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Celebrating our differences: UMD employees creating community through diversity training
05 Visibility weighs on minds of students and faculty in AIS program
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09 UMD sexual misconduct reports increasing
12 UMD creates more space for gender neutral bathrooms, but some still require keys
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How military-friendly is UMD?
UMD athletics creates diverse and inclusive culture for its student athletes
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DECEMBER 2017 ¡ THEBARKUMD.COM
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR This December, The Bark is dedicating our entire print issue and an online section to the theme of diversity and inclusion on campus. We are calling this Project Inclusion. Given today’s political climate and the value that our university says it places on diversity, we feel that writing about this issue is important for our readers. We were also largely inspired by the 2015-2016 Campus Climate Survey, which is described as an “assessment of climate for living, learning and working.” The results of the survey provided some illuminating statistics about student, faculty and staff experiences and comfort levels at UMD. According to survey results, 76 percent of respondents were “comfortable” or “very comfortable” with the climate at UMD. Though this statistic shows the majority of respondents reporting decent, if not high comfort levels on our campus, it also implies that about one-fourth of respondents are not comfortable with the climate at UMD. So The Bark team decided to take a closer look. Paula Pederson, UMD’s Director of Education for Inclusive Excellence, came to one of our weekly meetings to discuss diversity on campus and the results of the Campus Climate Survey. That discussion was the beginning of many, which helped us further our own understanding of what diversity and inclusion means at UMD and led to many story ideas. What you see in this print issue is only a handful of articles from our larger project and can not be perceived as wholly representing the issues of diversity and inclusion that our campus faces. We recognize the magnitude of this subject matter and hope to do it justice by covering as many underrepresented groups and issues of inclusion as possible. This is why we have enlisted help. These stories won’t be written by The Bark staff alone. Students in a course called Local Journalism will also be contributing to our online section as well as volunteers from around campus who want to share their thoughts and experiences. So this is where I’m asking you for your participation. We want to share your story. Do you feel represented, included and even appreciated on campus? How is our campus doing and what could further be done to create a more inclusive culture here? If you’re a member of the UMD community and have a story or idea you would like to share with us, here’s what you can do: » Share your thoughts on social media using the hashtag #ProjectInclusion » Message us on Facebook » Email us at barkumd@d.umn.edu » Leave your thoughts with our voicemail line (218-461-9155) » Stop by our office (115C KSC) anytime
Thank you!
Ellie Gerst Editor-In-Chief
CELEBRATING OUR DIFFERENCES:
UMD EMPLOYEES CREATING COMMUNITY THROUGH DIVERSITY TRAINING By: Kevin Ott While walking through various hallways on campus, gold posters can be seen lining the walls with phrases that reinforce two of UMD’s core values: diversity and inclusion. Phrases such as “Respect everyone every day” and “Our differences drive our greatness” are just a few examples. While posters with positive messages are nice, a question must be asked: How do UMD employees, as well as the greater campus community, work to reflect these values? Through recently developed programs facilitated by Director of Education for Inclusive Excellence Paula Pedersen, faculty, staff and administrators have the opportunity to gain cultural self-awareness and grow in their leadership skills. “These programs are really focused on becoming aware of your own personal lens and developing the ability to see multiple perspectives,” Pedersen said. One of the programs, known as Intercultural Leadership Development (ILD), launched in the spring of 2012. Since then, 13 cohorts, each containing 18 staff, faculty and administrators at UMD, have voluntarily gone through the program. It has become quite popular -- developing a lengthy waiting list in the past five years. Participants of the ILD training meet at the Kitchi Gammi Club near downtown Duluth for the 4.5-day program.
Hazareesingh has taught at the university for over 30 years, and said that the ILD training is “very intense” but has been more meaningful than any diversity training she has experienced.
“Paula doesn’t have trouble with recruitment because the former participants always spread the word,” Assistant Professor of Education Insoon Han said. “It really helped me to become a better teacher.”
“I accept and understand my white colleagues much more now,” Hazareesingh said. “I can understand where they are coming from and that it’s your experiences that make you who you are.”
Han, originally from South Korea, said that these programs helped her to understand the environment of American classrooms. She has also noticed an improvement in the attitudes of her students. “[The programs] have shown my weaknesses, my room to improve and has helped me to reach students more authentically,” Han said. “Students have become more comfortable, engaged and willing to share their own stories.” While the primary goal of a teacher is to educate, their role in the classroom varies greatly across cultures. Associate Professor of Education Nedra Hazareesingh said that this training can help international professors adjust to this role. “Back at home, we don’t really worry about interpersonal relationships with students because teachers are the people in power and students just sit there, listen to us, and are okay with that,” Hazareesingh said. “They are highly respected and never challenged. But here, students are much more independent and vocal, and will tell you if they don’t like something. That’s very unusual for us coming here.”
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Groups have formed from the ILD and other programs, such as Intercultural Pedagogy Community of Practice (ICPCP) and Courage to Teach. These groups share a common goal: supporting one another. “It is never about agreeing with someone else’s opinions or changing peoples’ minds,” Hazareesingh said, “but it’s always about talking, creating an open dialogue and celebrating our differences.”
VISIBILITY WEIGHS ON MINDS OF STUDENTS, FACULTY IN AIS PROGRAM
any expectations of the Duluth community to know her heritage, but can find explaining it repetitive. The exhaust does not prevent her from doing outreach in the community, however. “I was born here,” Grover said. “This is the community I’ve always known.” Reilly Manzer is a junior studying secondary education and Ojibwe language. As the president of the Anishinaabe Student Organization, he believes that sometimes the campus community can be ignorant to Native cultures. “One of the pillars of our organization is to start conversations and education on indigeneity,” Manzer said. According to Manzer, ASO members invite students of all walks of life to come to their cube to talk about their culture.
By: Samantha Church Sovereignty is a word that has different meanings in different contexts. To those who are part of American Indian nations, the word has a simple meaning: self-governance. Department head of American Indian studies (AIS), Jill Doerfler, is part of the White Earth Ojibwe tribe. She tries to emphasize the growing diversity among American Indian nations through the program. “One of the number one things that we want to get across to all students is that American Indian nations continue to exist and operate today,” Doerfler said. The American Indian studies program has a core focus of tribal sovereignty, which in simple terms means the inherent authority of native tribes to govern themselves within the borders of the United States. The program gives students an insight into how to protect nations and tribes that pre-exist the United States, according to Doerfler. “Our status as American Indians is based on sovereignty and nationhood, as opposed to race,” Doerfler said. “Visibility for native people is different than others.” For American Indian studies professor Linda LeGarde Grover, her heritage is part of her everyday experience. “Every day is native day to me,” Grover said. Grover is part of the Bois Forte Ojibwe tribe. She does not hold
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HOW MILITARYFRIENDLY IS UMD? By: Tyler Schendel Being a military veteran on a college campus can come with a number of challenges. The adjustment of coming back from combat and the differences in experience from their peers are part of what can make college a difficult time for a veteran. However, UMD has been consistently recognized by militaryfriendly. com since 2011 for being a military friendly college campus due to its Veterans Resource Center, academic policies and culture. Senior Kodey Weis said that he found the Veterans Club during his freshman year to get help with his benefits and to connect with people similar to him. Having spent over four years in the Army National Guard, he was the president of the club during his sophomore year from 2015 to 2016. Weis still spends time assisting other student veterans that need help finding resources for benefits, mental health, transitioning to civilian life and more.
kind of get it and have shared some similar experiences.” Jake Schmidt is a student veteran at UMD who previously spent eight months overseas as a member of the Air Force. Much like other veterans, he said that the Veterans Club was helpful for his transition to college because of the connections he made with other veterans. “You immediately find out that you have things in common with people here and everybody’s really accepting,” Schmidt said. “At the same time, we accept that you are who you are but we’ll disagree with you and have spirited debates about everything which is fun.” Aside from giving student veterans a place to connect with each other on campus, UMD provides veterans with resources both for academics and the transition back to civilian life. UMD’s Veterans Resource Center staff can guide students through their educational benefits, get them acclimated to college life, and they can refer students to agencies in the community that can offer mental health counseling, employment help, and family assistance. While many student veterans find socializing with other veterans to be helpful with the transition back to civilian life, others have difficulty readjusting after fighting in combat. For UMD, this is the point in which they would send a student veteran to the Duluth Vet Center. Chris Roemhildt, who works at the Vet Center, said that they make an effort to do outreach to colleges in the Duluth area to educate student veterans on education benefits and mental health services. “One of our big missions is that we try to normalize the process of getting out of the military, coming back from a war zone, and being a civilian again,” Roemhildt said. “Everyone has some sort of tribulation as they get out and some people handle it a little bit better than others.”
“[The Veterans Club] is not just for veterans, it’s for veterans and those who support veterans,” Weis said. “We’ve had members that have never served but have had family or spouses and they’re all welcome to everything that we have.” According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, only 15 percent of student veterans in the U.S. are traditionally college aged students, with most ranging from ages of 24 to 40. Only 3.7 percent of UMD students had previous military experience according to the 2015-16 Campus Climate Survey. Student veterans often struggle to connect with other students because of the differences in age and experience. UMD student Justin Zunker, who has spent six years in the marine reserves, said that the Veterans Club helped ease his transition to college by giving him a place to find people that he can relate to. “I realized that it’s harder to relate with a lot of students, especially if you’re older coming into freshman and sophomore courses,” Zunker said. “It’s just nice being around some people that THEBARKUMD.COM · DECEMBER 2017
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According to Roemhildt, the first three years of getting out of the military pose the highest risk years of veterans for unemployment, mental health issues, substance abuse and suicide. He said that while it may be hard for a veteran to do, reaching out for help when it’s needed is one of the biggest steps towards completing the transition back to civilian life. “We have professionals, licensed clinical social workers, and therapists of different backgrounds,” Roemhildt said. “We have an eclectic group of counselors and therapists so we can approach it all in a little bit of a different way. There’s not one model that works for everybody.” Aside from the mental health aspect of being a student veteran, there are also challenges in conflicting schedules. However, Zunker said that his professors at UMD have accommodated his demanding schedule whenever he has needed it. “When I was actively in the reserves I would have drills once a month or even two weeks of training that would interfere with college and professors were always really good about giving me the formal excuse to make up a test,” Zunker said. As much as UMD does to help student veterans with academics, student benefits and mental health services, some veterans still feel a slight disconnect when socializing with other students. Zunker said he has felt some students have acted differently towards him when he wore his combat backpack on campus. “Sometimes when I used to wear just a normal backpack, I did feel treated a little differently than when I wear the combat backpack,” Zunker said. “I think I’ve met people where they were not necessarily intimidated to talk to me but it felt like people were maybe assuming certain things about my views on politics and ideologies.”
“When I was actively in the reserves I would have drills once a month or even two weeks of training that would interfere with college and professors were always really good about giving me the formal excuse to make up a test.” JUSTIN
ZUNKER
Zunker later clarified his statement, saying that he noticed more of a gap in talking to people, sometimes even a lack of conversation, but he said that peers have opened up to him more when he began talking to them.
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While student veterans account for a small amount of the UMD student population, UMD’s efforts to be a military friendly campus have been noticed by veterans like Kodey Weis. Weis said that the university has met his needs as a veteran because of its academic, mental health and student benefit services along with its supportive administration. “From the way I’ve heard faculty, the administration and Chancellor Black have felt about the veteran community, they try their best where they can and have a good working relationship with us and they’re open to hearing any concerns that we have,” Weis said. “They’ve been more than helpful.”
UMD SEXUAL MISCONDUCT REPORTS INCREASING By: Idun Rasmussen According to Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, by the average age of 23, nearly one in four Minnesota female college students have been sexually assaulted. In addition, Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network states that 5.4 percent of undergraduate male students experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence or incapacitation, and that 21 percent of transgender, genderqueer and gender nonconforming college students have been sexually assaulted. For years, UMD has been working on improving the experience of sexual misconduct survivors. Lisa Erwin, vice chancellor of student life and dean of students, said that reports of sexual misconduct have increased in the past few years. There were 11 reports of sexual misconduct in 2014-15, nine in 2015-16 and 27 in 2016-17. “We are receiving more reports,” Erwin said. “The effort that we have made through email, through letting people know how to report, we think is working to some degree.” Erwin said that over the past several years, UMD has
trained over 300 faculty and staff on ways to support students and respond appropriately to reports. “We have announced staff and faculty training over an all staff and faculty email at least twice a year over the last four years,” Erwin said. “Certainly during sexual assault month in April, and then we try to do one in the September time frame as well that lets the community know on how to report.” According to Erwin, there are two kinds of training for faculty and staff. One is an online training, and the second is an inperson training where participants may ask questions as well. Staff and faculty are taught about different ways to report. “We talk about what sexual misconduct is, we talk about their obligations to report and the offices in which they need to report, and what happens after they report, so they can begin to build some confidence in the process,” Erwin said. No training was done this fall due to University President Eric Kaler moving toward a mandatory training for all faculty and staff in the University of Minnesota system. This is set to launch in January of 2018. Erwin said that UMD will then figure out what the in-person training will look like once it’s launched. “The mandatory part would be the online part,” Erwin said. “We are going to try to make a complementary part for the in-person part, because people work differently and it’s hard to ask a computer module questions.” If a student files a report online, the report goes to the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution. Katie Jackson, director of student conduct and conflict mediation, will then meet with the student who is having the experience to discuss what they want to do. “Some people aren’t interested in the conduct process and want resources and support,” Jackson said. “If the conduct process isn’t
NUMBERS OF REPORTS ON SEXUAL MISCONDUCT, TAKEN FROM “SUMMARY OF CAMPUS CLIMATE REPORTS” THIS INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ONLINE HERE: HTTP://WWW.D.UMN.EDU/SITES/CHAMP.D.UMN.EDU/FILES/CCRT_SUMMARY_DATA_2012_-_2017.PDF
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what they are interested in at that point in time, that’s OK. They always have the option to come back and change their mind in the future.” If a student wants to pursue the conduct process done by UMD, the office makes sure that they have a good understanding of what it looks like. “It involves an investigation. They can make statements, they may also suggest witnesses, provide documents such as text, pictures and that kind of thing,” Jackson said. “This way all the information can come together in an investigative report so that it can be shared with the student that is making the complaint and the respondent.” Jackson said that the office then makes sure if there is anything else the student wants to add and if they have got anything wrong. This way both parties feel that it is a fair and transparent process and that they have been heard. From there, it is turned over to a decision maker. “The decision maker will review all the information, decide if there is enough information to make a charge,” Jackson said. “We decide whether 50 percent in the feather of the information suggest that there is a policy violation.” Depending on the case, there are various ways a student can be disciplined. “Not all sexual misconduct is alike, there’s everything from verbal misconduct all the way up to sexual assault,” Jackson said. “It depends on what happened, but if the person experienced sexual assault, the most common starting point is a suspension for the time it takes for the complainant to graduate from UMD.” Jackson said that the starting point can be modified if a student goes into a formal hearing where a student panel has the decision making ability. A student hearing panel consists of three people: a faculty, staff and student. They generally keep the sanction the same if the decision is
“If the conduct process isn’t what they are interested in at that point in time, that’s OK. They always have the option to come back and change their mind in the future.” K AT I E
JACKSON
the same, but they can increase or decrease it, depending on the case. “I have not seen two cases exactly the same in terms of people’s experiences,” Jackson said. “Certainly there’s a lot to bear in mind in making a decision that’s going to make sense for the individual
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that had the experience as well as the person who committed the act and where they are in their own reflection and learning; some have great remorse, some don’t understand that what they did was a problem, so that’s going to be taken into account.“ The University of Minnesota Duluth Police Department is also a place for students to report. Jackson said that if a student report comes to her office, it’s her job to make sure that the student is aware of UMDPD as another reporting option. “I do not take the complaint and pass it on to the police,” Jackson said. “Doing that removes the power of the person, and making sure that they’re informed and that is an option.” In addition to the Office of Student Conduct, Conflict Resolution and the UMDPD, UMD students can report sexual misconduct to numerous different campus departments. These offices include Health Services, Office of Diversity and Inclusion and UMD WRAC. Off campus resources include local hospitals, such as St. Luke’s, Essentia Health and PAVSA.
UMD CREATES MORE SPACE FOR GENDER NEUTRAL BATHROOMS, BUT SOME STILL REQUIRE KEYS By: Zack Benz According to UMD’s gender inclusive bathroom map, the university is home to an estimated 40 gender neutral bathrooms, both private and public, with a majority located in the university’s academic core. Some of the gender inclusive bathrooms require keys to access. A representative from Facilities Management was unable to tell us how many are available for public use. Said map was originally perceived to be the main reason for promoting more gender neutral restrooms, but Paula Pedersen, director of education for inclusive excellence, said awareness and advocacy actually enabled this change. “It would be an oversimplification to say that the interactive map led to the policy,” Pedersen said. “Rather, the entire process of awareness and advocacy facilitated both mapping and ultimate policy change.” In an effort to remain inclusive, UMD established a Gender Neutral Restroom Strategy in 2012. According to a UMD campus community document provided by Susana Pelayo-Woodward, assistant to the chancellor for inclusive excellence, the strategy
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was put in place in order to create a positive and inclusive campus climate for all by advancing equity, diversity and social justice. Progressive steps were taken in this strategy to provide two gender neutral restrooms on the third floor of the Kirby Student Center. The strategy also required all new construction and remodel projects to include at least one gender neutral restroom in a building. Surrounding schools like the University of Wisconsin Superior (UWS) and St. Scholastica have similar strategies when it comes to gender neutral bathrooms. “Each building on [UWS] campus, per floor, has gender neutral family bathrooms,” UWS student and yellowjacket union business manager Jordan Smith said. “Our freshman hall is separated by gender, but the upper level residence hall has gender neutral.” According to the St. Scholastica website, the college
believes that equity and inclusion are key ingredients to academic excellence. The school now provides gender neutral or family bathrooms throughout their campus.
anonymous, said. “On some campus buildings there’s a gender neutral bathroom on one floor but then not another so you have to go down three floors to get to a gender neutral bathroom.”
Ellie Horsnell, a member of UMD’s Queer and Allied Student Union (QASU), said she loves the gender neutral bathrooms.
Erik Larson, the interim engineering support services supervisor at Facilities Management, said that the bathrooms which require a key to enter were originally designated for campus staff.
“Personally, just having more places that I can use the bathroom is rad, even though I am cisgender,” Horsnell said. “I don’t
“...the entire process of awareness and advocacy facilitated both mapping and ultimate policy change.” PAULA
PEDERSEN
experience microaggressions personally, but if I invite my gender neutral, gender fluid, or not necessarily binary friends up to campus I know that they have a safe place to go to the bathroom.”
“They were actually meant more so for private office,” Larson said. “Especially in the library. I know in this instance those were set up as staff. They were not supposed to be available for students. When the whole unisex bathroom issue started there was a process of moving those over to gender nonspecific.” Though Facilities Management plans on changing the locks that require students to have keys to the gender inclusive bathrooms, Larson said it’s low on their priority list because they’re focusing on updating handicap restrooms which don’t meet today’s necessary requirements. “The Twin Cities campus has been sued on the handicap side,” Larson said. “They had a handicap bathroom that was signed, just like ours are, because it was correct when they signed it, but it doesn’t meet current code.” Facilities Management is currently looking at all restrooms on campus to see which ones need updating, which could take anywhere between six months to a year to complete. “We’re doing what we can do, given the money and the time we have, so we’re starting this process,” Larson said. “I want to go through the gender neutral bathrooms as well and just make sure that they meet all the requirements.” Facilities Management will be going through every public bathroom on campus, looking at them from an accessibility point of view.
Horsnell believes it’s important that everyone feels safe when they walk into a restroom, and said the bathrooms are “really wonderful” and provide a necessary service. “I always think that more gender neutral bathrooms are better,” Horsnell said. “I have never felt anything but safe and comfortable and at home in a gender neutral bathroom.” Ravyn Gale, also a member of UMD’s QASU, said the only thing wrong with these bathrooms are that they’re hidden away and the two she knows of require keys to enter. “They’re kind of tucked away,” Gale said. “Like the one [in the Multicultural Center], and you also have to have a key to get into it, so that kind of really sucks.” Horsnell said that she believes all bathrooms are tucked away, stating that these ones aren’t any different. But Horsnell agrees that there should be no keys. “There’s a couple [bathrooms] that I’ve seen, that you just lock them from the inside,” Horsnell said. “More accessibility is better.” Another QASU member stated that even though every new construction is required to have them, issues still arise. “The problem is a lot of times they’re not required to be as proliferous as they really should be,” the QASU member, who chose to remain
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UMD ATHLETICS CREATES DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE CULTURE FOR ITS STUDENT ATHLETES By: Austin Rush “Sports play a key role in diversity and inclusion certainly here at UMD but also across the country and it’s part of our strategic plan here at UMD,” said UMD Athletic Director Josh Berlo. Berlo believes it makes for a better overall culture when diversity and inclusion are prioritized. When the Warren, Rhode Island native signed on four and a half years ago, one of his first initiatives was to create an online survey f0r UMD’s student athletes that helps gauge the climate of Bulldog athletics. “I think there was a paper process in place in the past, but we really brought in a robust survey of all our student athletes online that provides them the opportunity and there are specific questions in that survey that we use to find out how welcome our student athletes feel,” Berlo said. According to Berlo, the survey asks the roughly 400 Bulldog student athletes about the inclusive and equitable nature of Bulldog Athletics as well as experiences with regard to hazing and discrimination. On a five point scale, ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree, Berlo said the 2016-17 average survey score in
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regards to diversity, inclusion and equity was high at 4.31. “At least for the last few years, the feedback and has been overwhelmingly positive,” Berlo said. Running back for the football team Anthony Wood has adjusted nicely to his new northern tundra home. The football team made a few moves this offseason to make the junior college transfer feel welcome. “They brought in some other junior college recruits so that’s actually been pretty cool because we all have something in common,” Wood said. “We’re all coming from different backgrounds and we all went through the junior college experience. The coaches have definitely helped us out a lot as far as making sure the people that we’re living with are cool and that we all have similar backgrounds.” Junior Sean Burns, a forward for the men’s basketball team, feels like there are many staff members in the department that he can talk to if he’s ever having a bad day or just needs help solving a problem. Burns also credits his coaches with doing a good job of being in his corner and there for him. “The coaching staff also does a great job of checking in with me and just seeing how I’m doing and making sure I’m getting to my goals,” Burns said. “They do a great job and I can always talk to them about anything if I had to.”
“The coaching staff also does a great job of checking in with me and just seeing how I’m doing and making sure I’m getting to my goals.” SEAN
BURNS
Senior captain on the women’s cross country team Meg Borowski transferred to UMD in her sophomore year from Kansas University. Originally nervous about the transfer,
Borowski recalls how welcome she felt upon arrival. “They’re always checking in and wanting to have meetings on how the teams are running and if there’s any conflict we can go straight to them,” Borowski said. “I really feel like they are good people to go to and that they will handle the information the way they see fit.” In attempts to expand diversity and inclusion around campus, the UMD Student Athlete Advisory Committee put together a twominute video called “You Can Play” in 2015. The segment preaches that everyone should get a chance and attempts to spread the message that UMD Athletics supports (LGBTQ) student athletes on and off the court. Berlo describes the piece as powerful and is proud to have a video like that under the departments belt. In a report on select National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II schools for the 2016-17 season, the department received an A-rating from the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sports. UMD celebrated that triumph as the only Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference school to hold that honor. “Women as head coaches are declining and for us we have increased the number of women head coaches that we have,” Berlo said. “It was a pretty prestigious honor and a big win for us that shows our commitment.” Senior Associate Athletic Director Karen Stromme has been a part of the Bulldog family for 35 years. After 21 years as the head coach of the women’s basketball team, Stromme moved into her administrative role with the athletic department and has been a major advocate for creating a diverse, inclusive and gender equitable culture.
system, the culture. What things could be holding us back?” Stromme says the department meets four times a year to discuss their system of checks and balances to meet their goals of being gender equitable. Sitting down with the gender equity committee and having discussions with coaches has helped UMD athletics maintain their gender equitable culture. “We have to maintain the commitment and the prioritization for diversity and inclusion and not back off and not let off when we have some victories because there’s plenty of work to be done,” Berlo said.
“In regards to diversity and inclusion, always we hope to have those things,” Stromme said. “You personally can feel that way but you need to go beyond yourself and look at things, the
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