Equity & Student Engagement is committed to creating safe and inclusive settings for all students and staff. The Mission of fostering social justice through respect, equity and compassion creates a welcoming environment for all identities, as well as, sets the standard for training and programmatic efforts. During the course of the year, Equity & Student Engagement provides challenging training and development opportunities to students, staff, and campus partners. Community efforts include programming within the dorms, working closely with our campus Cultural and Resource Centers, and collaborating with the city of Tucson on service learning opportunities. By focusing largely on the U of A student body, the Equity & Student Engagement team strives to actively find ways to bridge gaps between the residential and commuter communities, in hopes of creating a more holistic campus.
In these extremely trying and painful times, Housing & Residential Life affirms its commitment to diversity and inclusion. We believe that Black lives matter and acknowledge the ways racial inequities exist in our communities. We are here to support residents and staff as we all take a strong stand against racism and oppression so that we can provide a safe residential experience for all our students, free from hate.
- Housing staff is committed to talking directly with students about their experiences on campus and in the dorms. We will be inviting students to participate in dialogue sessions and surveys during their time living on campus.
- Our residential curriculum prioritizes Cultural Understanding. Now, more than ever, these opportunities to learn about oneself and others is critical.
- In partnership with African American Student Affairs, Housing supports the Building Leaders and Creating Knowledge (B.L.A.C.K.) community in Pima dorm.
- Housing leadership will be critically engaging with UAPD in the context of the ongoing national and local crises centered around policing and marginalized communities.
- Listening to our students, staff, and the Coalition of Black Students and Allies’ (COBA) list of demands, Housing will be creating a new training curriculum this year that specifically addresses unconscious bias, power and privilege, and the ways racial inequities show up on campus and in our department.