Standing room only for session titled "Weathering the Storm: Personal and Community Tools for Reducing the Impact of Oppression"
This past week we sat down with Nurul MohdReza, CU Student Government Director of Diversity and Inclusion, who was tasked with planning our 2016 Diversity and Inclusion Summit, to find out why this campus has a summit in the first place as well as how we can expect the conference鈥檚 results to affect campus life.听
Q: What were the highlights of the 2016 Fall Diversity and Inclusion Summit?听
A: I believe one of the most notable highlights was the committee鈥檚 decision to shift the presence of the Summit to cater toward students. During the opening ceremonies, the audience heard remarks from our CU Student Government President of Student Affairs, a distinguished graduate student and myself. By incorporating students to speak among the Chancellor, the Boulder City Manager, and prominent community members which displayed a sense of community emphasizing the value of student voices. As a student, being able to challenge the administration and shed light on serious social climate issues forced our campus administration to bring urgency in resolving these issues.
Q: Why do you think it's important that CU Boulder host an event like this? What does it say to students?听
A: As many people know, our campus does not breed diversity. It is vital that our campus administration highlight the diverse culture that is present and provide the skills to allow our campus to support and promote inclusivity. It is important for students to understand that in order to create positive change, we need to take advantage of these conferences. Administrations present valuable opportunities, such as the Summit, for students to have their voice be valued. It takes a village to create a lasting impression, so take these worthy experiences to heart and remind yourself that your thoughts, your vigor, and your passions are all undeniable forces that can spark remarkable change.听
Q: What impacts can we expect to see in the next year or so?听
A: The Diversity Summit Planning Committee is making sure the meaningful conversations 听started at the Fall Summit will continue after the conference. The committee will host a Spring Summit in February 2017 so we plan on having speakers from the Fall Summit host community roundtables in the upcoming months to generate long-term discussions on how our community can cultivate an atmosphere that truly supports differences.听
Q: What is your title and what do you do on a day to day basis?听
A: I work with CU Student Government and I am the Director of Diversity and Inclusion. I directly oversee operations regarding the veteran, graduate, international, and Greek communities. I collaborate with several administrations to make sure campus initiatives and strategies are relevant and focus on positively enhancing our social campus climate.听
Q: How did you come to get this role and why is it important to you personally?听
A: I learned about this role through the Center for Student Involvement. I worked as a coordinator for the Dennis Small Cultural Center where I developed culturally educational programming. I heard about the opportunity to serve underrepresented students on a greater platform and I believe I had the voice and the leadership skills to make appropriate changes on campus to allow all students to feel more welcomed and valued.听
The idea of fostering a safe, inclusive community is important to me because students do not thrive in environments where they feel as if their safety, their thoughts, and their opinions are dismissed. If over half of our undergraduate student population is feeling inadequate, that means thousands of students are not reaching their full potential. I firmly believe in the significance of student creativity and making sure students understand they are valued and that their voices are being heard.
For a summary of what happened at the Summit visit: 听http://www.colorado.edu/today/2016/11/07/your-student-government-diversity-and-inclusion-summit
For more information about the Diversity Summit, the schedule and links to video, visit .听
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