Spark diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
The advancement of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (D.E.I.A.) at institutions of higher education has become more challenging amid legal restrictions and challenges, outcries against the promotion of D.E.I.A. education and history, and an ever-growing criticism for any supports and resources for those from marginalized communities. However, Syracuse University remains undeterred in its efforts to make its campus one where everyone feels welcomed and valued.
To showcase the tremendous diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility scholarship, administrative expertise and creative works that continuously occurs across campus, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion presents:
The D.E.I.A. Symposium
Oct. 3, 2023
8:30 a.m.- 5:30 p.m.
Schine Student Center
Registration for the symposium is closed.
The following are co-sponsors of The D.E.I.A. Symposium:
- Center on Disability and Inclusion
- College of Professional Studies
- Hendricks Chapel
- Office of Faculty Affairs
- Whitman School of Management
Symposium Themes
The DEIA Symposium received nearly 60 proposals from staff, students, and faculty that supported the below themes as outlined in the Syracuse University DEIA Strategic Plan:
- Communications—work that creates a community of transparency and promotes campus DEIA work.
- Disability Access—efforts made to remove campus barriers for people with disabilities.
- Inclusion and Belonging—enhancement of campus climate to create a sense of belonging for all.
- Learning and Development—campus education on key DEIA aspects and its implementation.
- Research and Assessment—conducting discovery, analysis and/or measurement of DEIA work.
Symposium Schedule
Check-In
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Goldstein Auditorium, 2nd Floor Entrance
Welcome and Plenary
8:45–9:30 a.m., Goldstein Auditorium
- Welcome Remarks by The D.E.I.A. Symposium co-chairs, Suzette M. Meléndez and Christina Papaleo
- Thanksgiving Address
- Plenary Address by Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, Mary Grace A. Almandrez
Block 1- Oral Presentations
9:40-10:25 a.m. , Schine Student Center
1.1 “Representation and Belonging: Sharing the Stories of Syracuse University” – Schine Student Center, Room 128
The Syracuse University Communications Division furthers the University’s goal of engaging and promoting diverse voices across many academic spectrums. Demonstrated through proactive news pitching and dynamic storytelling on news.syr.edu of diverse thought leaders, our presentation will detail the significance of this work and how it advances the University’s reputation and core mission.
1.2 “New Applications for Universal Design for Learning” – Schine Student Center, Room 228
This session will provide opportunities to obtain and apply foundational concepts of Universal Design for Learning (U.D.L.) in practical, collaborative ways. In this interactive workshop, participants will think critically about efforts to identify and remove existing barriers for people with varying degrees of ability and privileges. Furthermore, participants will be provided opportunities to examine work samples and case studies, apply principles that enhance campus climate to create a sense of belonging for all, exchange ideas on real-to-life scenarios in higher education, co-create knowledge, and broaden each other’s, as well as their own, understandings of U.D.L. as it relates to University processes and procedures.
1.3 “De-Mystifying Yoga and Mindfulness for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility: An Indigenous Perspective” – Schine Student Center, Room 304A
Research on yoga and mindfulness-based interventions have focused on the positive impact of yoga and mindfulness-based interventions on health, education, and work-related outcomes. However, the role of yoga and mindfulness-based interventions on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (D.E.I.A.) to foster greater inclusion and belonging has not been studied. In this presentation, the author will examine the history and key concepts of yoga and mindfulness from an indigenous perspective from South Asia, where these methods originated, along with a discussion on how it contributes to inclusion and belonging.
1.4 “Neurodiversity Community Gallery” – Schine Student Center, Room 304B
The Neurodiversity Community, as part of the Center on Disability and Inclusion, extends the work of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (D.E.I.A.) by offering events, professional development, accessibility initiatives, research projects, and other supports of critical importance to the success and well-being of neurodivergent students on campus. The identities of neurodivergent students, staff, and faculty encompass a wide range of intersections represented across all areas of campus. This presentation outlines our community’s activities and aims to normalize neurodivergent access needs all while envisioning an inclusive college future through a multimedia showcase that includes neurodivergent stakeholders’ aspirations.
Block 2 – Poster Presentations
10-11:30 a.m., Goldstein Auditorium 1st Floor Exterior Hallway
2.1 “Active Learning and Inclusive Pedagogies Through Course Transformations: Proof-of-Concept in Biology and Chemistry”
Recently, the biology and chemistry department concluded a five-year project supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) surrounding Inclusive Excellence in STEM. The project focused on creating an inclusive environment for students who are from groups underrepresented in STEM by supporting instructors and encouraging them to incorporate active learning and inclusive pedagogies into their curriculums. The project used a two-prong approach to support faculty; first, the faculty are invited to a paid, semi-annual professional development workshops which highlights the rationale and strategies for active learning and inclusive pedagogies. Topics have included, for example, identity exploration, course design, inclusive learning assessment, instructor talk, and structural equity. Secondly, instructors have been awarded course transformation grants along with (a) personalized consultation from the CHANcE team, which seeks to cerate an inclusive environment in biology and chemistry courses for underrepresented and first-generation students, and (b) participation in communities of practice to help them design and implement course changes.
2.2 “Belonging Abroad: Empowering Students through Syracuse Abroad’s D.E.I.A. Student Working Group”
This presentation will focus on the work of Syracuse Abroad’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (D.E.I.A.) Student Working Group to create a sense of belonging for all students studying abroad. Students face new challenges when they study and live outside of the United States in new cultural contexts, challenges that can be especially magnified for those with marginalized identities. The presentation will address the group’s intentions and accomplishments with a focus on how the student participants have driven the work and what they have learned from it.
2.3 “Community and Campus Relationship Building: A Piloted End of Year Project Envisions More Equitable, Inclusive and Sustainable Resource Management Theme: Learning and Development”
The Shaw Center for Public and Community Service, the Offices of Sustainability Management as well as South Campus and Off-Campus Living worked to relaunch an academic year-end collection of clothing, household supplies, and non-perishable food in spring 2023. This new initiative, ‘Cuse Collection, supports sustainability, equity, and inclusive community creation in two ways: first, by empowering all campus members to donate while trusting sustainable outcomes, and then by re-homing those donations through relationship-building with Syracuse area community organizations and non-profits. Our pilot program in Spring ‘23 connected undergraduate students from public health and writing service-learning courses with opportunities to connect with multiple area non-profits, allowing for the development of best practices for implementation in the 23/24 academic year and beyond.
2.4 “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility: The King + King Architecture Library Contribution”
This presentation will discuss how the King + King Architecture Library of Syracuse University integrates diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (D.E.I.A.) initiatives into its pedagogy. The objective of this initiative is to inform others that the library is a valuable resource, to educate students on how it can be utilized, and to use this initiative to expand the breadth of knowledge and scholarship it holds. Proposed actions which address D.E.I.A. include organizing discussions to raise awareness of the library’s existence, develop staff-led tours to walk students through the key resources available, and push initiatives that raise the caliber of the school’s research foundation.
2.5 “D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families: A Resource for Lessons Learned and Insights for Veterans and Military Families”
The D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (I.V.M.F.) at Syracuse University was established in 2011. The IVMF offers innovative programs in career, vocations, and entrepreneurship education, along with impactful research and policy analysis. It collaborates with communities and non-profits nationwide to enhance services for the 18 million U.S. veterans and their families. Our data-driven approach informs program improvements and our applied research addresses diverse veteran needs and a sense of belonging.
2.6 “Embracing Inclusivity: Incorporating Disability in the Teaching of Biomedical Engineering”
The value of inclusion and accessibility in the field of biomedical engineering has recently come to be more widely acknowledged. It is critical to investigate how disability may be included into the teaching of biomedical engineering as we work to build a more fair and inclusive society. In order to promote a more thorough and inclusive education for aspiring biomedical engineers, this work discusses a novel method for incorporating disability-related information and views into the curriculum. This presentation will cover effective strategies and concrete examples for incorporating disability-related content into biomedical engineering courses.
2.7 “Faculty Development on Flashpoints: Responding to Oppression, Privilege and Exclusions in Higher Education”
This presentation shares the Flashpoints project which is designed to provide faculty development around issues of oppression, marginalization and exclusion in higher education. Focus groups of students and faculty are being conducted to gather data and then critical vignettes will be designed and filmed based on the stories collected along with curricular materials to promote discussion and skill development. The project addresses multiple forms of diversity and will help faculty understand and respond to the complexities they encounter in their teaching and advising.
2.8 “More than Money – Why, How and What’s Next to Encourage Social and Emotional Learning in Personal Finance”
The Office of Financial Literacy Programs aims to tackle the difficult topic of money and financial wellness across the spectrum of experiences at Syracuse University. Utilizing trauma informed peer counseling, skill-building workshops, presentations and other collaborative programming, we meet each student where they are in their process, in spaces they feel most comfortable and confident, and allow them to ask questions that further their education and contribute to a greater sense of belonging at the University.
2.9 “S.O.A.R.: Supporting Outcomes and Healthcare Access for Refugees by Enhancing Interprofessional Training for Communication Sciences and Disorders Students”
Refugees have higher rates of trauma (Wofford & Tibi, 2018) which places them at risk for language disorder and auditory processing difficulties (Sylvestre et al., 2016; Papesh et al., 2019). However, despite initiatives developed to support populations experiencing complex trauma, clinicians report that they are unprepared and not confident in servicing English-language learners and refugee populations, citing inadequate graduate-level training (Maldonado et al., 2019). In response to this, we developed the S.O.A.R. Program, Supporting Outcomes and Healthcare Access to Refugees, a unique comprehensive training curriculum to increase students’ skills, knowledge, and perceived competency for providing culturally responsive trauma-informed services to refugees within an interdisciplinary framework.
2.10 “Spanish in Action: Fostering Bilingualism and Inclusion in Syracuse”
Our initiative, ‘Spanish in Action’, engages with the Syracuse area community to increase the awareness of the potential that the Spanish language and bilingualism have as an advancement tool for all members of our society. Our mission is to empower, educate, and connect the native and non-native Spanish speaking community to encourage inclusion and social justice through the use of Spanish. Our poster presentation will emphasize our efforts towards this goal, exemplify activities and encourage involvement in our initiative.
2.11 “STEMMing the Postdoc Leak: Fostering Peer Community Building and Persistence”
The absence of supportive communities and campus connections for women postdoctoral researchers in S.T.E.M.M. (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine) significantly impacts retention, suppresses resilience, and restricts access to information and resources (Casad et al., 2020). Community is essential at a time that is marked by many personal and career transitions, making a temporary situation feel even more tenuous (Ysseldyk et al., 2019). In this poster, Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) will address inclusion and belonging among women postdoctoral researchers and an informal peer mentoring model that has had significant impact.
2.12 “What are Your Options?: Reimagining Inclusion and Belonging on Campus”
The office of the University Ombuds is a confidential and independent space for all graduate students to share their conflicts and seek options for resolution. We continually work towards reiterating inclusion and a sense of belonging in all spheres across campus. The poster presentation will thus be the culmination of concrete strategies employed by the office as well as empirically researched recommendations for academic departments, administrative offices, and student organizations to enhance the overall cultural and academic experience of students at SU.
Block 3 – Oral Presentations
10:35–11:20 a.m., Schine Student Center
3.1 “Disability Cultural Center Sponsored Events Promote Social Justice Growth on Campus” – Schine Student Center, Room 128
The Disability Cultural Center (DCC) acts as a resource across campus to expose the richness of disability culture. Celebrating and supporting Disability culture on campus allows disabled people to unite and share a common identity and that is the heart of this diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (D.E.I.A.) proposal. With the re-establishment of the Disability Student Union and the establishment of the Disability Pride Living Learning Community, our presentation will examine how these supports, along with participation in activities and affinity groups sponsored by the DCC help frame a positive Disability identity with beliefs, experiences, and feelings that allow individuals to value their disability and develop pride in that part of themselves.
3.2 “The Dimensions of Dialogue: Cultivating Community Through Conversations” – Schine Student Center, Room 228
This presentation will explore the power of critical dialogue in building community, belonging, and connection. Using the Dimensions mentoring program for women-of-color at Syracuse University as a case study, it will illustrate how courageous conversations centered on identity, adversity, and the student experience can cultivate sisterhood and support. By modeling Dimensions’ ethos of love, humility, trust and critical thinking in weekly forums, students build a network of care that helps anchor them during college. The objective is to demonstrate how universities and programs can leverage intentional, human-centered dialogue to foster community, empower student voices, and enrich the college journey.
3.3 “Common Challenges and Best Practices in Cultivating Inclusive Praxis: An Interdisciplinary Conversation Among Architecture, Business, Engineering and Law Professionals” – Schine Student Center, Room 304B
An interdisciplinary group of practitioner-researchers proposes to conduct a panel discussion to share workplace challenges that permeate teaching and learning, and their impacts on health and wellness, and how best to affect changes in both academia and practice
3.4 “The BioInspired Institute CAREER Program: Pilot Study and Lessons Learned “- Schine Student Center, Room 304A
The BioInspired Institute has developed the Career Acceleration via Rigorous Educational Experiences in Research (CAREER) program to break down well-documented practices that prevent underrepresented students from accessing and persisting in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduate and graduate programs. Barriers include lack of pre-college experiences in which students can form a STEM identity, admissions policies rooted in exclusionary practices that fail to account for students’ unique strengths and circumstances, and lack of coordinated campus-based supports for students through their education, in particular a supportive cohort of peers, and research and classroom experiences with faculty trained in inclusive pedagogical and mentoring practices. Overall, we have hosted more than 40 students, 95% of whom identified as belonging to underrepresented minority group. No fewer than 15 faculty and staff from all three partner institutions, as well as government and industry experts, met with our participants to present lightning talks, run professional development workshops, and share on-campus resources.
Block 4 – Oral Presentations
11:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m., Schine Student Center
4.1 “Dolls4Peace Memorial: Liberatory Community Art Action and Praxis” – Schine Student Center, Room 128
This “Doll Project” developed as a grassroots approach to arts-based social change—an ongoing cycle of creation, reflection, and action with the hope to create a wave of healing and understanding through impacted Chicago communities. This process was intended to engage communities and embody the use of creativity to shift power and flatten hierarchies, largely by building up leadership of those most impacted by violence. The art of doll making was used to memorialize victims of gun violence in the city in record-high years of murders, while simultaneously creating a memorial of resistance, and initiating community-based adaptive change practices for social equity, connectedness, and liberation.
4.2 “The Power of Creating and Sustaining Community as Black, Indigenous, People-of-Color (BIPOC) Graduate Students at a Predominantly White Institution” – Schine Student Center, Room 228
Graduate school is inherently challenging. Students with marginalized identities face unique challenges related to limited representation of those identities, to collectivist values amidst competitive learning environments, and to returning to academia amidst a global pandemic. Gaps in support put students of color at a disadvantage within institutions of education since their inception. Of the few things that sustain and retain students of color, sense of belonging and community has always been at the forefront.
4.3 “Immersive Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility -Themed Virtual Reality Experiences and User Engagement, Emotion and Empathy” – Schine Student Center, Room 304A
In the Extended Reality Lab at SU, an interdisciplinary team of researchers are studying immersive Virtual Reality (VR) storytelling techniques that are used in diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (D.E.I.A.)-themed VR experiences, and how specific techniques affect users’ cognitive, emotional, and empathetic engagement. This study will contribute to ongoing conversations about how VR can be used for effective teaching and learning about diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. On a larger scale, the study has the potential to affect immersive VR research design by highlighting storytelling techniques that can increase awareness about DEIA-themed topics.
4.4 “Roundtable Discussion: What is Trans Inclusivity in Our Current Political Climate?” – Schine Student Center, Room 304B
2023 has brought an unprecedented number of anti-trans legislature in the United States. Over 550 anti-trans bills have been introduced, over 80 have become laws, and over 350 are still active. In this roundtable, the LGBTQ Resource Center will bring together Syracuse University campus partners to discuss what trans-inclusivity looks like in the current political climate. What are the mental health implications for trans and nonbinary individuals? How are trans and nonbinary individuals legally protected? What resources are available on campus and within the Central New York community? We invite students, staff, and faculty to join us at this roundtable as we raise awareness, exchange ideas, and discuss ways to collaborate in supporting members of the trans and nonbinary community.
Lunch and Keynote Panel Discussion, Goldstein Auditorium
12:25 p.m.–Lunch
1–1:45 p.m. – Keynote Panel Discussion
“Undeterred: Syracuse University’s Unique Connection to Affirmative Action and Our Next Steps” featuring:
- Chancellor Kent Syverud
- Vice Chancellor and Provost, Chief Academic Officer Gretchen Ritter
- Senior Vice President and Chief Student Experience Officer Allen Groves
The panel discussion will be moderated by Associate Provost for Strategic Initiatives Marcelle Haddix.
Questions for the keynote panel discussion must be pre-submitted by Sept. 25.
Block 5 – Oral Presentations
2–2:45 p.m., Schine Student Center
5.1 “Skills Development/Intervention Techniques Workshop on Mitigating Implicit Bias in Work Teams and Organizational Policies” – Schine Student Center, Room 128
There is a critical need for experts in organizations and policy to not only research social exclusion, bias, and discrimination as these uphold longstanding systems of oppression, but to teach skills to creatively solve these problems for next-generation professionals—and for everyone. The faculty expertise in this workshop is organized around modeling creative and collaborative strategies for two themes: “bystander intervention” and “strategic conflict transformation,” whereby a relationship is strengthened with effective conflict management and participants feel equipped to name policies and structures that exclude or create barriers to access.
5.2 “Toward a More Anti-racist and Inclusive Promotion and Tenure Policy and Procedure”- Schine Student Center, Room 228
Knowing that promotion and tenure historically and currently have disparate outcomes and experiences for faculty with marginalized identities, and specifically including racial identity, the School of Education (SOE) Promotion and Tenure (P&T) Committee took up the charge of revising our P&T documents to work toward a more anti-racist and inclusive P&T policy and procedures. The presentation will cover the process, identified issues, resulting conceptual ideas, and the steps we have taken to move our policies and procedures to better represent anti-racist and inclusive values.
5.3 “Designing a Home College Experience at Newhouse” – Schine Student Center, Room 304AB
All incoming Newhouse first-year students since fall 2021 have been enrolled in the Newhouse Home Coming Experience (HCE). Students completed three modules that explored their relationship with media, analyzed content related to representation of different social categories (e.g., race, gender, ability), and applied these lessons to an activity that varied with each semester. This presentation will describe the evolution of this program as well some observations about first year students’ media habits post pandemic.
Block 6 – Oral Presentations
2:55–3:40 p.m., Schine Student Center
6.1 “Mitigating the Racial Wealth Gap in the United States: Multi-disciplinary Perspectives and the Potential Impact of Collaborative Approaches by Faculty, Staff, and Students” – Schine Student Center, Room 128
Syracuse University Lender Center for Social Justice is engaging with multi-disciplinary faculty and approaches to address factors contributing to and/or mitigating the racial wealth gap in the United States. The racial wealth gap crosses every industry, economic status, and across generations. While the emphasis is to study this phenomenon in the United States, it undoubtedly occurs more broadly internationally. The faculty expertise specifically shared in this presentation considers immigrant/refugee populations in their ability to access work; efforts to re-enter the workforce by individuals with a history of incarceration; the impact of the lived environment on individuals’ economic mobility; and the role organizations can play in implementing policies that create more access to employment and the achievement of equity.
6.2 “What I Wish My Professor Knew: A Syracuse University Workshop in Fostering Inclusion Through Faculty Advising Relationships” – Schine Student Center, Room 228
Disparities in access, support, and retention of underrepresented minority students, or U.R.M., remain a challenge in higher education. Syracuse University offers an array of initiatives and programming surrounding diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (D.E.I.A.). However, the majority of these programs are designed for students (Syracuse University, n.d.). Although these programs are helpful in mitigating harmful effects on a student level, it lacks the same intentionality with faculty. This workshop aims to utilize critical-thinking and collaboration to examine real-life scenarios between faculty and U.R.M. students, then applying pedagogical practices to foster community and inclusion during one-on-one advising sessions.
6.3 “Student Success Standpoints: Infusing Womn of Color’s Perspectives in Higher Education” – Schine Student Center, Room 304AB
The panel features Womn of Color engaged in research to advance student success using anti-deficit practices. Drawing on Black feminist thought (Collins, 2000) and the anti-deficit achievement framework (Harper, 2010), panelists will share standpoints to broaden how student success can be conceptualized in higher education. In addition to sharing promising practices, panelists will guide attendees through the process of proposing initiatives to foster the success of marginalized college students based on anti-deficit standpoints.
Block 7 – Poster Presentations
3–4:30 p.m., Goldstein Auditorium – 1st Floor Exterior Hallway
7.1 “The American Dream in the 21st Century”
This work defines the American Dream, discusses the psychology of the American Dream, and describes the evolution of the American Dream paradox over six centuries – specifically ensuring opportunity for some while systematically inhibiting opportunity for others. The phrase “American Dream” is used to universally connect with audiences because of its simultaneously concrete imagery and its nebulous promise that one’s future will be better by simply being in the geographic confines of the United States. This interactive poster presentation will feature media artifacts produced by student as well as quotes and themes across 200+ conversations from 2021-2023.
7.2 “Bridging the Gap: The Department of Public Safety (D.P.S.) and the Campus Community”
Our objective during the 2022-2023 academic year was to increase our proactive community engagement. This presentation will highlight specific initiatives, both within the department and the campus community, that helped us achieve this goal.
7.3 “Designing for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access: Proposals for a Youth Hostel in Syracuse, New York by First Year Architecture Students”
In the required design studio in spring semester 2023, first-year architecture students contended with multiple meanings of “access,” and explored their ideas in a youth hostel design. Youth Hostels have a long history of promoting mental and physical health of urban life, while enabling young people to explore the globe. This poster proposal will exhibit nine design projects, and hopes to start a conversation about challenges and aspirations for making spaces accessible for all.
7.4 “Embracing Diversity: Multiracial Identities in Educational Spaces”
We are the presidents of the Multiracial Student Union at Syracuse University, where we have created a space for the mixed race and trans-racial students of Syracuse to share their experiences as young people growing into their identities as people with multiracial backgrounds. We ran the same organization in our high school and developed a tight-knit, supportive community where members gained confidence in their ethnic and racial identities. We hope to communicate the need for other high schools and colleges alike to promote spaces for students with multiracial identities to share their common experiences.
7.5 “Health Disparities Among Transgender, Non-binary, and Cisgender Undergraduate College Students: Findings from the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA) III”
In this presentation, we will present on research in which we examined differences in various health-related outcomes of cisgender male and female, transgender male and female, and non-binary undergraduate students. We will discuss that our results showed that transgender men, transgender women, and nonbinary undergraduates reported significantly worse health than cisgender men and cisgender women in many ways (e.g., psychological distress, sleep problems, and several mental and physical health diagnoses). We will also discuss reasons that may explain these results and their implications for transgender and non-binary students on college campuses.
7.6 “Integrating Intangible Heritage in Syracuse Museums Project”
The presentation introduces the Integrating Intangible Heritage in Syracuse Museums Project, a multifaceted and interdisciplinary exercise that explores how the SU Art Museum and the Onondaga Historical Association are, or could be, engaging with intangible cultural heritage and, by extension, the local cultural communities that could potentially identify with specific intangible cultural heritage within these spaces. Overall, the project presents a strategy for fostering diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in museum collections and work.
7.7 “Partnership for Inclusive Education: A Student-Faculty Partnership to Create Culturally Responsive Learning Environments at Syracuse University”
This poster outlines the purpose and achievements of the Partnership for Inclusive Education (P.I.E.). The P.I.E. program, launched in fall 2020 by the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence and the Shaw Center, seeks to make the academic environment a common effort, not only by faculty for students, but with them as actors. By inviting students (not enrolled in the course) and faculty to share their perspectives on teaching and learning through a semester-long partnership, we are creating a culturally responsive academic environment to increase students’ sense of belonging therefore promoting academic success for everyone.
7.8 “Reimagining Fashion: Empowering Diversity through Inclusive Design and Sizing”
The “Inclusive Design and Sizing Fashion” course is a transformative experience that empowers students to create garments that cater to diverse body types and abilities, embracing the belief that fashion should be all-encompassing. Students challenged conventional norms, addressing biases in sizing, representation, and accessibility in the fashion industry. The fashion design program aspires to cultivate fashion professionals advocating inclusivity, disrupting norms, and nurturing a compassionate fashion industry. We invite stakeholders in the fashion industry to embrace inclusive design that reshapes fashion’s boundaries and celebrates diversity, contributing to a more stylish and inclusive future.
7.9 “Shared Experience Week in the First Year Seminar: Creating, Collaborating, and Community Engagement”
The First Year Seminar (FYS) team will present a poster that details the purpose and benefits of the Shared Experience Week during FYS 101. Shared Experience Week has been an integral aspect of FYS 101 since its inception in fall 2021, as it connects first year and transfer students to various campus resources at Syracuse University to expand their knowledge and awareness of engagement opportunities and activities. This poster presentation will utilize data from student feedback, and visual aids, including photos and testimonials from students. The aim of the poster is to showcase how incorporating campus partnerships into the curriculum enhances students’ integration into the greater campus community and creates a more positive campus climate.
7.10 “Strength in Difference: Forming a Diverse Tutoring Cohort for Academic Empowerment”
Many college students hesitate to seek academic support viewing tutoring as stigmatizing. This is especially true for marginalized students who face stereotyping and may not realize how commonly students transitioning to college experience academic challenges. Enabling tutoring participants to meet tutors “like me” can reduce stigma and encourage participation. The Center for Learning and Student Success (CLASS) has a successful track record of hiring tutors who previously participated in tutoring, but recruiting a diverse team of peer tutors consistently each semester had proved challenging. To change this, we centered this year’s assessment efforts around intentional hiring of a diverse peer tutoring staff.
7.11 “Translating The Stone Building: Translation, Cross-Cultural Communication, and Linguistic Justice to/for the Other”
This presentation centers on translation as a means for cross-cultural understanding, linguistic inclusion, and ethical communication. English translations of world languages have often served as (mis)understanding of other cultures. My presentation invites the audience to revisit translation in the context of guest-host relations. If English is the (powerful) host in this case, what makes for just hospitality and cross-cultural understanding?
Block 8 – Lightning Round Presentations
3:50–4:20 p.m., Schine Student Center
8.1 Lightning Round 1 – Schine Student Center, Room 128
a. “Enhancing Students’ Inclusion and Belonging by Developing Meaningful Mathematics Literacy in the Place We Now Call Home”
How can educators and other campus leaders take up the responsibility of enhancing students’ inclusion and belonging? In this talk, we answer this question by showcasing the ongoing action research of students and faculty concerned with supporting all students’ meaningful math learning. We will provide insight into our task design and research on how course experiences can enhance students’ inclusion and belonging in mathematics. We will detail what a culturally and historically responsive literacy framework is, how it can be leveraged to design rich tasks, and how students are responding to those tasks.
b. “Ensuring All Students Succeed: Steps to Help Students with Dyscalculia in General Chemistry”
General Chemistry is a foundational course for many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (S.T.E.M.) majors, as a result it plays an important role in the pathway of students obtaining a degree in a STEM field. Students who struggle with General Chemistry tend to struggle with the math. Dyscalculia a type of neurodiversity that is characterized by difficulty in working with numbers, equations, and symbols. This can make a course like General Chemistry especially challenging as there are many new symbols and equations. Steps were made to how equations and calculations were reviewed in class as well as how they were written in the notes. These steps were found to not only help students with dyscalculia but other students as well.
8.2 Lightning Round 2 – Schine Student Center, Room 228
a. “Where Are Your Feet”
This presentation will share more about the Onondaga Nation’s Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the lands where Syracuse University was built.
b. “A SENSES Playlist: Remixing DEIA Praxis through Creative Narratives”
The SENSES Project teaches sound recording to marginalized students at Syracuse University, specifically those in the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Program (HEOP) and TRIO Student Support Services (SSS). SENSES provides HEOP, SSS, and non-program students the equipment, instruction, and space for self-exploration and expression through Hip-Hop/music/beat-making, podcasting, and other multi-modal creation. For The D..E.I.A. Symposium, Amy Messersmith, associate director, HEOP and Trio SSS, and Nick Piato, SENSES/HEOP program coordinator, will work with students, staff, and faculty who frequent the SENSES lab to compile a share-out of creative works developed and recorded in The SENSES Project’s Audio Lab and Podcasting Program that speak to the symposium theme of “Inclusion and belonging.” HEOP and SSS are programs within the School of Education’s Center for Academic Achievement and Student Development.
8.3 Lightning Round 3 – Schine Student Center, Room 304AB
a. “The Adaptive Design Triad: Co-Creation Requires Humility and Self Reflection”
The famous designer of the Raymond Lowey, once said, ‘design is too important to be left to designers.’ Over 70 years later, designers are still taught to be the lone creative genius. Collaborative design (co-design) or co-creation is not a new concept. However, we suggest that there is little shared understanding how best to co-create in an equitable manner where all voices are heard. How do we educate, coach, mentor the next generation of designers to partner with people with disabilities to foster co-creation spaces with humility, curiosity and hope?
b. “The Renaissance of Disabled Artists at Syracuse University”
Following the announcement of the world premiere of How to Dance in Ohio at Syracuse Stage, I was determined to find ways to promote the work of not only the Disabled artists coming to our campus but also those who were already part of our community. With the resources I discovered while working on this production, I was able to establish new pathways to showcase the artwork of our disabled students, staff, and faculty. In addition to spreading awareness of these events, this presentation will demonstrate the feasibility of organizing future ones to create more opportunities and implement more accessible practices for disabled artists at Syracuse University.
c. “Time, Memory and Displaced Tension: Mapping Asian Americans”
This presentation focuses on how students can utilize University funding such as Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (S.O.U.R.C.E. ) to create opportunities of creative work which examines and integrates students’ lived experience within their higher education. Examining ourselves and others closely as local case studies, we can map specific instances of how the above conditions affect spatial relations. The project includes documentation of personal journals by the team, oral histories conducted with identified members of Asian and Asian American heritage, and an archive of existing architecture student work on this topic. Research will be used to create a book outlining our creative process – personal essays, interviews, design ideas.
Closing and Social Networking
4:30–5:30 p.m., Goldstein Auditorium
- Closing Remarks by The D.E.I.A. Symposium co-chairs, Suzette M. Meléndez and Christina Papaleo
- Cultural Performances
- Social and Networking
Registration for the symposium is now closed.