Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

The SLHS DEI committee and council met on February 25th, 2021. We drafted an SLHS statement in solidarity of the Asian Pacific Islander and Desi American (APIDA) community that can be found on the SLHS website’s DEI tab under Statements. The DEI core committee presented data to the group on SLHS student representation and success data over the past 5 years (enrollment, rates of receiving D’s, F’s or withdrawing from courses, and graduation rates) across student groups (Asian, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Filipino, Multiple Ethnicities, White, Other/Not stated, International, Native American, African American, Hispanic/Latinx). These data will be further studied and will provide important information in identifying the most urgent student needs in ensuring equitable educational outcomes.

The SLHS DEI group met on September 24th 2020 to discuss priorities for the academic year and to continue planning our upcoming Discussion Circle between former and current students on navigating graduate school and the profession as a student of color. 

Our goals for the academic year 2020-2021 are to (1) complete diversity planning for SLHS in line with University-wide diversity planning (https://diversity.sdsu.edu/initiatives/planning), (2) create an anonymous student feedback portal for issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and (3) continue creating a supportive environment for our students and clients by building an SLHS library on books with social and racial justice themes and (4) expanding mentoring opportunities for our students.  

The journal club discussed Taking Equity-Minded Action to Close Equity Gaps by Lindsey Malcom-Piqueux & Estela Bensimon, with a focus on the 5 core principles of equity-mindedness: (1) being race-conscious, (2) acknowledging the systemic nature of racial and ethnic inequities, (3) working to reduce inequities through our practice as educators, (4) relying on evidence such as student success metrics and feedback to guide our practice, and (5) to take an action-oriented approach to eliminate inequities in education.      

The SLHS DEI group met on December 3, 2020. We worked with current and former students to further plan the exact logistics of the Current-Former Student Discussion Circle that is planned for January 2021 and will focus on navigating graduate school and the profession as a person of color and other marginalized groups. The DEI group also discussed progress on other goals, including the SLHS diversity plan (AY 20-21 goal 1) and the further expansion of the diversity, equity and inclusion portion of the SLHS website, including the student feedback portal (AY 20-21 goal 2). 

The journal club discussed Language of Appeasement by Dafina-Lazarus Stewart (2017) and   Principles of Antiracist Teaching & Reflection by the Multiculturalism, Race & Ethnicity in Classics Consortium (MRECC)). These articles examine best practices in teaching.

The SLHS DEI group met on September 24th 2020 to discuss priorities for the academic year and to continue planning our upcoming Discussion Circle between former and current students on navigating graduate school and the profession as a student of color. 

Our goals for the academic year 2020-2021 are to (1) complete diversity planning for SLHS in line with University-wide diversity planning (https://diversity.sdsu.edu/initiatives/planning), (2) create an anonymous student feedback portal for issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and (3) continue creating a supportive environment for our students and clients by building an SLHS library on books with social and racial justice themes and (4) expanding mentoring opportunities for our students.  

The journal club discussed Taking Equity-Minded Action to Close Equity Gaps by Lindsey Malcom-Piqueux & Estela Bensimon, with a focus on the 5 core principles of equity-mindedness: (1) being race-conscious, (2) acknowledging the systemic nature of racial and ethnic inequities, (3) working to reduce inequities through our practice as educators, (4) relying on evidence such as student success metrics and feedback to guide our practice, and (5) to take an action-oriented approach to eliminate inequities in education.