Commitment to Diversity

Diversity and inclusion have a mutual working relationship. Inclusion enables diversity, and a diverse environment promotes inclusion. We, the I.D.E.A. committee at Schreiner, understand the strength in both and try to create and document the events, efforts, and enthusiasm our campus has towards diversity and inclusion.

Academic Year

Fall 2021

Mental Health Event: The I.D.E.A. committee collaborated with the Flag is Up, Active Minds, and the Psychology Department to talk about mental health. This happened through an abridged screening of the Spring 2021 production of The Curious Savage at Schreiner University, which allowed participants to discuss previous and current portrayals, stigma, as well as evolving perceptions of mental health in the United States.

Spring 2022

Growing Up _____: The Growing Up ____ series happened throughout the 2021-2022 academic year. These were informal conversations about who people are and where they came from. These unstructured conversations happened at least once a month outside in the Schreiner commons where people gathered to discuss growing up in S.T.E.M., immigrant, in the spectrum, or the performing arts.
- Growing Up _____. Flyer – PDF

Cultural Idioms Panel: During the 2022 Student Achievement Showcase, the I.D.E.A. committee worked alongside OLE (Organization for Latin Engagement) and French-language students on a panel about Mexican and French cultural idioms. Panelists took turns sharing cultural idioms like “No mames” or “Appeler un Chat un Chat“ to discuss how these shaped values and perceptions in general or at home. STUDENTS: Valentia (Sarah) Hernandez; Jacob Castro; James Clafflin; Briley Elrod MODERATORS: Lori Mayles-Wells & Adolfo R Mora

Ask Big Questions: Purposeful Lives and I.D.E.A. collaborated to ask Schreiner several big questions. Communities of practice were created to take the Ask Big Questions program to students, staff, and faculty. These social circles discussed at least one question a month and word maps were produced to see how people responded to such questions. These artifacts were shared publicly during the 2022 Student Achievement Showcase.

Fall 2022

Schreiner Says

Communities at Schreiner met to discuss its mission statement, and how people live purposeful lives, do meaningful work, and tackle a changing global society. These small groups comprised of faculty, staff, and/or students created visuals to represent their thoughts on the matter.

Diversity Workshops

The diversity and inclusion committee at Schreiner University hosted monthly workshops to discuss and develop competence on the matter.

MODERATORS	Dr. Adolfo R. Mora & Analia Fiorio
TITLE	Diversity and Inclusion 101: Language Basics
DESCRIPTION	This workshop will review terms and concepts meant to address issues, challenges, as well as perceptions associated with diversity and inclusion/exclusion in the United States. We will discuss how language constructs meaning and learn about why words matter for social groups. The workshop will conclude with case studies, where participants will have an opportunity to think of constructive language that better suits the experience(s) of social groups.

MODERATOR(S)	Dr. Krisann Muskievicz
TITLE	What Do We Mean When We Say “Diversity Training”?
DESCRIPTION	This workshop will review examples of material that might be covered in diversity training and will explore the efficacy of this type of training. We will discuss the potential for diversity training to raise awareness and to potentially perpetuate stereotypes. The workshop will include an analysis of Arthur Kleinman’s model for an open-ended health care interview as a specific application of a different approach to cultural competency.

Silenced Violence

I.D.E.A. screened the short film, Calling (2016), to discuss the topic of domestic violence publicly. Despite the heaviness of the topic, those in attendance talked about its seriousness and complexity and brought into the conversation how one can best help in the matter from different perspectives.

Ideas take Flight

The diversity and inclusion committee collected feathers to create an interactive display about friendship and relationship building. The Schreiner community answered three questions: What is kindness about? How can two people understand each other? What does forgiveness looks like? These feathers were later grouped together to create a set of wings, which traveled across spaces on Campus so people could take pictures with them.

Cultural Topics Panels

The I.D.E.A. committee partnered once again with commUNITY and O.L.E. as well as B.S.U. to host two separate panels: (1) on the learning outcomes about interviewing people about their cultural background, and (2) the other about how best to approach meaningful diversity in a campus-setting.