Recently in Discussion Category

THIS FRIDAY: Critical Conversations

By Devyn on April 16, 2013 11:06 AM | 0 Comments
Friday, April 19, 2013
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Givens Conference Room (120 Elmer Andersen Library)
West Bank campus

Free and open to the public

WHY I LEFT HOME: Stories about Migration, Immigration, and Globalization

The Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation lists the US as the leading destination for permanent immigrants. People emigrate for complex reasons - war, natural disaster, economic opportunity - and deal with many obstacles in pursuit of a new home. Engage in a conversation among professionals trying to assist new immigrants, some of whom will sharetheir own stories even as they have become professionals living aspects of the American dream.

Panelists: MayKao Y. Hang, President and CEO of the Wilder Foundation; John Keller, Executive Director, Immigrant Law Center; Juventino Meza, Director, NAVIGATE Minnesota; Ahmed Yusuf, Somali community activist and author of Somalis in Minnesota. 

Moderator: Louis Mendoza, Associate Vice Provost, University of Minnesota Office for Equity and Diversity.


These sessions are excellent opportunities for in-depth exploration of the key issues we work with as professionals within OED.  I hope you will take time to participate in this important discussion and to SPREAD THE WORD to your networks of students, staff, faculty, and community members!

  • See the University Libraries companion page to this event to check out library resources and collections highlights.
  • Learn more at diversity.umn.edu/criticalconversations, or contact Anne Phibbs at phib0001@umn.edu or 612-625-9973.
  • To request disability accommodations for this event, or to obtain this material in an alternate format, contact Ralph Blanco at rblanco@umn.edu or 612-625-8680.

Upcoming Current Issues Coffee Club: February 29, 2012

By Jody Gray on February 10, 2012 1:10 PM | 0 Comments

The Diversity Outreach Collaborative and the Scholarly Communications Collaborative will host the February 2012 Current Issues Coffee Club

Wednesday February 29, 2012 3:30-4:30 pm
Location: Walter Library 101

The work of researchers in higher education is strongly influenced by funding, disciplines, hierarchy, and competition.  For this discussion we will explore strategies to challenge these patterns and explore scholarly communication and divide between North and South divide in Africa.

Articles we will be discussing.

1.  Politics of Research from Martin, Brian, 1947- Information liberation : challenging the corruptions of information power / Brian Martin. London : Freedom Press, 1998.


Light refreshments will be served.  Please join us!

Jody Gray, Diversity Outreach Collaborative
Meghan Lafferty, Scholarly Communications Collaborative

Evaluation with Non-traditional Audiences

By Jody Gray on December 31, 2011 11:04 AM | 0 Comments

By meye0539 on December 30, 2011 8:37 PM

These are a few highlights that I took away from Extension EFANS presentation on Effective evaluation with non-traditional audiences by Cindy Tong (Horticulture) and David Wilsey (Forestry). They both were speaking about evaluation of non-native English speakers who attend workshops and other programming. 
Cindy:


  • Creating culturally-sensitive evaluations, measure impact and suggestions for improvements.

  • One of the main difficulties is evaluating in written form if attendees are not used to written language (i.e. hmong). Unfamiliar with scalar evaluations (excellent, good , fair, etc.), in addition they want to blend in and avoid disrespect the organizers.

  • Tried written evaluations, DOTS surveys and oral surveys, similar problems with written language, and the oral survey encountered problems with talking in front of groups. This next year they are going to answer the questions in small groups first. To learn more, read their article in the Journal of Extension.


David: 

  • Nested Challenges: it is one thing to get information and another about information quality.

  • Three strategies used: 
  • inclusive: what is important and what indicates success , what is culturally appropriate (qualitative/quantitative, individual/group, active/passive)

  • Adapt: too much information, too little information, overly structured

  • Experiment: used a ballet method/votes to gather information, more info in his prepub article

  • David does event mapping, to show intervention points on where you can interject information gathering, love tree rings to gather how old folks were 20-30 in this tree ring area with blue and pink push pins and ties into the forestry topic; when you disaggregate tools then you loose the ability to pinpoint to a specific population

Library Issues Seminar: What do you mean by diversity? Follow up

By Jody Gray on June 13, 2011 3:53 PM | 0 Comments
Today's Library Issues Seminar was called "What do you mean by diversity? A Discussion."   

We discussed how the University of Minnesota has defined diversity and how that impacts the work of the Libraries' Diversity Outreach Collaborative and Diversity Outreach Librarian.

Powerpoint from today's session can be seen by clicking here.

In 2008, the University of Minnesota Office for Equity and Diversity launched a new framework to guide University offices, colleges, departments and individuals in diversity work.  This document is titled: Re-imagining Equity and Diversity: A Framework for Transforming the University of Minnesota.  This document identifies 8 priority areas for diversity.  The Diversity Outreach Collaborative and Diversity Outreach Librarian encourage all to read this document and become familiar with the 8 priority areas.  We are truly in a unique position to have a framework like this that has been adopted by the entire University of Minnesota System. 

You can see examples of a few programs that have been mapped to the priority areas on the above mentioned powerpoint from this session.

Another tool for mapping your programs or projects to the priority areas is the attached: OED Priority Areas for Library Issues Seminar.doc.  

If you have any questions about mapping please contact me at grayjl@umn.edu or call 612-624-9913.  I would be happy to work with your department on this project. 




Library Issues Seminar: What do you mean by diversity?

By Jody Gray on June 10, 2011 11:12 AM | 0 Comments
Library Issues Seminar
Monday, June 13, 2011
12:00 pm, bring your lunch at 11:30 am
Room S30B, Wilson Library
 
What do you mean by diversity?  A Discussion.  In this session, Jody Gray, University of Minnesota Libraries' Diversity Outreach Librarian, will provide an overview of  how the Office for Equity and Diversity's Framework for Transforming the University has influenced the work done on behalf of the University Libraries' and how it affects the broader campus community.  On a practical note, what we mean in the Libraries' when we talk about diversity outreach will be discussed.  Members of the Diversity Collaborative will also be in attendance to discuss the current trends, tools, and tips that can be applied to our work in diversity.

Whose University Day of Education

By Jody Gray on April 16, 2011 9:40 PM | 0 Comments
WHOSE UNIVERSITY?

Whose education?
Whose voices are heard?


As the University of Minnesota pursues a path toward becoming an elite, global research institution, it is becoming more visibly exclusive. The Whose University? Campaign is organizing students, educators, workers, and community members to challenge this institution's priorities in equal access and resources for underrepresented groups.  This semester we began production of adocumentary-style film which will be released next fall.
Please join us: 
DAY OF EDUCATION
April 2oth, 2011
11am-4pm, Coffman Memorial Union
RSVP at this website

Library Issues Seminar: What do you mean by diversity? A Discussion

By Jody Gray on March 31, 2011 10:34 AM | 0 Comments
Joint us at the next Library Issues Seminar

Monday, April 4, 2011
S30B Wilson
bring your lunch at 11:30 am
presentation begins at 12:00 pm

What do you mean by diversity?  A Discussion

In this session, Jody Gray, University of Minnesota Libraries' Diversity Outreach Librarian, will provide an overview of  how the Office for Equity and Diversity's Framework for Transforming the University has influenced the work done on behalf of the University Libraries' and how it effects the broader campus community.  On a practical note, what do  we mean in the Libraries' when we talk about diversity outreach will be discussed. Members of the Diversity Collaborative will also be in attendance to discuss the current trends, tools and tips that can be applied to our work in diversity.

OED Survey on Communication

By Jody Gray on March 25, 2011 11:07 AM | 0 Comments
The link below will take you to a short survey from the University of Minnesota's Office for Equity and Diversity (OED). You'll be asked a few questions about your University affiliation and location; possible use of OED services; and how you use the Internet, in general. OED will use your anonymous responses as we explore ways to better communicate online. The survey won't capture any personal information from you and we won't share the responses with anyone outside of our OED project team.

If you have questions about how the survey data will be used, please email elen@message-power.com, the digital strategist hired by OED to work on this project.

Here's the survey link:  http://svy.mk/fOXBLn

Thank you in advance for giving us a few moments of your time. We do appreciate it. 

Alicia Cordes
Director of Communications
Office for Equity and Diversity

Current Issues Coffee Club: Reflections on Meaningful Change

By Jody Gray on December 2, 2010 12:39 PM | 0 Comments

The Diversity Outreach Collaborative invites you to the next Current Issues Coffee Club:

Tuesday, December 14, 3:30-4:30 Upson Room Walter Library Coffee and treats provided from Franklin Street Bakery

The University of Minnesota Libraries participated in a self reflective study conducted by the University of Minnesota Institute for Diversity, Equity and Advocacy (IDEA). The self study group composed of faculty and staff commissioned through an application process in the Spring of 2009 by Associate Vice Provost Louis Mendoze, Director of IDEA, which was then still in its formative state. IDEA's goal is to promote and support scholars from the University of Minnesota as they collaborate in innovative and groundbreaking ways across disciplines, departments, colleges, campuses, and with local communities.

This group analyzed issues related to leadership, campus climate, the recruitment and retention of diverse faculty, staff and students, the uses and reliability of data collection and metrics on diversity, accountability and evaluation measures, and teaching, research and support services that advance diversity and equity at the University of Minnesota.

The end result was a document titled ''Equity and Diversity at the University of Minnesota: Reflections on Meaningful Change.

Please join the Diversity Outreach Collaborative in discussing this document.

READINGS:

Reflections on Meaningful Change  

http://www.academic.umn.edu/equity/pdf/IDEAselfstudy.pdf

Hmong Diaspora, Gender and Public Policy

By Jody Gray on October 13, 2010 2:20 PM | 0 Comments
"Hmong Diaspora, Gender and Public Policy," a discussion and performance featuring academic, political, and artistic leaders. This event will take place on October 21, from 4:30 - 6 p.m., in the President's Room (332) in Coffman Memorial Union. This is the second event in the year-long lecture series, "Marginalization within Margins: Diversity and Equity Across Disciplines and Contexts" presented by the Institute for Diversity, Equity and Advocacy (IDEA).

Event participants include: Senator Mee Moua (Minnesota State Senate, District 67); Mai Na M. Lee (Assistant Professor, Department of History, University of Minnesota); Kathy Mouacheupao (Executive Director, Center for Hmong Arts and Talent (CHAT)); and Fres Thao, Emcee & Performance Artist (Member of Bakers Club, formerly of Illegoaliens). Moderated by Bic Ngo, Ph.D. (Assistant Professor, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota). 
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