Mines DI&A Digest April 2022
New leadership opportunities await

As we close out another semester, Mines DI&A is already looking ahead to the 2022-2023 academic year. To continue making strong progress on the 24 SMART recommendations in the DI&A Strategic Plan, and to meet the growing demand for more learning and skill development opportunities, we need to equip additional Orediggers to serve in leadership roles. In this month’s edition of the DI&A Digest, we feature all the engagement opportunities. The benefits associated with serving in one of these roles are significant: 

  • Contribute to a culture of inclusion (I.e., make Mines a place that is safe and welcoming of all social identities) 

  • Gain professional development (e.g., facilitation skills, conflict resolution, public speaking) 

  • Serve as a role model to students, faculty and staff on their diversity, equity and inclusion journey 

  • Expand your practice of what it means and looks like to be an advocate or ally 

These roles will be supported by seasoned mentors who will share their experiences, be available to bounce around ideas or debrief your experience as a facilitator. In addition, these leadership opportunities could be included in your 2022-2023 performance plan under contributions to diversity, inclusion and access, if your department or campus unit has adopted this recommended practice. 

The Mines DI&A team members are happy to meet with you to discuss any of these roles. Email diversity@mines.edu to arrange a chat. 

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

Content This Month
Mines DI&A leadership opportunities 

As we close out the spring semester, and look to 2022-2023 campus programming and initiatives, we invite members of the Oredigger community to apply to the one of the following opportunities: 

Mines DI&A Ambassadors is a group of faculty, staff and student who help meet the growing requests for diversity and inclusion workshops across campus. Mines DI&A Ambassadors are trained to engage in deeper learning about implicit bias, microaggressions and other diversity, equity and inclusion topics as they relate to fostering a culture of inclusion and enacting positive social change on campus. Learn more and apply. 

Mines Advocates is a group of male-identifying faculty, tenured or senior teaching faculty, and mid to senior-career employees committed to supporting women on campus, most notably though the Allies for Gender Equity workshop. Advocates must be open to being mentored on issues like implicit bias, institutional bias, and institutional climate by women faculty members, including women in untenured Assistant Professor, Administrative Faculty, and Classified Staff positions. Learn more and apply. 

STEM Equity Instructional Fellows are led by DI&A Fellow, Dr. Derrick Hudson, who will work with faculty to identify how to integrate equity into course content. The goal of this program would be to have an instructional fellow in each department. Learn more and apply. 

oSTEM and Mines DI&A co-develop a campus-wide survey

O STEM Campus Wide SurveyIn partnership with Mines DI&A, the student group “Out in STEM” (oSTEM) designed a 10-minute survey about the LGBTQ+ community at Mines. Data obtained from this survey will be used to understand the experiences of LGBTQ+ members and how campus can better serve this community. All current Mines students and employees are encouraged to take this survey by Friday, May 6. You do not have to identify as an LGBTQ+ community member to participate. We want to know about your experiences and perspectives to help guide future activities, efforts and decisions for oSTEM and the LGBTQ+ Mines Community Alliance.

Completing this survey is voluntary. If you choose to participate, the data will be anonymous. Only Heather Houlton, Research Analyst for Mines DI&A, will have access to the data. If you have questions, please contact Heather hhoulton@mines.edu.

Department and campus unit final diversity progress reports (option 1) due next month

As of last week, departments and campus units that are following the option 1 timeline for their annual diversity progress report received feedback from the review committee. This feedback ought to be reviewed by department and unit diversity committees and considered in the final report before submitting to Mines DI&A and unit VPs or supervisors by May 2.  

Due dates timeline: Option 1 

  • May 2: Updates to progress reports made and submitted back to Mines DI&A and unit VPs/Supervisors 

  • July 1: Final submitted progress reports reviewed by President Johnson 

Due dates timeline: Option 2 

  • June 13: Progress reports are reviewed, and comments returned to unit leads 

  • June 27: Updates to progress reports made and submitted back to Mines DI&A and unit VPs/Supervisors 

  • July 1: Final submitted progress reports reviewed by President Johnson 

Colorado Denim Day 

Wear jeans with a purpose on Wednesday, April 27th – to show your support and solidarity for survivors of sexual assault and against harmful stereotypes. Since 2016, Mines has joined the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CCASA) in participating in the prevention education campaign. 

Join the return of the annual Mines’ Denim Day photo by meeting at the steps of Guggenheim Hall on Wednesday, April 27th at 12:45pm. Later in the day, join the Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX and SAAVE for a workshop focused on healing trauma from sexual assault, Seeing Red: Empowerment & Storytelling with Ebony Stewart in the Student Center, Ballroom D.

Share a Denim Day photo on Instagram with #MinesDenimDay to be featured in Mines’ Instagram story. Add a Denim Day background to your Teams/Zoom calls? They can be found on Mines’ sexual assault awareness month webpage. Visit Colorado Denim Day for more information about Colorado Denim Day and visit the international Denim Day website to read up on the history of Denim Day in the USA and around the globe. 

Take Back the Night: Shatter the silence, stop the violenceTake Back The Night Flyer Thurday April 28th at 6:00 PM, Kafadar Commons. 

During this one-night event, SAIL, the Office of Institutional Equity & Title IX, SAAVE and Betsey’s Friends Peer Educators collaborate on Take Back the Night to raise awareness of sexual assault during sexual assault awareness month (April). The event includes a survivor safe space, story sharing and a Keynote performance from Ebony Stewart, an international poet and performance artist. You are invited to share your story in advance or join the recognition event on April 28 at 6:00 PM, Kafadar Commons.

Contribute to next month’s Mines DI&A Digest

Help us highlight the work you or your department is doing across campus to support DI&A at Mines by submitting a brief article to next month’s Mines DI&A Digest. Submissions must be received by the first week of the month in order to make it in that month’s Digest.

Save the Dates 

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

As always, we welcome your ideas, thoughts and feedback at diversity@mines.edu.
Thank you for being a member of an inclusive Oredigger community and an advocate and ally for positive social change.

Diversity, Inclusion and Access