Engagement, Inclusion & Diversity

The Wisconsin Union has a dedicated Council to address ongoing engagement, inclusion and diversity (E.I.D.) efforts.

EID plays an essential role in our day-to-day practice. This remains true as our communities and country grapple with the consequences of police brutality, white supremacy, and systemic racism, all in the wake of a pandemic. Please remember to center EID and our EID principles as we work through our campus response and communications around our response, what the impact our response and these realities have on employees, who’s most impacted, who needs additional support, who might be overlooked, how do we best meet these needs, etc.
Please continue to take good care and check-in with each other, your loved ones, your friends and colleagues.

Mission

To be the curators of and catalysts for creating a more diverse, inclusive, and socially just culture at the Wisconsin Union.

Vision

Mobilizing professional and student staff in creating substantial and lasting organizational change that seeks diversity, embraces inclusion, and engages all employees.

Values

Commitment. We are committed to furthering engagement, inclusion, diversity, and social justice initiatives within the Wisconsin Union.
Understanding. We will work to increase levels of awareness and understanding of ourselves, our colleagues, and our communities.
Respect. We honor the viewpoints and experiences of all.
Transparency. We are open and candid about the work we are doing and why we are doing it.
People-centered. We recognize that our human capital is our most important asset and initiatives will consider people first.

Current Council Members

Susan Dibbell
Rod Rotar
Stephanie Diaz De Leon
Jen Brown
Mo Kappes
Courtney Byelich
Monica Slater
Jason Powers
Sabi Atteyih

Resources and Events

Virtual Conference

November 11-13, 2021
The overarching goal of the NSLDC is to help students become stronger leaders in their organizations and campuses, empowering them to create a more accepting, equitable environment and preparing them to work effectively in a diverse workplace.

Ally: Actions Speaker Louder Than Words
Colorism in Black and Latinx Communities
Examining Whiteness and Fragility
How to Hold Your Campus Leaders Accountable for Change
Mental Health and DEI Work: "It can be draining"
Programming with a Purpose: Maximizing your Campus Outreach

Fifty years ago, black students at UW–Madison called for a campus-wide student strike until administrators agreed to a series of demands. Joined by white allies, thousands of protestors boycotted classes, took over lecture halls, and blocked building entrances. In an unprecedented response, the governor deployed the Wisconsin National Guard to campus. To capture and commemorate those tumultuous weeks on campus, University Communications and University Marketing partnered with the Black Cultural Center and The Black Voice publication in February to launch an interactive website that includes an oral history with activists of the time.

Visit the 13 Demands website

Commitment to diversity and inclusion as a core principle of the University requires taking a critical look at personal biases and noticing how different intersections of class, race or gender identity can influence ones learning process.

During weekly meetings, participants of the Leadership Institute co-create inclusive learning environments as they share experiences, confront assumptions, and deconstruct historically dominant social constructs and paradigms. In doing so, participants develop their personal leadership capacities to interact more effectively across multiple perspectives and social identities.

Click here to visit the Learning Communities website and apply!

Here are some resources from Diversity Best Practices that you can leverage to provide additional tools to your employees to ensure that the conversations and commitment to LGBTQ inclusion continues. A couple highlights are listed below:

INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE

A step to a more inclusive community or organization is inclusive language. Understanding and using personal pronouns in the workplace acknowledges and validates someone’s gender identity and expression. Learn more about Talking About Pronouns in the Workplace and why Getting the Language Right is so important.

LGBTQ FACTS & FIGURES

Diversity Best Practice presents key data about LGBTQ buying power and media/internet usage in an accessible and concise one-page resource.

CNN.com also recently updated their LGBT rights ‘fast facts’ list. The list highlights key milestones in the fight for LGBTQ rights in the United States.

These materials are intended to help white UW–Madison community members educate themselves about the systems of racial oppression that undergird American institutions and victimize people of color — particularly Black people — every day. Our hope is that they will help prompt constructive conversations between white colleagues about what they are learning and how they are shifting behaviors to become effective antiracist allies. Engaging in these resources will not make you an expert. They are not intended to center whiteness in the discussion about how we as a community respond to systems of white supremacy. Continue to listen to, elevate and follow the lead of Black and Brown people as we shape our collective future. We hope these materials give you some new tools as you continue to learn more about what it means to be white within these systems of oppression.

Resources for White Allies