Volume 3, Issue 9: March 4, 2021
R.I.S.E.* Up Newsletter
*Reinforcing Inclusion through Skill-building and Education
Image of Hallie Quinn Brown with quotation - Let us remember that we are making our own history. Let us not ask what shall we do with our newly acquired power. Rather what manner of women are we going to be.
Happy Women's History month!

This month, our community book club is learning about an under-reported element of women's history in the United States: the Black women leaders (such as suffragist leader Hallie Quinn Brown, featured above) whose organizing has been transforming the American political landscape since the early part of the 19th century. The Washington Post featured many of their stories in its video this week about The Black women who changed America's future. It is a history worth telling!

Even as we learn about the formidable leaders in our own history, we confront the reality that in many contexts -- including higher education -- women still face persistent obstacles to gender equity. A study released this week by the Eos Foundation, entitled "The Power Gap Among Top Earners at America’s Elite Universities” showed that startlingly few of the highly paid positions at top institutions go to women, even as women are increasingly over-represented at all levels of education. The effect is multiplied for women of color, who are virtually absent from these rolls.

This is also a concern in the classroom, where female-identified instructors fare poorly on student teaching evaluations, as demonstrated by a recent metastudy of data on student teaching evaluations which found that "factors including an instructor’s gender, race, ethnicity, accent, sexual orientation or disability status affect student ratings." The study goes on to highlight that "male instructors are perceived as more accurate [than female instructors] in their teaching, more educated, less sexist, more enthusiastic, competent, organized, easier to understand, prompt in providing feedback, and they are less penalized for being tough graders, according to the study." Even worse, "in studies involving identical online course designs involving a hypothetical male or female instructor, students rate the male instructor more highly than the female one." See this week's Inside Higher Ed article about these findings here.

So how can we combat these challenges?  Learning more our histories, and all identities included in those histories is important. Increasing your awareness of the various experiences of women - ALL WOMEN - is an important start. This is the value of celebrating Women’s History Month. Look for the stories you haven’t heard. Search for the role of women across all identities in places where they haven’t been discussed. We ( women ) are everywhere in history and in need of more recognition in the present. 

Our office would like to offer a few other suggestions for action, building on our content in this week’s newsletter:

  • avoid gender bias when writing letters of reference
  • notice the power and value of intersectionality with disability advocate and Microsoft marketing professional Bryan Stromer
  • listen to and learn about the experiences of immigrant women with author Reyna Grande
  • challenge yourself to see the connections between forms of oppression with the YWCA of Greater Cleveland's 21-Day Challenge for Racial Equity and Social Justice, and even
  • pay attention to your language with words like "bossy." (See "Watching our Words," below)

Lastly, tomorrow, March 5th, marks Employee Appreciation Day - a day set aside in the U.S. to commemorate the hard work and contributions made by staff which allow for any organization to operate successfully. As a member of the University's senior leadership team, I would like to thank all of our JCU employees - staff, faculty, and students - who work to make our community an effective learning and serving institution. 

Thanks for being part of our journey!
Headshot of Tiffany Galvin Green
Sincerely,

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



Will you be writing letters of recommendation for students this spring? Use this quick reference guide from the University of Arizona's Commission on the Status of Women to help you avoid injecting gender bias into your reference letters!
Division Announcements
Demonstrating Mission and Inclusivity:
How to Link Your Work to the Mission
Friday, March 5, 2021, 2:00 pm
JCU fleur-de-lis cross logo
In this workshop, we will explore ways to help employees understand how they can demonstrate a commitment to the John Carroll University mission and inclusivity. Participants will walk away with practical suggestions for productive conversations and goal setting that they can use to effectively answer mission-driven questions in the Annual Performance Review process.

Facilitated by Tiffany Galvin Green, Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Ed Peck, Vice President for University Mission and Identity. Part of the Human Resources training series. For more information, contact Jasmine Lastery at jlastery@jcu.edu.
Writing Your Own Story, Following Your Path:
A Conversation with Bryan Stromer
Thursday, March 18, 5:30-7:00 pm EST
Bryan Stromer
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.

Students: Please complete your required
online Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Course!
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Over the years, students have often asked how they can support or be a part of the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion’s mission and work. One concrete way to contribute is to complete both parts of our online course “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Students” designed by EverFi.

We want to remind students to complete this course and we also want to thank all the students who have completed both parts of the course. Part I takes 45 minutes to complete (due March 26th, 2021) and Part II requires only 5 minutes to complete.

As a community, we grow stronger as we learn more about how to best create inclusive spaces through opportunities like this training. In this course, students will:
  • Learn about key concepts related to identity, bias, power, privilege and oppression.
  • Understand the benefits of being part of a diverse community.
  • Develop classroom and workplace skills related to ally behavior, self-care, and creating inclusive spaces.
  • Earn an attractive diversity, equity, and inclusion certificate upon completion of the course which can be highlighted in a resume, CV, and LinkedIn account.

If you experience technical problems while completing the course, support is available 24/7 and can be accessed from the “Help” link within the course. For non-technical problems, please reach out to csdi@jcu.edu. Check your JCU email for your personalized EverFi course completion link.
Thanks for participating in the Campus Climate survey!
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Thanks to everyone who participated in the Campus Climate survey and encouraged others to participate during the month of February! We are pleased to announce that we surpassed our survey-response goals BOTH for students AND for employees.

The data gathered in this survey is valuable to help us understand the impact of our efforts to prevent and respond to sex and gender-based discrimination, harassment, and violence on campus, and to help us design effective strategies for doing so over the next several years. Thank you for helping us build a culture of care here at JCU!
Other happenings at JCU...
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.
Professional Development Webinar: "Bias is a Four-Letter Word"
Tuesday, March 9, 2021, 1:30 pm
image of two blank conversation bubbles
We all have biases, but so often we don’t even realize them. In this session we will explore the scientific nature of bias, and how to begin to consciously overcome your biases.

This program is offered through My Life Expert EAP (Formerly Impact Solutions)as a part of the Human Resources Professional Development series. Open to all JCU employees.

For more information, contact Jasmine Lastery at jlastery@jcu.edu.
Our Faculty in the Limelight!
Dr. Malia McAndrew (Associate Professor of History) and Sydnia Tcheurekdjian (Arrupe Program Director) gave a talk for Akron Children's Hospital on February 12 entitled "The Black Family - Representation, Identity and Diversity." The talk was recorded and is available on YouTube at the link here.
R.I.S.E. Higher: Featured Article of the Week
‘Nobody Came, Nobody Helped’:
Fears of Anti-Asian Violence Rattle the Community
Washington Post, Jennifer Marian Liu and Rachel Hatzipanagos, February 25, 2021
They gather almost every night at San Francisco’s Dragon Gate, the ornately decorated entrance to the nation’s oldest Chinatown. Armed with only whistles and pamphlets, the volunteer neighborhood patrol roams the streets, checking out ATMs and mom-and-pop shops in areas where Asian residents have experienced attacks that have left this neighborhood on edge.

Some volunteers drive more than an hour to walk these blocks — largely deserted by a combination of fear and pandemic lockdown — to hand out bilingual fliers that explain how to report a crime to police. Similar patrols have sprouted in Asian neighborhoods in Oakland, Calif., Los Angeles and New York City, a response to what these communities say is a wave of racist violence and harassment since headlines about a virus from China began appearing in U.S. media a year ago.
Banner reads Watching Our Words
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
Friday, March 5: Rockhurst University will sponsor a public keynote and discussion for Women's History Month entitled "Leading with a Woman's Voice: Becoming a Change Agent." Learn more and register here.

Watch now: Loyola Marymount University (together with its Jesuit community) hosted a virtual forum on Feb. 19 entitled "Truth and Reconciliation: The Sin of Jesuit Slaveholding."

University trustees at Fordham University recently announced their creation of a new scholarship fund to help remove financial barriers for students of color and increase student diversity at Fordham.

Georgetown University recently launched a new Racial Justice Institute to "serve as a hub where scholars, activists and thought leaders may work across the academic, policy and advocacy spaces and serve as a place to seed and inspire the next generation of scholars and leaders addressing the vestiges of enslavement and well-being of Black, Indigenous and people of color."
DEI resources from the CCCU
Screenshot of CCCU website
The Council for Christian Colleges and Universities has launched a new resource page with materials designed to assist institutional leaders at Christian colleges and universities in facilitating learning and leading campus conversations about race and ethnicity.
Notorious RBG at the Maltz Museum
Promotional image for the Notorious RBG exhibit at the Maltz Museum
Just in time for Women's History Month, the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage is running an exhibition in honor of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In-person and virtual options for tours, programs and more are available on the Maltz Museum website.
DEI in the Headlines -- Quick Takes:
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A report published Feb. 18 by the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University found that Black undergraduates trust college leaders significantly less than their white peers, and that the pandemic caused a slight drop in trust in administrators among all students. The report, published on Feb. 18, is based on about 8,350 undergraduate responses to the 2020 National Survey of Student Engagement, or NSSE.
pride flags
The Common Application announced on Monday a series of changes to make the application more inclusive for transgender applicants to the more than 700 colleges and universities (including JCU) that accept the Common App. The application will now add a question to provide applicants with the option to share their preferred first name; add a pronoun question to give students the option to multiselect or add a pronoun set; and shift the presentation of a question from “sex” to “legal sex."
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Pearson Publishers published editorial guidelines this week addressing issues of race, ethnicity, equity and inclusion, becoming one of the first major textbook publishers to make such guidelines publicly available. The guidelines include matters such as the underrepresentation of minority ethnic groups in text, images and references; descriptions of people of color that exaggerate negative associations and stereotypes; missing stories of the achievements of people of color; and the idea that social and economic disadvantages are the result of personal circumstances and decisions rather than systemic injustices and inequalities. An audit of Pearson textbooks is already underway, with more than 100 titles completed.
images of two Dr Seuss Books - Scrambled Eggs Super and To Think that I Saw it on Mulberry Street
Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced this week that it was ceasing publication of six Dr. Seuss books with offensive and overtly racist images. The titles are And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street, If I Ran the Zoo, McElligot’s Pool, On Beyond Zebra!, Scrambled Eggs Super!, and The Cat’s Quizzer. These books have been criticized for imagery that is “steeped in racist propaganda, caricatures, and harmful stereotypes.”
Other articles we're reading this week ...

Garrett Morgan




Fun Fact! Today, March 4, is the birthday of prominent Cleveland inventor Garrett Morgan, inventor of the gas mask and the three-part traffic signal. You can read more about him here!