The Office of University Scholars and Fellows (OUSF) team is committed to supporting diversity, inclusion, and equity for the entire scholar community in ways that are consistent with the Office’s core mission. OUSF faculty and staff launched the Excellence, Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (EDIE) plan in 2020, and continue to make this initiative a priority. These are the EDIE-related activities that OUSF staff, faculty, and students hosted and participated in during the 2021-2022 academic year, from workshops to field trips to lectures.
All-OUSF Activities
OUSF staff, faculty, and students engaged in a wide range of EDIE-related events, programming, and activities during the 2021-2022 academic year. We had the opportunity to learn from faculty and professionals about civil rights, anti-racist pedagogy, and many other topics pertaining to access and equity.
| Event | Description |
|---|---|
| Faculty Flash Talks on Race and Society | Panel Session |
| Visit to the International Civil Rights Center & Museum in Greensboro, NC | Field Trip |
| Attended UNIV 101 Presents: Race, Policing, and Activism | Lecture |
| "Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code" with Dr. Ruha Benjamin | Jean Fox O'Barr Distinguished Speaker Series (Lecture) |
| Discussion on Felicia Rose Chavez' book: The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop: How to Decolonize the Creative Classroom | Workshop |
| Faculty Fellow Topics, including "Scholars of Color in the Academy: Journeys, Pathways Discoveries," "Access and Equity in Education," "Measuring Racial Progress(ivism)," and "Science through a Cultural Lens" | Small Group Discussions for Second-Year MSP students |
Student-Initiated Activities
The EDIE Student Advisory Committee was formed in November 2020. The group comprises six merit scholars, who provide counsel to OUSF staff and plan activities. The group met six times during the academic year. In addition to hosting Faculty Flash Talks, the committee modified the funding request application so that more scholars would utilize the EDIE-related funding available to individual merit scholarship programs.
MSP and Affiliated Program Activities
These are the EDIE-related activities that OUSF staff either coordinated or attended for specific merit scholarship and affiliated program cohorts for 2021-2022.
| Program | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| BN Duke Scholars | "You Mean It or You Don't: James Baldwin's Radical Challenge" Book Reading at the Durham Public Library | Forum |
| BN Duke Scholars | Visit to Historic Stagville | Field Trip |
| Rubenstein Scholars Staff | Liberation Reading | Anti-Racism Meeting |
| University Scholars | Durham Mayoral and City Council Candidate Forum sponsored by three prominent Black professional organizations: The Fayetteville Street Corridor Planning Group, The Durham Business and Professional Chain, and The Triangle Board of Realtists | Forum |
| University Scholars | "The Legacy of Pauli Murray: from Jane Crow" with Barbara Lau, Executive Director of the Pauli Murray Center | Seminar |
| University Scholars | "The Impact of U.S. Civil Rights Politics on International Human Rights Law," with Dr. H. Timothy Lovelace, Duke Law | Seminar |
| University Scholars | "Water in the Lumbee World: Environmental Justice, Indigenous Rights, and the Transformation of Home" with Dr. Ryan Emanuel, Nicholas School of the Environment | Keynote Lecture |
| University Scholars | "Sound Studies and the Queer Asian Diaspora" with Dr. Yun Emily Wang, Music | Seminar |
| Baldwin Scholars | Manjusha Kulkarni, Executive Director of AAPI Equity Alliance and co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate | Discussion |
| Baldwin Scholars | "Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code" with Dr. Ruha Benjamin | Lecture |
NCS Activities
In the 2021-2022 school year, the Nationally Competitive Scholarships advising team sponsored reflective seminars and workshops, including "Legacy of Cecil Rhodes: Lecture by Simukai Chigudu" and "Applying for Scholarships as Historically Underrepresented Candidates." In addition to offering "Fellowships @ 4PM" drop-in advising virtually and at our office in Smith Warehouse, the advisors also visited cultural and identity centers and residential quads to enhance our outreach. All of these outreach efforts continue to take place at 4 p.m. on Mondays.
EDIE Book Club
OUSF’s EDIE Book Club, which has been active for two years, is intended to heighten staff members’ accountability and awareness. For 2021-2022, the group read more articles and resources specifically pertaining to their work environments. The group also hosted Felicia Rose Chavez, who discussed her book, The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop.