University of Central Florida
PA-4: Diversity and Equity Coordination

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion currently employees 8 full-time individuals devoted to the mission of assuring respect is shared among the university population. The University of Central Florida is strongest as a higher education institution, employer and community leader when we bring diverse thought and experience to our decision-making, teaching, research, and interactions among community members. Respect for and the inclusion of diverse voices ·drive innovative thought and action; ·maximize the talent and contributions of faculty, staff, and students; ·improve recruitment and retention; and ·build a campus that is representative of our constituents and Central Florida partners. Recognizing that each of us is an intersection of many aspects of diversity emphasizes the complexity of our experiences and the need to develop a culture that appreciates difference and sees diversity as a strength in our role as educational leaders. https://diversity.ucf.edu/about/the-diversity-team/

Workshops, consultations and on-line workshops are all available to students, staff and faculty including: BARNGA (one 2-hour session) Barnga is a simulation activity that allows participants to explore and experience the challenges and communication barriers of life in a cross-cultural setting. Participants will recognize the subtlety of cultural differences, understand how cultural differences can create communication barriers, and discover and discuss ways to overcome communication barriers. Communicating Across Cultures (one 3-hour session) This workshop combines and summarizes key information from Open Heart Dialogue and More Than Mere Words. Please see the descriptions for these sessions. More Than Mere Words (one 3-hour session) A crucial component of any communication is the body language displayed by the parties involved in the interaction. This workshop focuses on cultural differences in expectations with respect to aspects of body language such as eye contact, posture, movement, gestures, facial expressions, and touch. Multicultural Conflict Resolution (one 3-hour session) Conflict is an inevitable part of life. Although many of us are uncomfortable in conflict situations, it can be a constructive process in which the very differences that give rise to the conflict also provide us with the unique perspectives and enhanced creativity that are needed in our complex world. This session explores general ways in which conflict is viewed in various cultures and specific ways in which we as individuals respond to conflict. It also emphasizes conflict resolution skills that are useful in relating to others who are different from us. Open Heart Dialogue (one 3-hour session) The ability to prevent cultural misunderstandings through effective cross-cultural communication is an important skill in today’s world. This session introduces the three basic components of any communication. Further, it dramatically illustrates 12 common causes of misunderstandings across cultures including conventions for courtesy, degree of assertiveness, accents, and hot buttons. Race the Power of an Illusion (certificate program – three 2-hour sessions) The division of the world’s peoples into distinct groups has become so deeply imbedded in our psyches, so widely accepted, many would promptly dismiss as crazy any suggestion of its falsity. Yet, that’s exactly what this provocative three-part series by California Newsreel claims. Race - The Power of an Illusion questions the very idea of race as biology, suggesting that a belief in race is no more sound than believing that the sun revolves around the earth. Yet race still matters. Just because race doesn’t exist in biology doesn’t mean it isn’t very real, helping shape life chances and opportunities. • Part 1 - The Difference Between Us examines the contemporary science - including genetics - that challenges our common sense assumptions that human beings can be bundled into three or four fundamentally different groups according to their physical traits. • Part 2 - The Story We Tell uncovers the roots of the race concept in North America, the 19th century science that legitimated it, and how it came to be held so fiercely in the western imagination. The episode is an eye-opening tale of how race served to rationalize, even justify, American social inequalities as “natural.” • Part 3 - The House We Live In asks the question: If race is not biology, what is it? This episode uncovers how race resides not in nature but in politics, economics, and culture. It reveals how our social institutions “make” race by disproportionately channeling resources, power, status, and wealth to white people.