Volume 3, Issue 10: March 11, 2021
R.I.S.E.* Up Newsletter
*Reinforcing Inclusion through Skill-building and Education
Image of author Alex Elle with quotation - You’re not a victim for sharing your story. You are a survivor setting the world on fire with your truth. And you never know who needs your light. your warmth. and raging courage.
Today marks one year since JCU first went into lockdown in response to the rapid spread of COVID-19 last March - closing residence halls, moving classes online and cancelling all in-person events. It is a bittersweet anniversary of the year that we have all experienced, with its highs and lows. We have learned that we are resilient and hope-filled. We have gained many new, hard-won skills. We have had to be creative in our work and in our personal lives. We have extended beyond our previous comfort zones and appreciated what we might have once taken for granted. We have adapted. 

Yet we know we are also exhausted. We are grieving. Recent articles in the Chronicle of Higher Education have argued that academic leadership is not talking enough about the mental health struggles of working through emotional exhaustion, and that we need to take time in our university communities to grieve and to take stock of what this year has meant for us. 

In the interests of taking stock, then, I want to encourage all of us to consider the following questions ( take a moment to jot down your thoughts, reflect on them silently, or share in conversation with those who support you):*

  • How are you doing? How has this year gone for you? 
  • What did you miss most when we "went virtual"?
  • What losses are you grieving most from this year?
  • What were your intentions and guiding values this past year?
  • How did you keep going when things got really hard?
  • What are you proud of from this past year?
  • What did you do that was remarkable?
  • What new ideas, innovations, and new ways of engaging helped you through this year? What might you integrate and keep doing as we move forward out of this year?
  • What former ways of working and living, what former policies and practices, do we need to analyze and revise in light of what we have learned this year?
  • What concerns and possible challenges do you see as we look ahead?
  • What are your intentions and guiding values as you look ahead to this next phase?
  • How can we support each other as we transition into what's next?
 
Over the next few weeks, watch your email for an invitation to participate in a series of spring listening sessions where we will gather to examine some of these questions, reflect on the year that has passed, and start to look forward in hope, individually and as a community. Our office remains available to hear from you on concerns and challenges as well as ideas for better supporting of each other. 

Alas, we are marking this anniversary, not with celebration, but with recognition. We have much to reflect on, consider, and find appreciation for despite it all. The tide seems to be turning on the pandemic due to vaccinations and herd immunity as we prepare for even more adjustments. We are grateful and encouraged. 

Through it all, we should all recognize that we have risen to the challenges. Despite losses, grief, obstacles, changes, discomfort, and uncertainty, we remain present. Weary yet hopeful. We now know how to smile behind masks and how to make connections despite distance. I am personally inspired by the possibilities that lie ahead. 
Headshot of Tiffany Galvin Green
Sincerely,

Tiffany Galvin Green, Ph.D.,
Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

* these questions are adapted from the "Lessons Learned" program developed by Dr. Kathy Obear of the Center for Transformation and Change.
Division Announcements
CSDI presents: A Night with Julissa Calderon
from the Netflix series "Gentefied"
Monday, March 15, 6:00 - 7:30 pm - via Zoom
promo image for Julissa Calderon event
Actress, writer and producer Julissa Calderon speaks with John Carroll University about identity, Hollywood, womanhood, her new guided journal "Manifest that Sh*t!" and more. Join us and speak with one of Hollywood's most dynamic upcoming actresses!

Contact Dr. Aaryn Green at axgreen@jcu.edu with questions or accommodation requests.

Learn more about Julissa: 

Official trailer for "Gentefied": 
Writing Your Own Story, Following Your Path:
A Conversation with Bryan Stromer
Thursday, March 18, 5:30-7:00 pm EST
We are delighted to welcome Bryan Stromer to JCU for a (virtual) conversation about the value of bringing one's whole self to whatever work one does, recognizing the value and power of intersectionality to encourage broader perspectives and social transformation.

Born with Cerebral Palsy, Bryan Stromer is a passionate advocate for the disability community. He serves as a Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft, where he founded and co-leads Microsoft's Disability in Marketing group. Last year he was named to the Forbes "30 under 30" list.

This program is being sponsored by the offices of the DEI Division: the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion, the Office of Student Accessibility Services, and the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, with support from the Inclusive Excellence Committee of the Boler College of Business.
Reyna Grande, Author of The Distance Between Us
March 23, 7:00-8:00 pm
Image of Reyna Grande with book cover of the book The Distance Between Us
Acclaimed author Reyna Grande will speak to the John Carroll University community on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, from 7-8 p.m.

Grande will discuss her bestselling memoir, The Distance Between Us, (Atria, 2012) in which she writes about her life before and after she arrived in the United States from Mexico as an undocumented child immigrant.

She has received an American Book Award, the El Premio Aztlán Literary Award, and the International Latino Book Award. Grande's work has appeared in The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News, CNN, The Lily at The Washington Post, and Buzzfeed, among others. In March 2020, she was a special guest on Oprah’s Book Club.

This program is sponsored by the Arrupe Program with support from the Office of University Mission and Identity, Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion, and the Program in Peace, Justice and Human Rights.

This webinar is free and open to John Carroll students, faculty, and staff, but registration is required.
The 21-Day Challenge for Racial Equity
and Social Justice has begun!
promo image for the YWCA Racial Equity Challenge
The DEI Division is encouraging ALL members of the JCU community to sign up for the 21-Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge this March. It began on Monday of this week, but there is still time to join in!

The Challenge is designed to create dedicated time and space to build more effective social justice habits, particularly those dealing with issues of race, power, privilege, and leadership. Each day of the challenge you will be presented with activities such as reading an article, listening to a podcast, reflecting on personal experience and more. Participation in an activity like this helps us to discover how racial injustice and social injustice impact our community, to connect with one another, and to identify ways to dismantle racism and other forms of discrimination. The Challenge starts on Monday, March 1st and continues (Monday –Friday) through March 29th. It is sponsored by the YWCA of Greater Cleveland.
Other happenings at JCU...
Arrupe Program "Power and Privilege" Conference
Saturday, March 13, 2021, 1:00-3:00 pm
JCU fleur-de-lis cross logo
Join the Arrupe Program this Saturday on Zoom for our annual Power and Privilege Conference. This year, our theme is advocacy. Learn about what it means to be an advocate and how you can create a culture of advocacy in your community! Register with the link below and you will receive more information and the Zoom link.
Promotional image for Signs and Wonders program with image of a Seder plate
image of Dr Noah Bickart
The Alumni Continuing Education Series presents:
Signs & Wonders: The Shared Story of Passover and Easter
Tuesday, March 23, 7-8 pm
Join Dr. Noah Bickart, visiting assistant professor of Theology and Religious Studies, for an online exploration of the origins of the Passover celebration. Learn about the religious world of the first century, and how Jews and Christians today look back on their shared history. This webinar is free and open to the public.
JCU attends the 21st Annual IRTF Social Justice Teach-In
Saturday, March 27,
10:30am-4pm - online
IRTF logo
Join JCU students, faculty and staff in attending Memoria y Resistencia: Reflections on Self-Identity and Communal Legacy, the 21st annual (and first virtual) IRTF Social Justice Teach-In, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Shemariah Arki, founder and program director for the Ellipsis Institute for Women of Color in the Academy.

This event is presented by the Inter-Religious Task Force on Central America, in conjunction with the CWRU Social Justice Institute, the Ellipsis Institute for Women of Color in the Academy, and Sankofa Circle International. Read more about the event here.

Contact Campus Ministry to register with the JCU group!
R.I.S.E. Higher: Featured Article of the Week
Stop Ignoring Microaggressions Against Your Staff
Three ways that professors and administrators,
intentionally or not, put staff ‘in their place.’
Chronicle of Higher Education, Lee Skallerup Bessette, March 8, 2021
“You don’t behave enough like staff,” I was told derisively by the tenured professor who was then my supervisor. Despite my Ph.D., my years of experience at various levels of higher education, and my long list of successes as a faculty developer, this supervisor insisted on pointing out my place within the academic hierarchy. I sat there, in silence, swallowing my anger and shame.

That wasn’t the first time I was reminded of my rank in academe, nor would it be the last.... [O]ut of all three labor categories — administration, faculty, staff — the staff is the most diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, and gender... and our status as staff members makes us a particular target. Within the structures of the institution, we have neither the protection of tenure and academic freedom nor the power and authority of an administrator.
Banner reads Watching Our Words
"guy"
Noun. A male person. "I just gave that guy his coffee."

When used in the plural, often describes a group of people regardless of gender identity: "Do you guys want to go grab a bite to eat?"
Particularly in Midwestern English, it is exceedingly common to hear the term "guys" used to refer informally to a group of people regardless of gender. The absence of a plural form of "you" in English leaves many people grasping for ways to indicate "I am addressing all of you" when speaking to a group. The common phrase "you guys," however, like other masculine-plural terms, has the unfortunate effect of erasing anyone in the group who does not identify as "a guy." (This problem is far less pronounced in the American South, where the gender-neutral term "y'all" serves this purpose admirably.)
Want to read more? Check out these articles:
The "Watching our Words" feature discusses words or phrases in common use in American English with derogatory or offensive origins. Do you have a word or phrase you'd like us to feature in "Watching our Words"? Drop it into our Suggestion Box and we will explore it in a future newsletter!
Announcements from our network...
DEI News in the AJCU Network
Updates from the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities
Logo of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities
Tuesday, March 16: Le Moyne College will host Ignatian Leadership: Wisdom and Insight from Trailblazing Women, featuring reflections on leadership and spirituality from administrators at Le Moyne, College of the Holy Cross, Gonzaga University and Loyola University Maryland. Check out other Women's History Month programs on the Le Moyne College website!
The Ignatian Solidarity Network presents:
"Solidarity on Tap" with Mary Wardell-Ghirarduzzi, Ph.D.
Wednesday, March 24, 9:00 pm ET
Mary Wardell-Ghirarduzzi
The Ignatian Solidarity Network will host educator and DEI thought leader Mary J. Wardell-Ghirarduzzi, Ph.D. for its next "Solidarity on Tap" program. Dr. Wardell has served as the inaugural vice provost and chief diversity officer (CDO) of (sister Jesuit school) the University of San Francisco since 2011 and is a leadership and organizational change professor in the USF School of Education and School of Management. Stream the program live at this link.
JARS webinar: Talking about Racism in Healthcare and Education
Saturday, March 13, 11:00 am EST
promo flyer for JARS webinar
The Jesuit Anti-Racism Sodality will host a webinar with Jesuits Mario Powell, S.J. and Lester Love, S.J. on the topic of racism in the healthcare and educational systems.

Open to all; registration required.
DEI in the Headlines -- Quick Takes:
signing_documents.jpg
President Biden signed a series of executive orders this week designed to address gender equity and voter suppression, including the establishment of a White House Gender Policy Council, ordering a review of all Title IX policies in the Department of Education, and expanding voter information, access and registration efforts at the federal level, especially in communities often overlooked in voter outreach efforts.
Photo of tired mother working at a laptop with a baby asleep on her chest
Female academics in the STEM fields, who already face a host of career obstacles, have found those challenges exacerbated by the pandemic, according to a report released on Tuesday by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The report, on women in academic sciences, engineering, and medicine, covers issues of lost productivity, colleges’ responses to the pandemic, and work/life balance (and boundaries). Two major takeaways: 1) a focus on responding to the pandemic by extending tenure clocks rather than reducing research expectations can also mean delaying professional advancement, and does nothing to ease pressure on those in non-tenure-track positions; and 2) those making most of the decisions on campus personnel issues are men, although those decisions have wide implications for female academics. (Photo credit: Gilles Guerraz on Flickr)
photo of a Black Lives Matter protest
A new study has found that cities and regions that experienced Black Lives Matter protests experienced a 15% to 20% decrease in police homicides -- which study authors conclude may have resulted in as many as 300 fewer deaths over 5 years. The study, posted in February as an online preprint item on the Social Science Research Network, is the first of its kind to measure a possible correlation between BLM and police homicide numbers. Read more in Scientific American. (Photo by Nicole Baster on Unsplash)
Other articles we're reading this week ...