Office of Equity & Belonging Welcomes You!
A Message from Lorenley Báez, Associate Provost for Equity and Belonging
Dear Students,
Welcome to a new year filled with opportunities and possibilities to learn, grow, and co-create.
The Office of Equity and Belonging is committed to fostering a uniquely creative and intellectual learning community that appreciates the diversity of identities, perspectives, values, ideas, experiences, and beliefs. Empathy and openness are indispensable qualities we need to create and sustain a campus community where everyone belongs.
In our effort to increase empathy, raise awareness, and educate, we will continue this year to acknowledge an array of heritage months, days of cultural recognition, and religious observances. To view the full listing, please go here. While this is not an exhaustive list, we recognize this as an opportunity to honor the legacies, histories, scholarship, traditions, and contributions of each community. It is also important to note that the pursuit of freedom, self-definition, and justice is not time-limited. Commemorations are a starting point, a helpful way to honor and include all members of our community, but by no means do they conclude our work towards a more just world. Moreover, we at Equity and Belonging support focusing on the intersectionality of identities, uplifting the whole person, and highlighting the interconnectedness of self and community.
Because polarization tears not only at our ability to be understood, but at our capacity to construct meaningful connections with each other, we believe providing brave and inclusive spaces that foster opportunities for connection is not only critical, but lies at the heart of the authentic dialogue which characterizes university life. This semester we will embark on those brave conversations once again through the Belonging Journey, a dialogue series focused on exploring structural inequalities, understanding power and privilege, and bolstering a sense of belonging as part of the remedy.
We welcome you to connect with this work by attending events and collaborating on programming. The Office of Equity and Belonging also serves as a space to seek support and for student advocacy. If you have any questions or wish to partner with our office, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
Wishing you a great start to the academic year!