The Evolution of the Mines DI&A Council 

This school year marks the fourth year of the Mines Diversity, Inclusion & Access Council. The DI&A Council was established in 2018, comprising of faculty, staff and students from all pockets of campus, Mines alumni and industry partners. The original Council was instrumental in developing the Mines Strategic Plan for Diversity, Inclusion and Access. Subsequent Councils have helped shape and refine processes to shared responsibility, reporting and implementation of the 24 SMART recommendations found in the Strategic Plan.

This year, Mines DI&A Council members are working with our team to redesign how departments and major campus units collect, report and celebrate their contributions to diversity at Mines. Over 40 representatives on the general DI&A Council meeting are asked to gather feedback from their respective diversity committees on the annual reporting template and rubric during the month of October and bring suggestions to the November general meeting.

Are you new to Mines or interested in the genesis of the Mines DI&A Strategic Plan or the DI&A Council? There are two ways you can learn more: 1) Request the “Overview to Mines DI&A” workshop; it’s a quick 10-minute session you can tack on to any existing meeting, 2) Join the general DI&A Council meeting next month. This recurring meeting is the second Monday (9:00 AM) of each month during the school year and is open to the Mines community. Access information for the virtual meeting is found in the Save the Dates section at the bottom of this month’s Digest.

Dr. Amy E. Landis, Tammy Curry, Heather Houlton and Kelly Knechtel 
Mines DI&A 

Institutional Equity & Title IX Leads Campus Education Around Domestic Violence Awareness & Prevention Month 

Nearly one in three women, one in four men, and one in two trans and non-binary individuals will be in an abusive relationship at some point in their lifetime. Understandably, relationship abuse can interrupt a person’s ability to flourish in their academic and employment pursuits. The Office of Institutional Equity & Title IX aims to prevent it from occurring in our community and offers support to anyone experiencing this.

During the month of October, Institutional Equity & Title IX hosted an open house and a campus Purple Thursday campaign (the color for domestic violence awareness) to encourage visible support of survivors and prevention, including a takeover of the Mines Instagram account, awareness tables, a Daily Blast series, and an Escalation Workshop on preventing college dating violence with residence life.

Resources 
Many resources and options exist at Mines and in the surrounding community to support survivors, including reporting, safety, academic and wellness options:

• Connect a survivor to the Institutional Equity & Title IX or Campus Safety 
• Connect an employee who is a survivor to CSAEP, a free counseling and wellness resource
• Refer to Porchlight Family Justice Center or Victim Outreach Incorporated in the community
• Refer to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, which has 24/7 phone and text hotlines

At Mines, most employees are designated as responsible employees who must report any instances of interpersonal violence. This can be done by reaching out to Katie Schmalzel, Mines Title IX Coordinator, Alex Leach, Assistant Director, or through reporting online.

While the calendar nears the end of October, awareness and prevention happens around the clock year-round. To request a workshop or other programming, email titleix@mines.edu or submit a request form.

An Evening With Anthony Ianni

Disability Support Services was honored to partner with the Autism Society of Colorado and Prospect Academy to bring Anthony Ianni, a national autism speaker, to campus on October 20th in Bunker Auditorium. The event was open to the public including the Mines community, members of the K-12 system and local partners and advocates of the Autism Society of Colorado. The event kicked off with and introduction by Anders Temple, a Mines student studying Mechanical Engineering. Anthony shared insight on how an autism diagnosis at age four shaped the course of his life. Despite being told at a young age he would never go to college, Anthony graduated from Michigan State University. With the support and determination of his family, teachers, administrators and friends, he persevered and overcame various learning challenges and societal barriers.  The audience walked away with a message that dreams are meant to be chased through hard work, dedication, daily affirmations and a relentless desire to not give up. Following the presentation, audience members were invited to participate in a book signing event, featuring Anthony’s new book, Centered Autism, Basketball, and One Athlete’s Dreams. More about Anthony here. 

Culture, Not Costume

Whichever way you choose to celebrate Halloween this weekend, it’s important to remember…

Photo credit: The Lasso

Campus-wide Minimizing Microaggression Learning and Skill Building Workshop Coming to a Computer Screen Near You 

With some many new community members joining the Oredigger community this year- faculty, staff and students, comes an increase in requests for campus-wide diversity, inclusion and access learning opportunities. Join Dr. Amy Landis on November 17 at 9am for Minimizing Microaggressions, an hour-long interactive workshop on how to identify and challenge microaggressions (unintentional slights or invalidations that make people feel unwelcome) when they arise and how to become agents of change through active bystander intervention. Additional Ambassador and Advocate-led workshops are available by request by visiting www.mines.edu/diversity/workshop-trainings.

Mines Career Center Hosts Australia’s Global Talent Visa Program 

Mines Career Center & Disability Support Services Team Up for Workplace Accommodations, Access and Advocacy 

Disability disclosure and accommodation requests in the workplace are common, yet knowing how to ask, when to ask and what to ask for can be tricky. Students, faculty and staff are invited to an employment informational discussion on best practices and advice sharing on Wednesday, October 27 Noon – 1:00 PM via Zoom. Meeting details are found on Diggernet under Events.

Humanitarian Engineering and Mines Career Center Foster Dialogue on Non-Traditional STEM Careers  

There’s no one way to be an engineer. As society evolves and needs emerge, engineers are finding non-traditional ways to apply their expertise. Through small group discussions, learn about how the panelists entered and shaped their careers post-graduation, and how they maintain a focus on their core values as they complete their work and navigate their professional journey. Join the conversation on Wednesday, November 10, 5:00-6:30 PM via zoom. RSVP on Diggernet under Events. 

Save the Dates 

Hyperlinks = virtual meeting access information. All times are Mountain Daylight Time.  

• 10/28 @10:00-10:30 AM Bi-weekly Unconscious Bias & Microaggressions Bystander Learning Community
• 10/29 @ 3:00 PM AMS Social Justice Discussion: Analyzing Racial Equity and Bias of Federal Judges through Inferred Sentencing Records.
• 11/3 @ 3:00 PM Wednesdays with WISEM featuring Dr. Alexis Sitchler, Student Center Ballroom A or zoom.
• 11/8 @ 9:00 AM Mines DI&A Council Monthly Meeting-General. Open to all Orediggers.