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Home 2023 Day of Collective Action Session Descriptions

2023 Day of Collective Action Session Descriptions


Exploring an Hispanic Serving Institution Presidential Session
(9:15 a.m.-12 p.m., Child Hall, David Eccles School of Business)

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Anne-Marie Núñez

Institutions of higher learning across the U.S. are becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. Latinx students are accessing higher education in greater numbers than ever before, which has driven the growth in the number of colleges and universities becoming emerging Hispanic Serving Institutions (eHSIs) or Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). The diversity of student populations served at HSIs demands a comprehensive approach that addresses their particular experiences and needs. This track focuses on exploring how HSIs can intentionally serve and support the plurality of Latinx and other minoritized students at their institutions. The aim is to discuss how universities can implement practices and processes tailored to Latinx students that create a thriving university experience through authentic support, belonging and pathways for continued success.

Student Veteran 101
(9:15 a.m.-10:30 a.m., Union, Saltair Room)

Presenters: Faa Taupau & Brittany Lambert

Student veterans are uniquely positioned for academic achievement and success due to their military training, personal characteristics, work ethic and steadfast commitment. We will talk about the student veteran and what they bring to our campuses and the challenges they face in education.

Developing an Anti-Racism Plan
(9:15 a.m.-10:30 a.m., Dumke Auditorium, UMFA)

Presenter: Dean McGovern

Ending institutionalized racism begins with you and your team. Now is the time to reflect deeply, examine your organization and draw up a plan to build a more inclusive, equitable and antiracist university.

How Students’ Financial Wellness can Impact Equity within Higher Education
(9:15 a.m.-10:30 a.m., Alumni House, Ballroom C)

Presenter: Branden Dalley

College affordability is a unique and critical issue within higher education. This issue has the potential to affect every current and future college student but has a greater impact on those from low-income families who may not have the means to pay for college without loans. This study sought to examine if student financial knowledge, attitudes and intended behaviors are related to college students’ financial education and experiences and what role students’ identity plays.

Basic Needs are Basic: Addressing College Student Poverty to Promote Success
(9:15 a.m.-10:30 a.m., S.J. Quinney College of Law, Multipurpose Room)

Presenter: Sarah Elizabeth Garza-Levitt

The Basic Needs Collective is an interdisciplinary team committed to fostering belonging and justice at the University of Utah through a robust model of prevention, intervention and relief efforts. Join this session to learn more about basic needs work and how to get involved.

Indigenous Presence, Weaponry and (Un)Belonging
(9:15 a.m.-10:30 a.m., Guest House, Granite Ballroom)

Presenter: Amanda Tachine

Amanda R. Tachine (Navajo) is an assistant professor in Educational Leadership & Innovation at Arizona State University. Amanda’s research explores the relationship between systemic and structural histories of settler colonialism and the ongoing erasure of Indigenous presence and belonging in college settings using qualitative Indigenous methodologies. She is the author of the award-winning book Native Presence and Sovereignty in College.

Gender and Impacts on Higher Education
(10:45 a.m.-Noon, Union, Saltair Room)

Presenter: Katie Valdez & Shelby Hearn

The Women’s Resource Center and LGBT Resource Center present a seminar exploring the connections between gender, power and higher education at a 101+ level. This seminar includes group activity and discussion that encourages analysis of the concepts of gender and gender-based oppression, as well as identification and analysis of these concepts within the context of higher education.

Connecting Practices to Strategic Metrics/Outcomes
(10:45 a.m.-Noon, Dumke Auditorium, UMFA)

Presenters: Bryan Hubain, Jake Lemon & Jose Rodriguez

Although assessment initiatives for equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) can provide administrators with valuable insights for strategic decision-making, too often they are met with inaction or obscurity that hinders meaningful and timely work from getting done. The purpose of this session is to provide attendees with steps to intentionally connect practices and actions with metrics/outcomes data related to EDI work at the University of Utah. We will cover topics such as making data accessible, developing collaborative partnerships across campus, identifying methodology and results in a transparent fashion and following-through with recommendations before conducting additional assessment projects. Presenters will identify relevant examples and implications from their experiences conducting EDI assessment projects that will help administrators at the U.

Constructing an Anti-Racism Statement for your Office or Department
(10:45 a.m.-Noon, S.J. Quinney College of Law, Multipurpose Room)

Presenter: Valerie Flattes

This seminar will outline the steps to developing an antiracism statement for your department or unit. There may be time to start a draft during the session.

If We Can Do It, So Can You: Equity-Centered Community Building
(10:45 a.m.-Noon, Alumni House, Ballroom C)

Presenters: Ana Sanchez-Birkhead, Karen Marsh-Schaeffer, Beth Mitchell, Jessica M. Hurtado & Nancy A. Allen

This session will be led by a group of University of Utah employees who participated in the 2022 cohort of the New Leadership Academy Fellows program. The facilitators represent different departments and specialties and recognize that leadership development must evolve in order to address the changing competencies, skills and compassion needed to lead from where we are. With our NLA-acquired knowledge, tools and courage, we will be helping participants come up with an action plan for how they, too, can lead in their current or future positions.

Panel: Working with Native Communities
(10:45 a.m.-Noon, Guest House, Granite Ballroom)

Moderator: Cynthia Benally
Panelists: Beatriz Trejo, Joaquin Lopezhuertas, Jessie Campman & Fiona Summers

The College of Education Working with Native Communities Certificate program prepares graduate students of diverse backgrounds and academic studies for professional work with Native communities by deepening their learning about the historical context and contemporary challenges facing Indigenous peoples in the United States. The panelists will share their experience working with Native communities and highlight tools, resources and best practices.

Reframing the Conversation: Driving Belonging on a Diverse Campus
(12:15 p.m.-1:30 p.m., Welcome Center, Gardner Commons)

Moderator: Susie Porter | Panelists: Rodney T. Cohen, Thomas Chase Hagood, Steve Robinson and Cassie Zamora-Cathcart

Higher education is increasingly diverse due in large part to the growing diversity of our students. In this Reframing the Conversation discussion, we’ll examine how universities and colleges can foster belonging and inclusion on campuses where students increasingly come from a variety of backgrounds and bring a multitude of perspectives, experiences and values. We’ll explore new practices for engaging students in the planning and execution of events and activities — and we’ll investigate how resources can be used to affirm student identities and serve as welcoming spaces for diverse communities. Click on this link for more details and to watch live stream. 

Exploring Hispanic Serving Institutions Workshop
(2-3:15 p.m., Child Hall, David Eccles School of Business)

Presenter: Paméla Cappas-Toro

• Jewish Student Identity, Inclusion, and Anti-Semitism on Campus
(2-3:15 p.m., Alumni House, Ballroom C)

Presenter: Tina Malka

Creating Black at the U
(2-3:15 p.m.; virtual only, register here)

Presenter: Ephraim Kum & Meligha Garfield

This will be a collaborative discussion involving Black undergrad students, grad students, staff and faculty and focuses on what Black culture looks and can look like at the U.

The Daily Practice of Anti-Racism Work
(2-3:15 p.m., Dumke Auditorium, UMFA)

Presenters: Karen Tao, Cristi Creal, Susanna Cohen & Candace Chow

You and your team have developed an anti-racism action plan and now it is time to do the daily practice of anti-racism work. This interactive session will demonstrate successful daily practices that have brought departmental action plans to life. We will discuss projects that: deepen clinical encounters; apply an Equity Literacy Framework to course planning; and train interprofessional collaborators in multicultural orientation and communication strategies. Participants will then work together to design and plan for a daily anti-racism practice.

A Black Experience on Heart Health Care: Racial Medical Neglect and Cardio Treatment at the University of Utah — A Personal Journey
(2-3:15 p.m., S.J. Quinney College of Law, Multipurpose Room)

Presenters: Laurence Parker and Jill Waldron

The purpose of this presentation is to raise awareness and knowledge about the impact of lesser known diseases that have a direct impact on the cardio health of Black Americans and Black populations. One of them is hereditary amyloidosis. Laurence Parker, a professor and chair of the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy, and Jill Waldron, chief nurse practitioner of the amyloidosis cardio team at Huntsman/University Hospital, will lead a discussion centered on Laurence’s personal story on the medical racial neglect that has been in this area and how the University of Utah cardio hospital doctors, nurses and staff are trying to address this issue.

Meet & Greet to Learn More about the #MeAndWhiteSupremacy 28-day Challenge
(2-3:15 p.m., Marriott Library, Room 1705 F)

Presenter: Allyson Mower

Layla Saad’s book Me & White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor offers a chance for readers to explore how white supremacy influences our daily lives. Readers get introduced to terms like “white centering,” “white exceptionalism” and “white silence.” The book guides readers through daily journaling and introspection and is meant for all age ranges, but the author recommends it primarily for those who identify as white. Everyone is welcome to attend the book discussion after the 28-day challenge ends. At the event, Librarian Allyson Mower will greet you, show you how to access the library’s ebook, and talk with you about your interest in reading the book and participating in a book discussion with others after the 28-day challenge ends on March 8, 2023.

Braiding Our Identities to Build Community
(2-3:15 p.m., Guest House, Granite Ballroom)

Presenters: Tashina Barber & Hailee Roberts

Participants will engage in the Personal Identity Wheel to identify and reflect on intersecting identities and shared lived experiences from an Indigenous lens. Students will find common ground with their peers, learn more about one another and build community through intersecting identities. This activity will cultivate a community that honors diverse lived experiences.