OHIO students, faculty, staff and community members invited to participate, share feedback during diversity and inclusion listening sessions

Ben Siegel/Ohio University

Consultants from the USC Race and Equity Center, a nationally-recognized organization for its work in diversity, equity and inclusion, will be visiting Ohio University between February 22-24 to host multiple hybrid feedback and listening sessions with students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members.

Additional virtual listening sessions will be hosted by USC consultants in March; further details about these sessions will be shared in the coming weeks.

Last spring, President Hugh Sherman shared the University’s commitment to undertake an extensive study of OHIO’s current diversity, equity and inclusion efforts as part of its larger commitment to support students and to broaden our collective understanding by uplifting diverse identities, cultures and perspectives.

“OHIO’s partnership with the USC Race and Equity Center underscores our commitment to move our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts forward,” President Sherman said. “Your participation and feedback will play a vital role in our efforts to conduct a thorough review of OHIO’s efforts in this important area, as well as our overall campus climate.”

About the listening sessions

Each session will be capped at 40 individuals to best accommodate opportunities for active engagement and to allow for robust conversations, and concurrent sessions have been arranged to maximize the engagement with USC representatives. A virtual option will also be available for each session to accommodate those who are unable to participate in person.

To maximize engagement, and to allow a diverse group of OHIO community members to participate in these sessions, all individuals are encouraged to sign up for no more than one session.

For more information about the listening sessions, please contact Dr. Maria Modayil, Project Manager for the Diversity Audit, modayil@ohio.edu.

Listening session dates and times

Note: Each session will be available to attend in person and online:

For all OHIO students:

Wednesday, February 22 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Baker University Center 240/242)
Wednesday, February 22 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. (Baker University Center 240/242)
Thursday, February 23 from 4:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Baker University Center 240/242)

For all OHIO faculty:

Wednesday, February 22 from 10:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (Baker University Center 240/242)

For all OHIO staff:

Thursday, February 23 from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. (Baker University Center 240/242)

For Ohio University and its surrounding communities (includes all OHIO students, faculty staff, alumni and Athens/RHE community members):

Thursday, February 23 from 6:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (Baker University Center 240/242)
Friday, February 24 from 10:45 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Baker University Center 240/242)

Additional details

The USC Race and Equity Center, which was selected by Ohio University in December 2022 following an extensive and thorough vetting process, has been contracted to work for one year on the study and will present their findings publicly to University stakeholders in late 2023.

The Center has worked with colleges and universities across the country to assess student learning from an equity standpoint and advance racial equity; they also assist to empower faculty and staff members to strategically develop and achieve equity goals through climate studies, high-quality learning experiences, substantive partnerships and workshops built to improve racial literacy on campuses.

For additional information about OHIO’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, visit ohio.edu/diversity.

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