Coffee Break, Monday, 12/9, 11am-12:15 or so
in 408 Baker, rescheduled in conjunction with Ladies Against Social Stigmas over an
extended Diversity 24|7|365!
Break?!
You might be thinking “I (or my students) don’t have time to lounge during finals week! ” Of course not! But short breaks help individuals regroup and gain fresh perspectives, and diversity of thought is beneficial for problem solving. Networking and group mentoring are recommended to remove power differentials, and makes for some rich discussions. And don’t forget about the research that stress responses in women are moderated by social supports (tend and befriend vs fight or flight). Or that while sexual coercion and unwanted sexual attention may have waned, gender harassment is pervasive (and campuses that let that fly tend to have higher rates of those more egregious issues). And with racial and religious bias coming out in the local community in recent weeks, a supportive environment is more important than ever. Not to mention that exam period is just plain stressful; everyone benefits when others root for their success!
So take a break with us; it’s good for you (and business, too).
About the partners:
LASS is an affinity group for underrepresented women students, which along with the forerunner of the Sexuality and Gender Alliance (SAGA) began in 2015, following the successful launch of the Kings Court Mentoring Program.
Diversity@ESF 24|7|365 is a weekly or biweekly forum open to faculty, staff and students for concurrent student support and allyship development through facilitated discussions within a “brave space.” It developed in consultation with campus entities following the departure of a staff-level Director of Student Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives. Intended as a “stopgap” until that office re-filled, with support of Baobab Society, CSTEP, Student Affairs, ESF Women’s Caucus, EOP, Graduate Student Association, International Education Office, King’s Court Mentoring Program, Ladies Against Social Stigma (LASS), Office of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity, Professionals of Color, Sexuality and Gender Alliance (SAGA) and the Undergraduate Student Association (USA).
ESF Women’s Caucus may be the first of ESF’s affinity groups, providing support across departments and titles since 1994. It followed on the heels of the the campus' internal and 3rd party assessments of the climate for women students, soon after the successful launch of the Baobab Society. This student club was founded by students (ca 1991) under the advisement of Admissions Counselor Mrs. Eva Williams, about the same time that the college began actively recruiting domestic students of color, “to ensure the multicultural outreach and enlightenment of the college and Syracuse communities. [It] host several events throughout the academic year to celebrate the many different cultures represented at the SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry.”
