Monthly Newsletter | December 2020 |
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A Bag of Tools
‘‘I SN'T IT strange
That princes and kings,
And clowns that caper
In sawdust rings,
And common people
Like you and me
Are builders for eternity?
Each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass,
A book of rules;
And each must make—
Ere life is flown—
A stumbling block
Or a steppingstone.’’
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What Will You Do With Your Bag of Tools
in the New Year?
By Belinda Higgs Hyppolite, Ed.D.
Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
and Chief Diversity Officer
December is a month full of many memorable holidays and spiritual celebrations. The month of December is also a time of reflection and transition as we prepare to enter the new year.
The year 2020 is one we will never forget! It has been filled with joy and sorrow, with gains and losses, pain and triumphs. As we reflect on this past year and are busy preparing for the future, remember, there is nothing we can do to change the past but must remain optimistic for a bright and joyous future.
The poet R. L. Sharpe reminds us that we each have a bag of tools. What will you do with your bag and your tools in the new year?
Happy Holiday to you and yours. I wish everyone a restorative holiday season and a new year filled with great opportunities and new possibilities.
Dec. 2020
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Restorative Justice
‘‘Process to involve, to the extent possible, those who have a stake in a specific offense to collectively identify and address harms, needs and obligations in order to heal and put things as right as possible.’’
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Mending Relationships Among
People and Communities
Maintaining a healthy relationship requires at least two people. By the same token, mending a relationship that caused harm, trauma, or conflict requires at least two people, or two communities, engaging in restorative justice.
But how?
This is one question that Derrick Dixon, Ed.D., and Patience Bryant, Ph.D., will answer on Jan. 20 during the first workshop of the spring 2021 series Rooted in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Change Starts With Me.
The classroom, the workplace, and circles of friends are placed were we can apply the restorative justice process to repair harm, heal trauma, and reconcile interpersonal conflict.
Mark your calendar!
9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021
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Meeting Calendar:
Jan. 25, 2021:
Chapters: 9,
Interlude, 10 – 12
Feb. 22, 2021:
Chapters: 13 - 17
Meetings Schedule:
Noon - 1 p.m.
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Common Read Book Club
‘‘What's in a name?’’ No, it wasn't Juliet flirting with Romeo, but the members of the Common Read Book Club who pondered how first names play a part in people's lives. Retracing the steps of Austin Channing Brown, the author of I'm still here. Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness, the 30 club members met every month since September to discuss how people of color experience life in American society. Their conversations also touched on the challenges of fitting in at the expenses of minimizing and discounting their ways of being.
The reflections that the book inspired, especially on racism, made the dialogue challenging at times. Yet, the club members found ways to continue the discussion by suspending judgment and blame. In fact, the overarching goal of the book club is to provide an environment where people can learn from one another and identify differences and commonalities in their experiences via civil dialogue.
The book club will pause during the winter break, but it will reconvene in spring. If you plan to attend, registration is still open.
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Ready for Your Playlist:
Videos of DEI Events Are a Click Away
‘‘I can't make it to this workshop. Can I watch it later?’’
If you had overlapping calendar invites preventing you from attending one of the DEI workshops and seminars, we have a solution!
Videos of past programs are available at
Visit that webpage periodically:
we continuously update it with new videos.
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DEI Spring 2021 Calendar of Events
The Spring 2021 calendar of events will be issued in January. In the meantime, we invite you to visit our website and participate to the events already listed.
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News and Involvement Opportunities |
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OU-Tulsa Campus Named
2020 Mosaic Top Inclusive Workplace
The OU-Tulsa campus has been named the 2020 Mosaic Top Inclusive Workplace. This denomination is conferred by the Tulsa Regional Chamber's diversity business council after a rigorous evaluation of several indexes.
The OU-Tulsa campus scored high on some key indexes to include community outreach in D&I, internal policy that supports a diverse workforce, diverse people, and top leadership commitment to support diversity efforts.
Receiving the 2020 Mosaic Top Inclusive Workplace designation greatly honored the work of the entire OU-Tulsa campus community.
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Balancing Competencies to Maintain Relationships During COVID-19
Covid-19 has brought many challenges in the classroom as well as in the workplace. One of them is related to different sets of skills that faculty and staff are challenged to master as they transition from face-to-face to virtual interactions with students and colleagues.
In her recently published article, Brenda Lloyd-Jones, Ph.D., has developed a framework that faculty and practitioners can use in everyday work to maintain continuity in their relationships, while mastering technical competencies, i.e. coaching, care, collaboration, and social-emotional support behaviors, i.e. emotional, instrumental, informational.
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Call for Action:
Nominations for the
2021 We See You Award
The executive board of the Black Faculty and Staff Association invites Black-identifying
faculty, staff and students at the University of
Oklahoma to nominate a Black-identifying student, faculty, and/or staff member for the 2021 We See You award.
The award is conferred to nominees who have gone above and beyond their duties and have made immense positive impacts on the individuals and community in which they serve.
To receive the award, individuals must be a
Black-identifying faculty, staff or student at
the University of Oklahoma and be nominated by a fellow Black-identifying OU community member.
Please submit your nominations by Monday, Jan. 11, 2021.
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OU International Student Pandemic Scholarship
The OU International Student Pandemic Scholarship is designed to provide relief to international students who have been financially impacted by COVID-19 or COVID-related closures. Up to $1,000 will be given to students who can demonstrate their need and its relation to the current global pandemic.
This scholarship, available to students on all OU campuses, will be awarded on a rolling basis. A committee will determine eligibility and the amount of the award.
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Thousands Strong:
International Student Pandemic Fund
COVID-19 has impacted the lives of many people. OU international students are among them as they continue to face significant stress, hardship and uncertainty.
OU responds to their needs with a campaign to replenish emergency funds. Thank you for your gift: at OU, we change lives one person at the time.
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OU Employee Resource Groups
At OU, the Employee Resource Groups (ERG) are here and ready to serve.
These groups were created as an open forum for individuals with a shared identity to build community and sense of belongingness. ERGs are available at all three campuses and include Black faculty and staff/ African American faculty and staff (OUHealth), Latinx Coalition, Indigenous faculty and staff Circle, LGBTQ+ faculty and staff, Middle Eastern North African faculty and staff, and Asian Pacific Islander Desi Indian faculty and staff.
If you are interested in learning more about an Employee Resource Group or recommend other ERGs you would like to see at OU, please complete this survey.
Save the Date:
Employee Resource Group Virtual Mixer on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021
Come and learn more about how to get involved in an ERG!
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Care
about diversity, equity, and inclusion at the University of Oklahoma?
Want
to contribute to making OU a better experience
for all?
Want
to be a catalyst and an active change agent by making sure our campus is open and
welcoming to all?
Help
create the home away
from home
experience for others.
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Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | United We Stand
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