South Dakota State University
PA-4: Diversity and Equity Coordination

Office of Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Access The mission of the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Access (ODIEA) is to enrich the university community's understanding and appreciation of diversity, practice of inclusion, advancement of equity, and integration of access. ODIEA is committed to promoting diversity in every sector of SDSU and the Brookings community. ODIEA leads and facilitates the development of institutional policies and protocols intended to create a more representative, equitable, and inclusive university. The office focuses on employees, students, and visitors. ODEIA also houses an ADA Coordinator. Diversity & Inclusion Committee Facilitate communication, coordination and collaboration on matters of diversity and inclusion. The Diversity and Inclusion Committee is a joint administration and Faculty Senate Committee. Additional, SDSU has an American Indian Student Center, Office of Multicultural Affairs, an Veterans Affairs office. They house an American Indian, Disability, African American, and Latino/a/x advisers/coordinators and work on programming in these areas for campus.

The Diversity Summit is for student leaders and is an annual opportunity to learn about people of different cultures and how to interact with them. All Residential Life Community Assistants must attend. Each year the Office of Multicultural Affairs hosts a Tunnel of Oppression. This live exhibit showcases different groups encountering oppression. Visiting the showcase gives attendees a first hand experience of what it is like to experience oppression. This event is open to everyone. The American Indian Student Center provides training to Residential Life on the smudging policy. They also provide training for advisers. The Office of Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, & Access hosts a Diversity Academy each year. This 8 workshop program is available to all faculty, staff, and students. Topics covered in the program are based off the campus climate survey results, these topics include supporting underrepresented faculty, LGBTQ+, and what is diversity. The mission of the Diversity Academy is to enrich the university and community’s understanding and practice of diversity, inclusion, equity, and access.The Diversity Academy is a comprehensive training program created to develop intercultural cultural competency and knowledge, create more inclusive practices, advance equity, and provide a more accessible design at South Dakota State University. Any campus member who attends at least 5 of the workshops receives a certificate. Safe Zone/Ally training is available to everyone to learn how to support the LGBTQ+ community. The Difference is Dialogue is a 4-6 week class for students, faculty, and staff to learn how to talk with people different than you. Residential Life hosts a training session in the fall and spring for all their student staff that focuses on basic understanding of people from different cultures and cultural appropriation. Residential Life also provides learning opportunities around diversity and culture throughout the year, including an annual presenter related to race. The Veterans Affairs Office is involved in a briefing that assists new faculty to better understand Veterans and how they can deal with them on daily basis in a classroom environment. Things to look out for , how to identify, special needs for testing if self-identified by the Veteran and Disability Services is also covered.

https://www.sdstate.edu/student-life/multicultural-center https://www.sdstate.edu/american-indian-student-center