Support for 2020-2021 DEI Action Plan

In September, Chancellor Haefner announced the 2020-2021 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Action Plan to further define DU's efforts to substantively and urgently address issues of DEI on campus this year. In building capacity toward these action items, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) has hired two program coordinators to support the work of the plan. Starting on December 11, Mari Henderson and Clara Kapustka, both DU alums, will collaborate with constituents to implement the DEI Action Plan. 

Mari (she/her) is a recent DU graduate from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, where she was a founding member of Korbel Graduate Students of Color, an organization based in community building and student advocacy. Prior to this position, Mari served as a student assistant for alumni engagement and an advisor for undergraduate students at Korbel. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, discussions about minority representation in reality television, and reading. Mari's work with the Action Plan will include measuring and assessing the plan, supporting the DEI Steering Committee and other cross-campus initiatives, and collaborating to support the Black community on campus.

In accordance with her undergraduate work in psychology, sociology, and wellness, Clara (she/her) passions are advocating for human rights and equity in all facets of her life: introspectively, interpersonally, and professionally. During her time as a DU student, she was nominated to travel to Washington DC to be trained as a Sustained Dialogue Facilitator. Her previous work has centered around trauma-informed care for individuals in mental health and substance use recovery experiencing a wide array of intersectional identities and barriers. Clara's role with the Action Plan will be supporting efforts to invest and train students, faculty, and staff, launching university-wide DEI programming, and contributing to DU's Indigenous initiatives. 

ODEI is excited to gain more capacity to achieve the goals set out in the DEI Action Plan. This fall, our team collaborated with others across campus to accomplish the following:

• Rolled out a unified DEI website at www.du.edu/equity
  • Supported the website for the Action Book Club, facilitated by students and faculty at Morgridge College of Education, Graduate School of Social Work, and Korbel School for International Studies
• Instituted baseline, mandatory DEI training for DU employees (due by January 15, 2021; login here)
• The Office of Teaching and Learning launched the Faculty Institute for Inclusive Teaching through their Inclusive Teaching Practices website
• Released an RFP for antiracism programming with funding up to $5,000.00
• Selected our cohort of ODEI Fellows for 2020-2021
• Reimagined the Diversity Summit and Heritage Months as opportunities for community-wide teach-ins that align strategic university and DEI objectives
• Conducted division and unit level DEI capacity building around shared DEI vision and common language
• Created a roster and set the first meeting for the DEI Steering Committee on January 8, 2021
• Presented a Target of Opportunity hiring plan to the Dean's Council for their review