Session 5 – Roundtable Discussions

Posted in 2022 Roundtables

Following the opening provocation, three panels explored three challenges (5.1) Advancing First-Generation Student Success through Relationship-Rich Undergraduate Experiences (5.2) Bias Reporting and Racial and Ethnic Justice Transitions at Penn State Brandywine, and (5.3)  Forging a Path While Navigating Resistance: Rewarding and Recognizing Faculty DEI Work

5.1 Advancing First-Generation Student Success through Relationship-Rich Undergraduate Experiences

The key takeaway from this session is: Building relationships and forging connections
with students is crucial.

• Simple strategies are among the best:
  • Reaching out to students via email individually
  • Setting up one on ones to show you genuinely care
  • Creating time in the class for vulnerability even if you don’t get the response you may be looking for.
• Look for new, open-access book on student relationships in January 2023 from Oscar Miranda Tapia, Isis Artze-Vega, Peter Felten and Leo Lambert, Your Relationship-Rich Education: A Student Guide to Meaningful Connections in College.

Panelists

Slides and Resources

• Relationship -Rich Education (new window) (new window)

5.2 Bias Reporting and Racial and Ethnic Justice Transitions at Penn State Brandywine

In this session, the PSU Brandywine team shared a vision – and a plan! – for a Healing, Anti-Hate and Anti-Racism Council that is student-led but faculty and staff inclusive. This team represents just one of several groups on campus contributing to this work.

• Their work is grounded in and informed by their campus’ designation as a “Truth, racial (new window) healing, and transformation center (TRHT (new window))” through AAC&U.
• They noted that creating a framework for the institution is not the same as creating activities — need to institutionalize a framework and process because having passionate people alone won’t create lasting change.
• This was particularly important because the privacy issues that are inherent in bias reporting can erode trust (sometimes justifiably) in the system.
• The centrality of students in the process is a key and transformative goal. A quick poll showed that the audience agreed, using terms like “empowerment, knowledge, people, perspectives, suffering, perspective, best practice, relevant, …” to describe it.

Panelists

Slides and Resources

• Bias Reporting and Racial and Ethnic Justice Transitions at Penn State Brandywine (new window)
• Bias Reporting Presentation (new window)

5.3 Forging a Path While Navigating Resistance: Rewarding and Recognizing Faculty DEI Work

The key takeaway of this session is: narrow criteria for promotion and tenure only exacerbates inequities, in that they reward cumulative advantage, ignores well-documented biases and ignores a lot of work that some faculty do that is part of DEI institution building. We need a broader approach.

• When we take a narrow approach to tenure and promotion criteria we ask faculty of color (etc.) to do double work.
• We need a new language and processes for recognizing a wider range of DEI work.
• IUPUI instituted new guidelines at “lightning speed” (in less than one year).
• “This is the work of dismantling privilege.” (Dr. Adanna Johnson, moderator)

Panelists

Slides and Resources

• Forging a path while navigating resistance:  Rewarding and Recognizing Faculty DEI work (new window) (slides)