An Inclusive, Thriving and Equitable Community

Living and learning resilience and empathy

Cite-C Socials – community conversations around resilience and empathy

September 2019: An event based on the Freedman Gallery National Juried Exhibition: Social Justice in the Misinformation Age” curated by Susan Krile. This exhibit examined social justice and included a variety of topics focused on inequality, including: gender, race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, socio-economic status; poverty; racial profiling; the criminal justice system; immigration; access to education and healthcare, child welfare, and more. Art can inspire, educate, spark discussion, transform lives, and engender change, so it is no surprise that social justice issues are frequently the subject matter and concern of artists.

October 7, 2019 Las Madres de Berks with Michelle Angela Ortiz, Director. Film screen and talkback from with the film director

October 15, 2019 I Dreamed a Dream: Immigrant Youth Education, Opportunities, and Obstacles with Greater Reading Immigration Project and Pennsylvania Immigration Citizenship Coalition.  This event included an update on the legal battle over DACA, local DACA student testimonials, a discussion with local area policy makers including State Senator Judy Schwank and Reading School District Superintendent Khalid Mumin.

February 3, 2020 Black History Month Celebration This event was held as a kick-off to Black History Month in the main lounge of the student center.  It featured performances by Xion Step, the Albright Rap Collective, and spoken word poetry by Jazer Willis.  There was also a raffle of books by black authors donated by the Society of Black Alumni (SoBA).

March 4, 2020 Stonewall Era Art, the rise of Queer Visibility, Abstract Expressionists, and Popular Cultural Changes with Liz Bradbury  This event was all about the artists and societal movements that surrounded and empowered LGBTQ people leading up to and after the Stonewall Rebellion in 1969, when everything about the Queer community began to change.  It was put on by Liz Bradbury from the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center.

LGBTQ101 Trainings (12/3; 12/10; 2/4; 2/6)

CITE-C also brought to campus a training on LGBTQ diversity and inclusion.  Bethany Bower, MSW and Vice President of the LGBT Center of Greater Reading, facilitated four LGBTQ training session for students, faculty, staff, and administrators. In these sessions, she covered foundational concepts and vocabulary that provided a better understanding of the LGBTQ community. In addition, she discussed ways to make sure our campus is inclusive and accessible to people of all gender and sexual identities. These trainings were open to faculty, staff, students, and administrators.

The Domino Players 2019 – 2020 season (season details)

“Everybody” by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, directed by Joey Love ‘20

Considering racial and social justice

Cite-C Socials – community conversations around racial and social justice issues

September 27, 2018; a CITE-C social reception at the Freedman Gallery for a viewing of “Susan Crile: Incarceration In the Era of Impending Fascism” from 6:30-7:45pm and then from 8-10pm a preview of “Mosaic” Talk-back following Mosaic production.

October 25, 2018: How to Have Difficult Conversations  CITE-C members held a session for students interested in talking about how to have difficult conversations.  They used an activity of throwing a ball back and forth with examples of things people might feel strongly about (e.g. Pineapple on pizza: Yes or no; Coke vs Pepsi; Wawa vs Sheets; Star Wars vs Star Trek; Best Hogwarts House).  Students were also given a handout with suggestions that were discussed as a group about how to handle difficult conversations in the future.

November 18, 2018: Raisin in the Sun talkback
April 1, 2019: Growing Our Emotional Intelligence
April 8, 2019: Quilting Together Our Differences and Celebrating Diversity  Quilts have a long history of documenting personal stories, important national events, and even resisting oppression and injustice.  Quilts were used to signal safety to slaves escaping north in the Underground Railroad while the AIDS Memorial Quilt Project started in 1987 to remember those lost to the disease.  More recently, the 9/11 Memorial Quilt Project, a series of 9 themed quilts, is on display in the 9/11 Memorial Museum to commemorate the lives lost during this terrorist attack. Come help CITE-C start a new Diversity Week tradition making quilt blocks that reflect how our campus’ diversity makes us who we are!

April 13, 2019:  Celebrating diversity and raising the Pride flag

The Domino Players 2018/2019 season is dedicated to an exploration of social justice  (season details)

Mosiac

Understanding Diversity: A Community’s Conversation

More details on theme and events coming soon.

If you have an event you would like posted, please email cite-c@albright.edu.

Cite-C Socials

Experience Events

Trainings

Albright College President’s
Council for an Inclusive, Thriving, and Equitable, Community

(CITE-C, pronounced “site-see”)

History and Rationale:  For a number of years, Albright College’s President enjoyed the advisory work of the President’s Council on Diversity and Community (PCDC).  This Council did important work, advising the president on important matters regarding diversity in the Albright Community.  Since PCDC was formed, both Albright College and our world have evolved and changed.  To fulfill Albright’s Institutional Priority of developing and supporting a thriving, well, supportive, equitable, and empowered community of equity, and to evolve into a community with full participation for all individuals and groups, the time arrived for the intentional evolution of the Council’s focus from discussion of diversity matters to a more comprehensive focus on inclusivity and equity.  This Council now plays an intentional, proactive, and active role in engaging discussion, advancing questions, leading and facilitating programming, and anticipating issues and contributing to a thriving, equitable, and fully participating community.

Definitions:  The Council has adopted Foundational Definitions for our work.  See Foundational Definitions section on this web page.

Charge:  The Council serves as an advisory group to the Albright College President. This Council models what we value across our entire community:  a respectful environment where diversity of thought is encouraged and celebrated, where discussion of difficult topics is engaged, where Council members are enabled and empowered to try new initiatives; where Council members appreciate a holistic approach to identity, and where Council members speak freely without judgment.  The Council is tasked to:

1. Take a leadership role on campus in understanding, communicating, and demonstrating by example the importance of diversity, inclusivity, and equity in all its dimensions and serve as an initiator of improvements towards this institutional priority. Our aspirational goal is for our actions to demonstrate that we value all people.
2. Be intentional and proactive in ensuring that matters of diversity, inclusivity, equity, and full participation (full participation defined by Sturm, Eatman, Saltmarsh, and Bush can be found here) are considered in all aspects of Albright College’s work and planning.
3. Receive requests, proposals, and concerns from all community members and governing or advisory bodies (including, but not limited to Faculty Executive Committee and Student Government Association), for review and consideration by the Council.
4. Lead the development of a campus-wide theme and supporting reading material around a particular topic related (broadly) to diversity, inclusivity and equity. This theme and supporting materials will be developed during the spring semester, announced at the end of the spring semester, and ready for implementation in the subsequent fall semester.  Themes may extend beyond a single academic year, at the choosing of the Council.
   1. During the development of the theme and the supporting reading list, the Council Members will collaborate with other Councils, Committees, Groups, and with the broader community on issues and items of interest and concern to the community. Recommendations from the community will be sought and encouraged.
   2. The theme and its supporting materials will intentionally be made part of some experience events, some academic and student events. The theme of the year will culminate in the Campus Conversation in the spring.
   3. Council members will lead and encourage (where appropriate) faculty to integrate parts of the theme and supporting material (or related supporting material) in courses.
   4. Council members will take a leadership role in engaging the community in engagement with the theme and its events.
5. Engage all members of the community in providing material for a website that is a single, common and easily accessed location of information, events, programs, speakers, and other campus work and efforts around the themes of diversity, inclusion, equity, and thriving. This website will also include public documentation of Council meetings and topics discussed.
6. Recommend opportunities for professional development for community members (faculty, staff, and students) that will support their learning and understanding of inclusivity, equity, and bias (implicit or explicit) matters, and guide response to any issues arising through the year..
7. Occasionally, at the direction of the President, the Faculty, or Human Resources, review College policies and procedures to ensure that Albright’s commitment to inclusivity, equity, and full participation as articulated and carried through the College’s policies and procedures.
8. Engage with planning processes, to ensure that matters of inclusivity, equity, and full participation are well-represented.
9. Engage with the work of the Council and represent the activities and work of the Council in their respective departments, units and divisions.

Membership:  Membership will comprise the following groups:

1. Administrative Leadership Team (all ex officio):
   1. Dean of Students
   2. Director of Human Resources
   3. Director of Student Accessibility and Advocacy
   4. Director of Communications
   5. Director of Student Involvement and Leadership & Coordinator of Multicultural Programs
   6. Representative of the Multi-Faith Council, appointed by Multi-faith Council Chair
   7. Faculty member elected by the faculty (who also serves as CITE-C representative to Faculty Executive Council and Board of Trustees Student and Campus Life Committee)
   8. Athletic Advisory Council Faculty Representative, appointed by the chair or convener of the Athletic Advisory Council
2. Faculty: The Council member elected by the Faculty is charged to serve as the CITE-C liaison to the Faculty Executive Council and the Board of Trustees’ Student and Campus Life Committee.  Six additional faculty members will also serve on the Council, selected for diversity in all its dimensions. These faculty will represent the various academic divisions on campus.  Faculty may be full or part-time and will be selected from those who are contributing to the campus community and teaching on an ongoing basis.  Nominations and self-nominations from all parties are solicited; the president appoints from nominations received.
3. Staff and administration: Seven staff will serve on the Council.  Together with the ex officio members, these staff will represent (3-4 persons) exempt and hourly employees and all divisions of the College.  Nominations and self-nominations will be solicited; the president appoints from nominations received.
4. Students: Six students will serve on the Council — including one representative from each class (preferably), one representative from the Student Government Association, and one student selected at-large.  Each student will be appointed by the President from self-nominations and from recommendations received from faculty, staff, or other students.

Membership Terms:  Ex officio members serve on CITE-C while they hold the staff position.  Appointed members serve three year terms, the Athletic Advisory Council Representative, and the Multi-Faith Council representative.  There is one elected faculty position who is voted on by the full faculty and serves a two-year term. Three-year terms are potentially renewable for a single additional term, at the discretion of Council and the person serving. Group members will serve overlapping terms, so that new and more experienced Council members contribute from each group.

Leadership:  The Council will be co-chaired by the President and another member of the Council.  This co-chair must have 1+ years of experience on CITE-C and will be nominated and voted on by all members of the council.  This practice allows for maximum inclusiveness for all council members.  This person will also serve a three-year term.

CITE-C Council Members

Foundational Definitions

July 19, 2017

Council for an Inclusive, Thriving, and Equitable Community

Why do we need definitions? The Council recognized that the work before us requires clarity of key concepts to serve as guideposts for actualizing institutional values. Some of these terms are already widely used on our campus—diversity and inclusivity, for example. Other terms are newer to our institution but seem essential to marking a more ambitious horizon.

The Council for an Inclusive, Thriving, and Equitable Community adopts and uses these definitions as foundational to our community:

Diversity: A state of having many forms of difference present in a community, often including a wide range of human differences. At its most basic, diversity refers to demographic difference, especially with respect to those demographic groups that have been historically restrained, excluded, or oppressed.

Inclusivity: What a community does to demonstrate its commitment to diversity. It is how a community honors, values and accepts the diversity among its community members. Inclusivity is observable in the extent to which (a) community members feel a sense of belonging and (b) the community is equitable in its provision and distribution of opportunities among its members.

Community: In this document, “community” refers to the faculty, students and staff members of the Albright College. While the broader Albright community includes many other individuals and constituencies (alumni, Lion fans, etc.), the work described herein focuses on what it means to be a member of the Albright campus community. This definition may evolve as we move forward. Our committee believes that full participation and equity (both defined subsequently) should shape the College’s practices and actions in the local, national, and international communities of which we are a part.

Full participation: An affirmative value focused on creating a campus community in which all community members, whatever their identity, background, or institutional position or location, thrive, recognize their full potential, engage meaningfully in institutional life, and contribute to the flourishing of others. Full participation means a commitment to the mutual thriving of members of the community, and that the thriving of one group should not come at the expense of the thriving of another group.¹ Full participation directs us to focus on achieving equity in terms of opportunity and outcomes afforded by and in higher education.

Equity: The ability of historically under-represented populations to achieve results consistent with full participation. This includes the creation of opportunities for such populations to have equal access to and participate in professional and educational programs that close the achievement and outcome gaps between populations. In higher education, equity can be achieved by eliminating disparities of opportunity, resources, and outcomes for historically underrepresented populations in ways that are consistent with the institutional commitment to full participation. Pursuing equity requires equity-mindedness, an approach guided by an awareness of the ways in which many groups have been historically excluded from professional and educational opportunities or marginalized within the structures and institutions that house those opportunities. Being equity-minded in higher education also means intentionally “relocating the cause of disparities in … outcomes from the imagined deficits of [historically excluded groups] to the institutional structures and policies we create.” ²

Thriving: Thriving is a condition of individuals who experience an institution’s commitment to full participation. When a community fosters well-being among all its members, enables individuals to reach their full potential, and intentionally eliminates barriers that prevent them from reaching their full potential, community members thrive. Thriving does not equate to happiness or being comfortable; resilience, stretching one’s potential, making decisions about a balanced and fulfilling life, and giving oneself permission to fail are all dimensions of thriving.

The Council agrees that equity and full participation are affirmative values and actionable concepts that are imbued with a commitment to justice.

The Council notes that equity and equality are not the same thing. Equality means providing everyone the same resources. Equity takes into consideration the fact that differences in identity, background, and institutional location and conditions can often affect people’s capacity to thrive, recognize their full potential, engage meaningfully in institutional life, and contribute to the flourishing of others. An equitable environment would be one that ensures individuals or groups have what they need to be full participants. This would not necessarily be equal to what others were receiving. It could be more or different.

Suggested Informational Materials

On-Campus Resources

Office of Multicultural Affairs
African Diaspora
African American Society (AAS)
American Sign Language
Caribbean Culture Club
Gender Resource Center
Gospel Ensemble
Hillel
Hong Kong Student Association (HKSA)
International Students Association (ISA)
Logos (Christian Fellowship)
National Organization for Women (NOW)
Newman Association
Praise Dance Ministry (PDM)
Pride +
The Language Exchange Club
Xion Step and Dance
Gable Health Center
Chaplain’s Office

Off-Campus Resources

The LGBT Center of Greater Reading

The Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center

Reading NAACP

World Affairs Council