Student Learning and Development

Fall 2020 Report

Training, Workshops, and Education

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The College implemented comprehensive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training for students in 2020, beginning with sophomores, juniors, and seniors, and adding incoming students during Class of 2024 summer orientation; follow-up modules on micro-aggressions, implicit bias, identity, and ally-ship will be offered to all first-year students.

Eleven-hundred first-year students also participated in a DEI workshop entitled Building an Inclusive Community: Combatting Macro-aggressions and Title VI Reporting. In this session, incoming first-year students unpacked the DEI impacts of COVID-19 and national unrest and engaged in learning about how to build an inclusive community at Providence College.

In 2019, the School of Business began providing workshops on implicit bias and creating inclusive environments to PCSB faculty members and first-year students.

The School of Business dean’s office also led creation of a “bias-busting” video, involving cross-campus collaboration, for PC students to watch before filling out faculty teaching evaluation forms.

The College has provided training to some 1,100 first-year students to help them learn more about and to explore the Student Affairs pillar on Cultural Agility.

It also has offered diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings and workshops to various student organizations and paraprofessionals, including Campus MinistryStudent Congress, Dirigo, Social Justice and Immersion, Residence Life, and Orientation Leaders.

Student Support Opportunities

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Personnel from the Dean of Students office and the Feinstein Institute developed affinity groups (i.e., racial caucus, people of color, etc.) designed to provide an opportunity for students and a staff representative to engage in meaningful dialogue with their respective peers. In the Fall of 2021, staff members from the Personal Counseling Center and The Center at Moore Hall collaborated on the establishment of a Black, Indigenous, and Person of Color (BIPOC) Student Support Group.

As a response to the need for career support for students of color, the Center for Career Education developed the REAL Talk Series to include MSP, Transitions, Horizons, Peer Mentoring Program, and all underrepresented students.

Student Activities and Cultural Programming continues to lead the FaculTeas Series to increase faculty and student engagement outside of the classroom.

The Personal Counseling Center is providing enhanced web resources, including crisis support options specific to diverse groups of students.

Personnel from the Dean of Students office continue to advise and support student clubs organized around marginalized identities including LGBTQ+ and students of color.

Providence College Athletics Program

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The Athletics Department is strongly committed to efforts and initiatives aimed at making our athletic program a national model for diversity, equity, and inclusion. The department’s numerous initiatives include the following:

Overview

Connected to the IDEI Five Focus Areas, the department has identified three pillars of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within Athletics.

  • Education
  • Infrastructure
  • Community

Throughout 2020-2021, Athletics has spent a majority of energy within its education pillar. In 2021-2022 we will build on our efforts in the education pillar and spend more time on the infrastructure and community pillars.

2021 Athletics DEI Updates

  • Launched Athletics DEI learning Communities
    • Staff/coaches small group learning workshops focused on identity
  • Delivered five-part series for the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) DEI Subcommittee entitled, “How to Lead a DEI Conversation”
  • Successful Relaunch of Athletics Inclusion Committee
    • Four meetings in 2020-2021
    • Hosted several guest speakers
  • Black History Month Programming
  • Collaboration with Human Resources on Best Hiring Practices
    • In the early stages of working with Human Resources on updating and examining best practices for hiring within Athletics
  • Collaboration with local schools on a Northeast Black Student-Athlete Summit
    • Nick Sailor served as a representative on a committee to bring a Northeast Black Student-Athlete Summit to Gillette Stadium for Summer of 2021. Dates for the summit will be announced within the next few weeks.

Friars United Week (April 6 – April 11, 2021)

The goal of this Solidarity Week was to unite Providence College student-athletes, athletic staff, and the entire campus around the principle of accepting all diverse identities and rejecting any notions of hate, intolerance, and discrimination. By offering a variety of events, workshops, presentations, and educational materials, the goal was for Athletics to promote an anti-racist, anti-homophobic, and anti-prejudiced agenda that allowed individuals to better increase their awareness about diversity and acceptance. 

A student-athlete driven initiative, Friars United Week, provided an opportunity for student-athletes, staff, coaches, and administration to engage in learning opportunities around DEI topics.

Friars United list of events
Friars United logo

Each day had a particular focus, and each learning opportunity was a result of collaboration with different organizations and clubs on campus to highlight the unity and togetherness of PC Athletics’ mission of building an inclusive community at PC.

This Friars United Public Service Announcement-type video was based on a script written by Julia Murphy ’21, a political science major who plays on the Friar softball team.