Session Title: Challenging Deficit Thinking to Foster Compassionate Belonging

Primary Workshop Presenter: Kim Humphrey, Assistant Director, Equitable Teaching & Learning

Additional Presenters: Stacy Grooters, Executive Director, Center for Teaching Excellence; Jean Otsuki, Associate Director, Center for Teaching & Learning, Boston University

Session Description: For a number of years, education researchers have investigated the ways deficit thinking undermines (higher) education's efforts to support students from diverse backgrounds. In this interactive session, participants will have a chance to consider how deficit thinking shows up in their own work -- whether that's student-facing or not -- and to learn strategies for disrupting the deficit frameworks we too often rely on. Through individual reflection, and small- and large-group conversation, participants will map their own sphere of influence at Boston College, surface deficit thinking in a particular aspect of their work, brainstorm potential alternatives, and begin drafting an action plan to combat deficit thinking in favor of compassionate belonging and an acute appreciation of their own strengths and the strengths of those around them.

As a result of the session, participants will:

• • Be able to define deficit thinking and identify at least one example in their professional context.
• • Collaboratively brainstorm ways to disrupt deficit-thinking in their workplaces.
• • Identify two context-dependent interventions to experiment within their own work, one that is short-term (e.g., something they can do that week) and one that is medium or long-term (something they can prioritize over the summer, semester, or year).
  

Session Title: BC Battle Buddies: Creating a Military-Inclusive Environment 

Workshop Presenter: Mike Lorenz, Assistant Director for Veteran Programs & Services

Session Description: A term used frequently in the military, a “Battle Buddy” is someone who is there to help their partner both on and off the battlefield.  BC Battle Buddies is meant to give participants a baseline understanding of how to engage with the military-connected community, and maximize the capacity of Boston College to cultivate a military-inclusive community. The program covers military culture, examines stereotypes and challenges faced by this community, reviews current data and trends, and finally offers practical steps and actions individuals can take to create a more military-inclusive environment on campus.

As a result of the session, participants will:

• • Be able to summarize current challenges facing veterans in the classroom or workplace.
• • Be able to consider their current practices (or lack thereof) with how supportive and sensitive they are to veteran needs.
• • Be able to integrate best practices into their current practices for engaging with the military-connected community.

Session Title: Facilitating Effective Racial Dialogues: Attending to Emotions and Promoting Self-Awareness

Primary Workshop Presenter: Alex Pieterse, Associate Professor and Director of the Institute for the Study of Race and Culture
Additional Presenter(s): Lawrence Stevenson, Graduate Research Assistant, ISRC

Session Description: This session will introduce the Racial-Cultural Interview and an approach to facilitating effective racial dialogue through a focus on self-reflection, and the identification of emotional reactions that often accompany racial dialogues. Participants will learn how to utilize racial identity theory and critical consciousness to facilitate racial awareness, vulnerability, and authenticity when discussing issues of race and racism. An illustration of the racial-cultural interview will be provided. 

As a result of the session, participants will:

• • Identify common emotions associated with race-related dialogues.
• • Outline strategies to work with emotions when engaging in race-related dialogues in such a way as not to shut down the dialogues.
• • Describe what racial identity is and how it affects race-related dialogues.
• • Consider applying the racial-cultural interview within their work setting in order to raise racial awareness.

Session Title: Advancing Workplace Equity and Belonging through the National Workplace Equity Study 

Primary Workshop Leader: Samuel Bradley, Assistant Professor of Macro Practice; Director of the Equity Innovation Lab, School of Social Work  

Additional Presenter(s): Debbie Hogan, Assistant Director, School of Social Work Doctoral Program

Session Description: Over the past few years, organizations and employees alike have turned their attention toward addressing the social inequities in the workplace made starkly visible by the pandemic. While much progress has been made in this space, this increased attention has also led to growing recognition that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs can stall, fail, or even backfire if not implemented thoughtfully. This presentation will focus on the National Workplace Equity Study conducted through the Center for Social Innovation in Boston College’s School of Social Work. Presenters will cover the results of the national study as well as facilitate a demonstration of a short design thinking activity to help participants unlock opportunities for innovating in their context and helping to create a sense of community and belonging for everyone at BC.

As a result of the session, participants will:

• • Have the opportunity to learn about evidence-based practices from a national study on equity in employment systems that will be applicable to all individuals and departments at BC.
• • Be able to understand the source of inequity in all elements of employment systems so they can work towards eliminating institutional inequitable practices.
• • Conduct a design thinking activity in small groups to help foster innovative solutions within the attendees’ sphere of influence that address workplace inequities and contributes to a greater sense of belonging for all BC employees. 
  

Session Title: Celebrating Our Differences: Using the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) to Create a More Inclusive Campus 

Primary Workshop Presenter: Adrienne Nussbaum, Associate Dean/Director/Adjunct Faculty, OISS

Additional Presenter(s): Vaughn Thornton, Program & Outreach Specialist, Global Engagement, Ph.D. student in Higher Education

Session Description: The Intercultural Development Inventory, a tool which assesses how we interact across commonalities and differences, was introduced to BC in early 2016. Since then it has been administered widely to faculty, staff, and students across the university. Even with high aspirations, we have learned that our campus tends to focus more on our commonalities, rather than creating intentional spaces to acknowledge and celebrate our differences. This can lead to a diminished sense of belonging for many community members. This session will introduce participants to the theory and concepts of the IDI and allow them to engage in small group discussions about how to close the gap between our intentions and impact when it comes to intercultural competency. 

As a result of the session, participants will:

• • By simply being exposed to the concepts of the IDI, specifically minimization hand acceptance, participants will then be able to recognize it in their behavior and in the actions of others, call it out in themselves or in others, and then intentionally start to pivot their mindset towards acceptance.
• • Can bring the concepts of the IDI back to their offices/departments to share with colleagues who then may want to take the IDI or participate in CCEM.
• • Through the small group discussions and resources shared, participants will have concrete ideas of how to improve their intercultural competency and move towards Acceptance, hopefully with specific progress indicators and a timeline.

Session Title: Building Community through the Schiller Institute

Primary Workshop Presenter: Jim West, Assistant Director, Programs, Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society

Additional Presenter(s): Greg Adelsberger, Director of Finance and Operations; Yi Ming, Institute Professor of Climate Science and Society; Laura Steinberg, Seider Family Executive Director

Session Description: Through a panel discussion, this session will cover the various programs, courses, and research by the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society that furthers the Diversity and Inclusion Summit theme of “Power of Community: Growing Our Capacity for Compassionate Belonging.”

As a result of the session, participants will:

• • Learn about Schiller’s efforts and can adapt these initiatives to their own context in order to positively affect their own sphere of influence at Boston College.
• • Walk away with an enhanced understanding of the importance of holding oneself accountable, for instance, clearly stating and fulfilling intentions of instituting new programs or other initiatives that deepen a sense of belonging or increase intercultural knowledge. 
• • Gain tools for how to make the Boston College community more welcoming by reaching out to understand needs, as well as identify gaps in our own knowledge we can expand to best support and build relationships within our community.