DEIJ Campus Coordinating Committee

At Goucher College, we have intentionally prioritized a focus on diversity and inclusion in our strategic plan, Cultivating Global Changemakers. We understand that it is imperative as an institution to embrace inclusion, social and racial equity, a culture of respect, and accessibility, in who the community includes, how it acts, in what we teach, and in how we prepare our students for life.

What is the DEIJ Campus Coordinating Committee?

The DEIJ Campus Coordinating Committee is a campus-wide committee of faculty, staff, and students who work year-round to support and coordinate equity and inclusion efforts across the campus. The committee’s formal charge includes tracking and supporting progress on annual DEIJ goals; serving as a divisional liaison and representative; coordinating campus-wide events and programs; amplifying campus-wide culture and climate issues; and providing advice and guidance to institutional administration.

Meet the DEIJ Campus Coordinating Committee Members

Individuals interested in joining the DEIJ Campus Coordinating Committee or interested in contacting us, please write to DEIJCommittee@sydotnet.net.

Arte Warren
Student Affairs

Breanna Tonge ’25
Psychology Major

Cadita Attipoe ’28
SGA, Undeclared

Catia Rembert
CREI

Erick Camodeca
Athletic Department

J’aime Elskoe-Drayton
Advancement

Justin Wade ’25
Sociology/Anthropology Major

Hugh Dennis
Risk Management & Contracts

Isabel Moreno-López
Academic Affairs/Equity & Inclusive Excellence

Lillian Snortland
Marketing & Communications

Odessa Armstrong
Admissions

Patricia Antonia Cruz ’28
Undeclared

Seble Dawit
Peace Studies

Shaun Chaney ’27
Undeclared

Sylvia Doud
Student Affairs

TaChalla Ferris
Library

Tiffany Justice
Campus Operations

Accessibility Working Group

The Accessibility Working Group is looking for student representatives! The Accessibility Working Group is tasked with identifying and solving accessibility challenges at Goucher College. Students interested in participating, please contact inclusion@sydotnet.net.

What is going on in Academic Year 2024-2025?

The DEIJ Campus Coordinating Committee has started Academic Year 2024-2025 with 5 student representatives! Meeting once a month, the DEIJ coordinating committee has established the following goals for Academic Year 2024-2025:

Goals

Create a DEIJ Coordinating Committee website
Analyze the LACRELA faculty and staff surveys
Create a credential certification for DEIJ work
Invest in professional development for DEIJ work
Create DEIJ programming: Facilitated Dialogue Teams

Facilitated Dialogue Teams (FDT)

FDTs are standing multi-partial facilitated dialogue teams of dedicated faculty, staff and students who have been trained in de-escalation and community building techniques.

Objectives of FDT

To respond to conflicts by creating a dialogue space with the goal of deescalating tensions.
To bring the individuals or groups in conflict to pause, talk and deescalate the conflict.
To have trained dialogue facilitators who may be called upon in cases where campus safety or city police are either inappropriate to the situation or where intervention by those officials could be an escalation of the conflict.

Limitations of FDT

FDTs are not mediators so their aim will not be to get people or groups in conflict to resolve their conflict.
FDTs will not respond to threats that are the purview of the Threat Assessment Team (TAT), nor to cases that fall under the Code of Conduct.
FDTs will not respond to Title IX or other bias reports that fall under the Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment.

Plan for Continuing Training during Academic Year 2024-2025

October 7 & October 9 | 1 – 3 p.m. | Haebler Memorial Chapel, Lower Level (Undercroft)
First FDT trainings led by Rev. Maeba Jonas

Throughout the semester | time TBD | location TBD
Common Ground Dialogues led by CREI and RSL

January 23, 2025
Faculty Development Days led by CAST

January 2025
Staff Development Days led by HR + Maeba

January 2025 J-term for Students
2-day Campus-Site Problem Identification and Resolution of Issues Together (Campus SPIRIT) Program led by external provider, CRS

Additional Resources

University of Maryland, Restorative Justice Facilitators
Restorative Response Baltimore
U Michigan's Office of Student Conflict Resolution: "Facilitators are multi-partial, rather than impartial. This means they are equitably partial to everyone involved in the dialogue. Facilitators will act to ensure that all participants have the opportunity to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences about the conflict as well as what could be done to make things better."
Michael Roth's Op Ed in the Times