DEI November Newsletter

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Newsletter

November 2022

Welcome to the November 2022 issue of the DEI newsletter from the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI). This newsletter provides a space for connection, reflection, as well as sharing DEI information and resources.

In This Edition
J.E.D.I. is Social Work Community Connect
DEI Spotlight w/ Dawn Shafer
DEI Initiatives at SSW
SSW DEI News
The L.E.A.D. Institute
Upcoming DEI Trainings and Events
Food for Thought
Resources

Community is one of the key principles of Justice and Equity, and with the winter break approaching, ODEI is excited to invite our SSW Community members to join us for the J.E.D.I. is Social Work Community Connect! on Thursday, December 1, 2022!

The Community Connect is a relaxed space that brings together SSW community members (including faculty, staff, and students) to honor the J.E.D.I. is Social Work principles of community, healing, and belonging. Come decompress with snacks, music, board games, puzzles, and mindfulness activities and contribute to our Community Connection Board by sharing reflections on how you have worked towards Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (J.E.D.I.) in your social work practice during the last semester.

If you cannot attend the event in person but would like to contribute your J.E.D.I. reflections, you can participate with our Virtual Community Connection Board!

Also, please take the time to learn more about the J.E.D.I. is Social Work Initiative and sign the J.E.D.I. is Social Work Pledge!

Community Connect Event Information

Date: Thursday, December 1, 2022

Time: 12 pm - 2 pm

Location: SSW Baltimore Campus - Room 2W11

If you would like to attend this event, RSVP HERE!

The term First Generation student is often categorized as someone who is the first in their family to attend college. However, that definition does not explore the complexity of that identity. First-Generation students bring a wealth of knowledge and experiences to college campuses across the country and across disciplines, and Social Work is certainly included. This is why in 2021, the SSW Office of Student Affairs started the First-Generation Student Success Program (FGSP), which aims to create a community among first-gen folks at the School of Social Work.

Enter Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Dawn Shafer (she/her) who is working to create a supportive community for SSW's First-Generation staff, faculty, and students!

What led you to start the First-Generation Student Success Program (FGSP)?
People often think that the First-Generation student identity ceases to exist once you complete an undergraduate degree and that you magically know how to navigate graduate and professional programs. As a first-generation student myself, that wasn't true for me. In conversations with other first-gen folx, we've identified that being first-generation remains important throughout all academic spaces. I started the FGSP at UMSSW to create a space for first-generation MSW students to come together to create a community and to learn from and celebrate each other.

You recently shared that UMB and the SSW have been designated as a First-Gen Forward Institution. How does receiving this designation expand the work of FGSP and impact future Next-Gen students?
This designation allows us to collaborate across the seven schools to raise awareness of first-generation student identity. We're working with the Intercultural Center to host events and create interprofessional spaces for connection. It also creates a mechanism for learning from other institutions in meaningful ways, to see what folx are doing on other campuses that really makes a difference. Finally, it holds us accountable. Passion projects are often add-ons to our daily work and can take a backseat when our "regular" work gets heavy. Being a First-Gen Forward institution puts benchmarks in place, ensures at least monthly contact with the larger group, and requires an annual summary. We wanted to ensure that we would prioritize our first-gen work no matter what else popped up along the way.

What can people do to support FGSP and First-Generation students going forward?
We've had wonderful faculty members who have offered annual skill-building workshops (thanks to Dr. Fuld, Ms. Sailley, and Ms. Betz!). If you have something that you'd like to share with the group, reach out! Be clear in your expectations; don't assume everyone is familiar with academic jargon. Encourage students to identify their strengths. First-generation students come to academia with strengths that they've learned from their families, communities, and past experiences; help them capitalize on those!

How do you define community?
I think of community as the place where you are seen and heard as your full self, where you find a sense of belonging, where you are uplifted and can uplift others.

Affinity Spaces

Our social work affinity spaces provide an opportunity for people to connect with others who share aspects of their identity. The spaces are meant to be a hybrid of “doing” and “being.” Spaces are open to all members of the SSW community and are facilitated by social work faculty and staff.

Our Groups Include Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), Disability Justice & Advocacy Group (DJA), Jewish, LGBTQ+, and White Accountability Group.

The Jewish Affinity Group will meet on Mondays at 12 pm. All other Affinity Groups will meet on Tuesdays at 12 pm.

Fall 2022 Dates

BIPOC Affinity Group
Time: 12 PM – 1 PM
Dates: 11/15, 12/6
Click Here to Register for the BIPOC Affinity Group

Disability Justice & Advocacy (DJA)
Time: 12 PM – 1 PM
Dates: 11/22, 12/13
Click Here to Register for the DJA Affinity Group

Jewish Affinity Group
Time: 12 PM – 1 PM
Dates: 11/14, 12/5
Click Here to register for the Jewish Affinity Group

LGBTQ+ Affinity Group
Time: 12 PM – 1 PM
Dates: 11/29
Click Here to Register for the LGBTQ+ Affinity Group

White Accountability Affinity Group
Time: 12 PM – 1 PM
Dates: 11/15, 12/6
Click Here to Register for the White Accountability Affinity Group

ODEI Book Lending Initiative - Spring 2023

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is getting ready to re-open the ODEI Book Lending Initiative for the Spring 2023 semester!

This initiative supports the School of Social Work's efforts around equity by making textbooks more accessible for our MSW students.

For the Spring 2023 semester, we will be collecting/offering the following books:

SOWK 630 Practice with Individuals: Cournoyer, B. (2017). The social work skills workbook. (8th Ed.) Cengage Publishers.
SOWK 645 Human Behavior & Social Environment: Hutchison, E. (2017). Essentials of human behavior: Integrating person, environment, and the life course, 2nd Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
SOWK 670 SW Research: Rubin, A., & Babbie, E. (2014). Essential research methods for social work, 4th Ed. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
SWCL 700 Advanced Clinical Interventions: Walsh, J. (2013). Theories for direct social work practice, 3rd Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
SWCL 744 Psychopathology: Zide, M., & Gray, S. (2017). Psychopathology: a competency-based assessment model for social workers (4 ed.): Wadsworth Pub Co.
SWOA 703 Program Development: Kettner, P.M., Moroney, R.M., & Martin, L.L. (5th) (2017). Designing and Managing Programs: An Effectiveness-Based Approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
SWOA 707 Social Policy and Social Change: Chambers, D. Social Policy and Social Programs: A Method for the Practical Public Policy Analyst. Allyn & Bacon

The Book Lending Initiative Application will open on Monday, December 5th!

If there are any questions about how to donate books or the initiative itself,
please email the ODEI sswdeioffice@ssw.umaryland.edu

The DEI Pulse Survey is Live!

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’s (DEI) Pulse Survey has Launched!

The DEI Pulse Survey aims to get a “pulse” on key DEI issues impacting SSW. The survey’s data will be used to help inform and shape policies and practices as well as launch programs and initiatives that promote a more safe, equitable, and inclusive SSW community!

Upon completing the survey, you can enter a raffle for an Amazon Gift Card!

The survey will be live from November 8, 2022, to November 21, 2022.

For more information on the survey and its goals, please read the DEI Pulse Survey FAQ's.

To Complete the 2022 DEI Pulse Survey, Click Here!

The L.E.A.D Institute - Spring 2023

If you weren't able to sign up for the L.E.A.D. Institute this Fall, you will have the chance to sign up for Spring 2023.

L.E.A.D., which stands for Leading for Equity, Anti-Racism, and Diversity, is a 4 part eConvening training and coaching series through the University of Maryland, School of Social Work. It focuses on cultivating an anti-racist mindset, promoting equity, and dismantling structural racism and oppression.

The Spring dates and registration will be released soon. For more information on L.E.A.D. please email julia.scott@ssw.umaryland.edu.

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month

November is Native American Heritage Month, which is the time to honor and celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, histories, and traditions and to acknowledge the significant contributions of Native people. What started as "American Indian Week" in 1986 by then-President Ronald Reagan, this celebration of Indigenous cultures grew to National American Indian Heritage Month by George H. W. Bush in 1990.

This month, our office challenges the SSW Community to learn more about Maryland's Indigenous History and ways that Indigenous Culture practices inform Social Work.

For other book recommendations, check below:

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance on November 20 that honors the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.

TDOR began in 1999 when trans activist Gwendolyn Ann Smith held a vigil honoring Rita Hester, a trans woman who was killed in 1998, and the trans people lost to violence that year.

Every year, individuals and groups hold vigils that include reading the names of the trans people lost to violence the previous year, and silence in their memory. TDOR stands in direct opposition to trans criminalization and anti-trans violence.

This year, UMB's Intercultural Center and the School of Social Work's Queer Community Alliance are hosting a series of events in honor of Trans Empowerment and Advocacy Week. To learn about the events and to register, Click Here!

To learn more about this month, check out the resources below:

If you are interested in supporting and improving LGBTQ+ efforts at the SSW, make sure to check out the LGBTQ+ Affinity Group Here!

SSW Climate/Culture Concerns Reporting Form

A form that allows all members of the SSW community to submit their concerns and feedback related to the SSW climate and culture is available. The form, which is overseen by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, was a collaborative effort between key SSW stakeholders. It creates a formal structure and system of collecting data and information that can be used to address school-wide challenges related to diversity, equity, climate and inclusion. This form is not meant to duplicate, but rather to strengthen and complement processes already in place. The form was also launched as a tool that allows for a more restorative approach in responding to issues and concerns related to climate and culture at SSW.