Lafayette College
PA-5: Diversity and Equity Coordination

The Office of Intercultural Development advances Lafayette’s commitment to diversity and inclusion through educational outreach, cultural programming, support and advocacy of historically marginalized groups, and community building. It is our goal that students and employees will have numerous opportunities at Lafayette to develop their multicultural competence and to commit to lifelong learning about our world and its diverse citizens.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council works to ensure that diversity and inclusion expressed in various forms, remain integral to excellence at Lafayette College. The Council reports to the President and is composed of the Dean of the Faculty, Dean of Students, and the Associate Vice President for Human Resources; the Dean of the Faculty serves as council convener. The Council will assist in establishing priorities, ensuring open and transparent communication, facilitating connections between standing committees, and monitoring progress toward stated objectives related to efforts aimed at enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion at the College.

Sample Goals

-- promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus, broadly speaking (hiring, retention, climate, discourse, curriculum, programming)
-- e.g., proactive efforts as well as a responsive role; building resources and making these accessible

-- outreach to the campus community
-- e.g., integrated communications about campus efforts, hosting discussions with the campus community

-- liaison to campus individuals and groups that work to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion such as the faculty diversity committee, CITLS, Kaleidoscope, QUEST
-- e.g., coordinating initiatives

-- communication nexus on DEI matters for campus community members
-- i.e., facilitate multilateral communications

-- assessment of DEI initiatives and projects

The Office of Intercultural Development hosts Multicultural Competency Training (MCT). Multicultural Competency Training (MCT) aims to prepare student leaders to successfully perform their duties by providing them with the Knowledge, Awareness & Skills to promote an inclusive and welcoming campus environment. Ideally, this training will also expose attendees to personal development opportunities and encourage the ongoing pursuit of multicultural life-skills development. We believe that we all can play a part in creating a socially just world. A socially just world is a society where the distribution of resources is equitable, and all members are physically and psychologically safe and secure. We envision a community where individuals are self-determining (able to develop their full capacities) and interdependent (capable of interacting democratically with others).

How does it work?
MCT is held twice throughout the academic year for Students only; a week during the Summer Interim(mid-August) and a week during the winter Interim( Mid-January). Scholars receive access to the Drive two weeks before the training date to build a foundational understanding before the student-selected discussion. There are two 45-minute sessions a day to unpack materials.

The Gender & Sexuality Resource Center hosts our Safe Zone Program. Safe Zone training is an opportunity to learn about LGBTQIA+ identities, gender, sexuality, allyship and examine prejudice, assumptions, and privilege. As an LGBTQIA+ identified person, it can be unclear who your allies are and where are safe spaces to be out as your true self. You may sometimes worry about whether or not you can disclose your identity. To help LGBTQIA+ identified students, faculty, and staff navigate these experiences and find support or allies, Lafayette College provides Safe Zone Training.

How does it work?
The Safe Zone training programs comprise four 50-minute sessions:
Introduction to Safe Zone and Understanding Sexual Orientation: A look into gay, lesbian, asexual, and bisexual+ identities
Exploring Gender Identity: A focus on sex and gender, and a look into transgender, nonbinary, intersex, and genderqueer identities
Allyship and Inclusion: Putting knowledge into practice
Action Planning: Working directly with teams on implementing a program or working toward change within the group

For Students: Safe Zone Trainings are great opportunities for students to explore, learn, and build connections across communities of diverse experiences. The Office of Intercultural Development offers trainings for RAs, student organizations, Greek organizations, and other student groups. For Faculty & Staff: The Office of Intercultural Development is excited to host Safe Zone Trainings for their entire departments with curated materials and schedules.

Kaleidoscope is a group of social justice peer educators who encourage student leaders to take an active role in campus education on multiculturalism, equity, and social justice issues. The program challenges social justice student educators and participants to think critically about their communities.

How does it work?
Kaleidoscope has open meetings regularly to discuss current events and issues related to social justice. Any student on campus can be a part of the organization by showing up regularly for conversations. Faculty and staff are also welcome to attend. Events are posted on the campus calendar. Regular Kaleidoscope discussions are facilitated by Student Coordinators of Peer Education (SCOPES).

Learning Outcomes for attending training and engaging in social justice work on campus, student leaders will be able to:
Facilitate and maintain a welcoming environment for all students
Make appropriate referrals
Incorporate diverse topics/themes into programmatic offerings
Recognize situations in which differences in culture or lack of understanding may contribute to disagreements/problems
Address cultural conflicts appropriately

Please note: There is no formal cultural competence training program for faculty and staff, but numerous single events and activities are offered on campus that help advance cultural competencies.