Syracuse University community to come together to envision policies and programs

• to address incidents of discrimination, microaggressions and patterns of marginalization on our campus;
• to create safer spaces for historically and currently marginalized students, faculty and staff in our diverse communities; and
• to help build a climate of mutual respect and support for all members of our community.

Trained group facilitators from Maxwell School’s Conflict Management Center, CARE (Conversations About Race and Ethnicity) and the LGBT Resource Center, among others, will be on hand to guide small group discussions and to record suggestions and recommendations.

Sign language interpreters and CART services are provided. Questions regarding additional accommodations and parking may be directed to Aaron Hodukavich at ajhoduka@syr.edu or 315-443-2377.

Chancellor Kent Syverud announced the creation of the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion in September. The Workgroup was charged with considering the work done by previous campus workgroups, committees, student organizations, and collectives, and developing further solutions to create a more diverse, inclusive campus climate in alignment with the Academic Strategic Plan.

The Visioning Sessions follow an event in December, “Community Voices: Listening Session on Campus Diversity and Inclusion,” at which students, faculty and staff shared their experiences and ideas with the members of the Chancellor’s Workgroup.

University community members are also invited to contact any of the Workgroup members directly with their recommendations and ideas.

The Workgroup is co-chaired by Francine D’Amico, associate professor of international relations and co-chair of the Senate LGBT Concerns Committee, and Barry L. Wells, special assistant to the Chancellor.

Members of the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion:

Keith A. Alford                                             kalford@syr.edu

Justin Bachman                                           jpbachma@syr.edu

Shobha Bhatia                                             skbhatia@syr.edu

Tammy M. Bluewolf-Kennedy                   tbluewol@syr.edu

Harriet N. Brown                                         hnbrown@syr.edu

Pedro Castro                                                pacastro@syr.edu

Francine D’Amico                                        fjdamico@syr.edu

Lily Ieroniawakon Deer                              lideer@syr.edu

Keith A. DiBello                                           kadibell@syr.edu

Bea Gonzalez                                               bgonzale@syr.edu

Tiffany M. Gray                                           tmgray01@syr.edu

Aaron Hodukavich                                      ajhoduka@syr.edu

Jane Hong                                                   jhong17@syr.edu

Sheila Johnson-Willis                                 sjohnson@syr.edu

Nithin Katragadda                                      nkatraga@syr.edu

Paula MacDonald                                       plmacdon@syr.edu

Suzette M. Melendez                                 smmelend@syr.edu

Cathryn R. Newton                                     crnewton@syr.edu

Mara Sapon-Shevin                                     msaponsh@syr.edu

Jordan Shelby West                                    jswest@syr.edu

Alex Umstead                                             aumstead@syr.edu

Barry L. Wells                                             blwells@syr.edu

Chante Williams                                        cpwill02@syr.edu