Vanessa Alexander, is the new director of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion. She has spent her career in higher education in admissions-related positions focused on programming, student experience and financial aid, most recently with the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education and Drexel University College of Medicine.

She previously worked for Truman as an admissions counselor before taking a similar position with A.T. Still University where she also served as the school’s Diversity and Inclusion Liaison.

During her time at Truman, Alexander was a Multicultural Affairs student intern and participated in the Minority Ambassadors Program for four years. She has served the University as a Diversity Fellow and as a member of the Strategic Plan Committee in 2021.

The Center for Diversity and Inclusion hosted an online panel, “The Impact of Race on Policing,” at 12 p.m. on Sept. 8, 2020.

 

Access the Recording Here

 

A number of students and others in the Truman community have voiced concern about the topic, and the panel was formed in response to events from across the country in recent weeks and throughout the summer.

Elizabeth Wiles, assistant professor of justice systems, and Bertha Thomas, diversity and inclusion consultant, will serve as moderators. The panel will feature three guest speakers and two student panelists. Each participant will speak for 5-7 minutes. Panelists will also respond to chat box questions as well as to one another’s remarks.

Alumna Danielle (Tolson) Cooper, associate professor of criminal justice and the director of research at the Tow Youth Justice Institute at the University of New Haven, will give keynote remarks focusing on “Police Accountability and Community Engagement.”

Theo Dean, an alumnus and the current Truman’s women’s basketball coach, will reflect on the significance of major league sports team activism in response to the Jacob Blake shooting.

Arlen Egley, alumnus and associate professor of justice systems, will discuss “Research on the intersection of race and policing practices such as Stop-and-Frisk and School Resource Officers.”

Student panelists include AnRose Gaines, a senior exercise science major from Charleston, S.C., and Adaline Bray, a senior economics major from St. Louis, Mo.

The Truman Virtual Town Hall regarding racial injustice and inequity is now available online for students, faculty and staff who were unable to watch live.

The purpose of the town hall is to take stock of where we are currently as a University and gain a shared understanding of what we must address to accomplish institutional change. This understanding will permit us to determine the meaningful, sustained, accountable ways Truman can be the change we wish to see.

Panel members included: Brad Turnbull, interim director of the Center for Diversity & Inclusion; Jason McDonald, assistant professor of history; Theo Dean, head coach for women’s basketball; students Reece Ellis and Elana Sanders-Braxton, selected by Student Government; and Bertha Thomas, Truman’s newly hired diversity and inclusion consultant.

A recording of the town hall can be accessed here.

(This article originally appeared in the Truman Today, Vol. 24 No. 35 – July 6, 2020)

Truman has hired a consultant as part of its continuing efforts to help the University gain a shared understanding of its role in addressing racial injustice and inequity.

Bertha Thomas, former assistant dean for multicultural affairs and the Scholastic Enhancement Experience Program at Truman, will serve as a diversity and inclusion consultant.

Among her responsibilities, Thomas will work with Truman departments, faculty and staff to address student concerns and inclusion efforts. She will also serve on the search committee for the hiring of the director for the Center for Diversity and Inclusion. Additionally, Thomas plans to bring together a small group of alumni of color, faculty, staff and students for a series of virtual and in-person conversations regarding institutional change.

Read more details in the Truman Today newsletter >

The Truman Virtual Town Hall regarding racial injustice and inequity President Thomas mentioned in her email to students, faculty and staff, will take place at 6 p.m. June 24.

The purpose of the town hall is to take stock of where we are currently as a University and gain a shared understanding of what we must address to accomplish institutional change. This understanding will permit us to determine the meaningful, sustained, accountable ways Truman can be the change we wish to see.

See more details in the Truman Today newletter >

The Diversity Committee of Student Government Association has compiled a list of all accessible and all-gender bathrooms on campus and their locations. Follow the link to the SafeZone website for an interactive list that is organized alphabetically by building and bathroom type.

Accessible and All-Gender Bathrooms

Do you have an event or an opportunity that you would like featured in our weekly newsletter? Our weekly newsletter highlights events & opportunities in and around Truman community, as well as some blog post and student spotlights. Our newsletter goes out to students, faculty, & staff around campus, as well as a few alumni and community members! Not currently subscribed? Subscribe below.

 

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The Preferred First Name and Gender Pronoun Policy allows faculty, staff and students to change an individual’s first names and gender pronouns in most university information systems without pursuing a legal name change.

Reasons for name changes may include transgender or gender nonconforming identities, members of our international community who wish to adopt an English language name, individuals known by names that are different from their legal names, etc.

Information on how to request a change, as well as information about what this change might mean regarding use of alternative names/pronouns, can be found HERE.

“This is how grad students of color are sharing their stories and building community to motivate and inspire.”

Blk + in Grad School, a Medium blog, shared a compilation of 41 blogs, podcasts, and community spaces where people of color are sharing their experiences and stories of graduate school and beyond. Check it out!