Indiana University Indianapolis
EN-7: Employee Educators Program

The Office of Intercultural Literacy, Capacity and Engagement (ILCE) provides resources for faculty, staff, and community partners to support excellence in scholarship, teaching and engagement with diversity, equity, and inclusion. The ILCE offers two peer-to-peer programs on these topics: (1) Critical Conversations - A space for informal, unfussy, intellectual, peer-to-peer dialogue - Helps faculty, staff, and students recognize and address implicit bias to enhance diversity and inclusion on campus. - Explore how implicit bias impacts institutions of higher education in regards to recruitment, work, student outcomes, and relationships. - Help inform perceptions about implicit bias and future actions to support a welcoming, inclusive community at IUPUI. More information: https://diversity.iupui.edu/offices/ilce/critical-conversation.html (2) Intergroup Dialogue Intergroup Dialogue is a facilitated peer-to-peer conversation platform between individuals from two or more social identity groups that have a history of conflict or potential conflict. It is a sustained communication process involving a series of meetings and emphasizing issues related to social justice, social group membership, identity, and the positionality (privilege and oppression) of groups. A dialogue typically involves 14-16 participants whose social identity provides general parity between the two groups represented (e.g., women & men; people of color & white people; LGBT persons & heterosexuals, etc.). More information: https://igd.iupui.edu/images/Overview%20of%20IUPUI%20Intergroup%20Dialogue%20Initiative%20-%20Jan.%2015.pdf In 2018, Intergroup Dialogue launched the first undergraduate certificate in intergroup dialogue at a college or university in Indiana. The certificate enables students to receive academic credit for learning transferable skills in intercultural communication, conflict resolution, civil discourse and leadership, and it serves IUPUI's strategic plan goal to promote an inclusive campus culture. Upon completion of the certificate program, students will be able to demonstrate leadership capabilities to support others through intergroup conflicts and to help them better function as teams, corporate citizens and community members. More information: https://news.iu.edu/stories/2018/09/iupui/inside/27-intergroup-dialogue-welcoming-campus-initiative.html

Moderators of the sessions are professional facilitators and paid staff of the university. (1) Critical Conversations are open to the entire IUPUI community. (2) Intergroup Dilogue sessions are open to the entire IUPUI community but require advance registration as class size is limited.

Participants are walked through the 4 step process of facilitated conversation over 4 full-day training sessions. The steps include: (1) Group Beginnings: Creating shared meaning of dialogue (2) Identity, Social Relations & Conflict (3) Issues of Equity, Fairness and Inclusion: “Hot Topics” (4) Alliances & Empowerment More on that process: https://cacubo.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/504_Intergroup_Dialogue_-_Griffith_Jones_2015.pdf

Both Critical Conversations and Intergroup Dialogue are supported by a paid, full-time director of the Office of Intercultural Literacy, Capacity and Engagement with annual budget support from the IUPUI Division of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. More: https://diversity.iupui.edu/offices/ilce/index.html AND https://diversity.iupui.edu/index.html

A Green Team is an informal group of faculty and staff in a particular campus unit or building who work collectively to promote environmentally, socially, and economically friendly practices within that unit or building by hosting workshops, speakers, or events for their peers. Getting involved with a Green Team is a way for members of the IUPUI community to reduce the environmental impacts of their office while also helping IUPUI become a more sustainable institution. Green Teams are responsible for programs like the Green Event Certification: https://sustainability.iupui.edu/engagement/green-events/index.html

Faculty and staff self-select by joining or starting their unit/building's Green Team.

Office of Sustainability staff meet with potential Green Team Leaders to assess opportunities and challenges unique to the team’s building/unit and to provide leaders with an overview of how the Green Team program works. Office of Sustainability staff are also willing to attend Green Team meetings or meet with new or existing teams. Green Teams may also submit information for Green Event Certification, which requires consultation with Office of Sustainability staff about certification and possible next steps for their teams.

Green Teams are usually supported by Deans or Administrative leadership by allowing in-kind use of their staff time or other resources (space, technology, etc.). Green Teams may apply for funding from the Greening IUPUI Grant to fund innovative sustainability ideas for their unit/building: https://sustainability.iupui.edu/resources/greening-iupui/index.html