Diversity and Inclusion Resources at WCC
WCC has several other resources that support diversity and inclusion. Research at least two of the following to find out how they contribute to diversity and inclusion at WCC.
Be the change you want to see in the world. Ghandi
Defining Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
In the last section, we looked as various definitions of diversity. Here’s how WCC defines diversity, equity, and inclusion:
Diversity refers to ensuring that we welcome and embrace all individuals, while valuing their individual differences. Individual differences may include factors such as personality, learning styles, life experiences, race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, country of origin, and ability, as well as cultural, political, religious, or other affiliations.
Equity includes the creation of opportunities and programs for historically underrepresented populations to have equal access to and participation in educational programs that are intended to close the achievement gap in student success and completion. Equity programs are designed to assist underrepresented groups in achieving success in school and the workplace.
Inclusion is more than a simple numerical representation of various groups in the organization; rather, it is the active engagement of all viewpoints and individuals in the discussions and decisions that are made within the organization. All members of the College community must feel valued and heard for the College to achieve its goal of creating an inclusive learning environment.
Where do you see yourself in these definitions? How will the ideas in the definitions shape your time at WCC and prepare you for your career?
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at WCC
WCC is an academic community made up of individuals who reflect differences in sex, gender, nationality, culture, ethnicity, religion, color, race, skill, physical ability, country of origin, migration status, and sexual orientation. For more than 70 years, the College has evolved to meet the ever-changing needs of our students and our community. WCC is proud of the efforts thus far and is deeply committed to continuing to grow as a community that becomes more inclusive moving forward.
Valuing diversity requires a willingness to respect and understand the full range of thought, feeling, and viewpoints of all members of the College community. To achieve these ends, WCC strives to maintain open minds; we suspend judgment and seek others’ views and insights for consideration when making decisions and reaching conclusions. The WCC community supports learning activities that enhance our knowledge, awareness, and appreciation of diversity. To this end, we seek to expand our efforts to eradicate unconscious bias along the lines of misogyny, transphobia, racism, xenophobia, ethnocentrism, racism, ableism, class bias, and biases based on religiosity and country of origin.
The value that the College places on diversity can best be summed up by our open access mission: we strive to make college available and affordable for all who seek higher education.
TRY SuspendING Judgement
The first step to suspending judgement is awareness. Try the following activities to see if you are holding on to false beliefs or rushing to make a judgement.
- Think about a strong opinion you hold.
- Are you an expert in the area in which you have the opinion? What evidence do you have to support your opinion? Do you have some direct experience in the area? Do you find yourself arguing with others about the opinion? Do you feel like you need to defend this opinion?
- Stop, reflect, and ask yourself: What other perspectives could be true about this opinion?
- As you analyze the opinion, you may find it isn’t held up by facts. Then, you might be able to recognize that your opinion is really your perspective, and other perspectives may be of equal value.
- The next time you find yourself making a judgement, try asking more questions and seeking understanding. You might not be able to stop yourself from making the initial judgement, but you can pause and think before taking any action. Upon further analysis, you may find your judgement was unfounded or that the situation is more complicated than you thought.
Diversity A-Z
How we choose to describe ourselves and others is important because the words we use have consequences. Words affect our relationships both positively and negatively. Choosing the correct language to use in diverse situations is an important educational endeavor that can and should be explored on all college campuses.
Diversity: A to Z
Check out the following A-Z list of diversity terminology below. How many of the terms do you find to be surprising? puzzling? useful? new to you? known already? interesting?
- A = Affirmative Action:
- the proactive efforts of an organization to recruit and advance qualified people of color, women, persons with disabilities and veterans and to correct institutional exclusion in higher education.
- B = Bias:
- an inclination or preference either for or against an individual or group that interferes with impartial judgment.
- C = Cisgender:
- a term used to describe people who, for the most part, identify with the gender they were assigned at birth.
- D = Disparities:
- commonly refer to group differences in educational, health, economic, legal, and other outcomes. Disparities highlight social group membership in structuring privilege and inequality and stem from intentional discrimination as well as from unconscious bias.
- E = Equity:
- the proportional distribution or parity across groups, sometimes confused with equality. Equity refers to outcomes, while equality connotes equal treatment. Individualized educational accommodations for students with disabilities are based on this concept.
- F = Family of Choice:
- persons or groups of people who form an individual’s close social support network, often fulfilling functions of blood relatives. LGBTQ individuals facing alienation or rejection from their families may call upon their “chosen family” for support.
- G = Gender Neutral:
- suitable for, applicable to, or common to both male and female genders.
- H = His/Her/He/She:
- personal pronouns, with HIR being the gender neutral pronoun for his or her.
- I = Inclusion:
- expanding upon efforts that promote diversity on the basis of demographic differences; in the field of organizational management, inclusion refers to intentional policies and practices that promote a sense of belonging for every employee, customer, or client.
- J = Justice:
- the quality of being just, impartial, or the principle or ideal of just dealing or right action or conformity to the principle or ideal of righteousness, the quality of conforming to law.
- K = Kinship:
- the state or fact of being kin; family relationship or relationship by nature, qualities, et cetera; affinity.
- L = LGBTQ:
- Lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, questioning.
- M = Multiculturalism:
- acknowledging cultures, religions, races, ethnicities, attitudes, and opinions within an environment.
- N = Native American:
- a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North America or who maintains cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community recognition.
- O = Oppression:
- a systematic phenomenon based on the perceived and real differences among social groups resulting in the exploitation of one social group by another for the benefit of the oppressor group.
- P = Privilege:
- power and advantages benefiting a group derived from the historical oppression and exploitation of other groups. Or unearned access to resources only readily available to some people as a result of their group membership.
- Q = Queer:
- an umbrella term which embraces a matrix of sexual preferences, orientations, and habits. Sometimes used as a sexual orientation label instead of “bisexual” as a way of stating a non-heterosexual orientation without having to state affinity to a specific group.
- R = Race:
- a social construct that artificially divides people into distinct groups based on characteristics such as physical appearance (particularly color), ancestral heritage, cultural affiliations, cultural history, or ethnic classification. Racial categories subsume ethnic groups.
- S = Social Justice:
- involves a vision of society where the goal is full and equal participation of all groups. Also involves social actors who have a sense of social responsibility toward and with others, their society, and the broader world.
- T = Transgender:
- an umbrella term that may include transsexuals, cross dressers, drag queens, drag kings, butch lesbians, and any other people transgressing the socially constructed confines of gender.
- U = Undocumented:
- not having the official documents that are needed to enter, live in, or work in a country legally. Or not having supportive evidence that would consist of documents of written proof.
- V = VEVRAA:
- Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act; prohibits federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating in employment.
- W = White privilege:
- a right, advantage, or immunity granted to or enjoyed by white persons beyond the common advantage of all others.
- X = Xenophobe:
- a person who is unduly fearful, especially of people of foreign origin.
- Y = You:
- the pronoun of the second singular or plural; referring to anyone, singular or plural in general.
- Z = Zie:
- third person singular gender-neutral pronoun, with variants zim (them), zir (theirs), and zimself (reflexive).
Incivility is the gateway drug to bullying. -Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Pay it Forward
We can all pay kindness forward every day; even small acts can make the world a better place. If each one of us paid kindness forward every day, imagine the ripple effect of goodwill that would be felt. Here are some ideas to get you started thinking about what you could do to pay it forward:
- buy someone coffee
- tutor someone
- give someone the closer parking spot
- leave a generous tip
- compliment someone
- hold open the door for the person behind you
- pick up trash
- text someone good morning or good night
- send an encouraging email
- donate gently used towels or blankets to a shelter
- share your study guide
- have a judgment free day
- thank someone
Choose at least one way to pay it forward, either from the list above or your own idea, and commit to completing it this week.
