At the March 3 meeting, the DEI committee discussed ways to support students, faculty, staff, and administration during this time of regime transition. We shared various student concerns and perspectives, many of which center on the continued need for information from faculty and administration. Various federal communications, like the OCR Dear Colleague Letter and its FAQ about racial preferencing have garnered great uncertainty regarding how the SEHD and university will respond to the letter’s claims. We are aware of a university webpage devoted to Federal Government Transition Updates. In addition to this mode of information dissemination, students and others have expressed the desire for town hall type spaces to process the sociopolitical shifts. The DEI committee plans to support any efforts to hold space for discussion, whether with students or during faculty and staff meetings. We also plan to support existing DEI-related initiatives as we gain more information about them. One such event is a conversation on campus at the end of this month with renowned scholars of U.S. religion about the role religion plays in the current political moment. The event is hosted by colleagues from our Ethnic Studies and History and Religious Studies departments. Please contact Amy Ferrell (amy.ferrell@ucdenver.edu) for more information if you are interested. Stay tuned for a possible mutual aid project, like a book drive, and happy Women’s History Month!
