On April 21, vice president for equity and inclusion Yvette Alex-Assensoh sent a letter of gratitude to all University of Oregon faculty members. The message outlined invisible challenges around equity and inclusion that our students are facing and listed some guidance and resources for teaching, urging faculty to show kindness and compassion to their students and themselves.
“Every one of us has had to face enormous personal challenges in this uncertain environment,” Alex-Assensoh said, “and we appreciate all that you have done to adapt in such a short period of time.”
As such, the Division of Equity and Inclusion website has added new LACE resources that speak to the COVID-19 time that we find ourselves in. According to the website, the L.A.C.E. framework of “love, authenticity, courage and empathy, offers an opportunity to shift our perspectives from panic to purpose.” The website offers pages on:
- Responding to Bias and Xenophobia
- Accessibility and Serving People with Disabilities
- Faculty Resources
- Serving Rural Communities
- Ethics of Care
- Wellness for Underrepresented Populations and Allies
In addition, the Center on Diversity and Community (CoDaC) is now offering its services remotely.
During spring term, CoDaC is running eight remote Faculty Writing Circles designed to support faculty and graduate students as they write for publication, promotion and tenure, and academic purposes. Writing Circles also work to promote and share strong writing practices and build a community of writers on campus. CoDaC is planning for up to six remote writing circles for summer, with some of them focused exclusively on faculty who are parents. Please contact Lara Bovilsky at bovilsky@uoregon.edu if you are interested in joining a spring or summer Writing Circle.
Writing support is also available with Mike Murashige, who joined CoDaC in March as a writing consultant for faculty and graduate students. Murashige earned his BA, MA, and PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he was a Distinguished Teaching Assistant and University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellow. He was a member of the Department of Literature at the University of California, San Diego and has worked both as a writer and consultant in the non-profit world and as a developmental editor and writing coach. Contact him at mmurashi@uoregon.edu if you are interested in knowing more about his offerings, or complete a quick survey about your writing interests and needs and he will connect with you.
In addition, CoDaC administers a Faculty/External Mentor Program that supports the research and professional development of UO tenure-track faculty who seek to establish and/or advance a mentoring relationship with a scholar at a peer institution. All tenure-track faculty members who have completed their first year at the UO are eligible to participate in this program. First-year faculty, who are not otherwise engaged in UMRP mentoring, or who have other extenuating circumstances, should inquire about accessing the program during the first year of their appointment. Funding for up to five years is available for assistant and associate professors.
For more information on services for faculty and graduate students, please visit the CoDaC website.
