Liz Cannon, UW-Oshkosh
Kitrina Carlson and Krista James, UW-Stout
Ruttanatip Chonwerawong, UW-Madison
Juliet Cole and Sherry Lacenski, UW-Green Bay
Rahsaan Dunn, UW-Platteville
Heather Good, UW-Madison
Thomas Harris, UW-La Crosse
Tom LoGuidice, UW-Platteville
Patricia Ploetz, UW-Stevens Point
Ellen Smith, UW-Whitewater
Genella Stubrud, UW-River Falls
Odawa L. A. White, UW-Eau Claire
Dang Yang, UW-Stout
Liz Cannon, LGBTQ Resource Center, UW-Oshkosh - "Educational Speaker: Keith Boykin and the Intersection of Race and Sexuality"
The LGBTQ Resource Center and the African American Studies Program will bring Keith Boykin to campus to address the intersection of race and sexuality. Boykin has published three books - Beyond the Down Low: Sex, Lies, and Denial in Black America; Respecting the Soul: Daily Reflections for Black Lesbians and Gays; and One More River to Cross: Black & Gay in America. He also assisted in the production of the film Dirty Laundry and served as a White House aide to President Clinton.
Kitrina Carlson and Krista James, Biology Department, UW-Stout - "Race and Ethnicity"
Students currently participating in UW-Stout STEM programs will have the opportunity to become Stout STEM Peer Mentors, and will collaborate with the PIs to develop fun, interactive workshop activities for high school students in the Milwaukee Area School District. These activities will be designed to: (i) encourage and support diverse student populations at the high school level to consider pursuing STEM degrees; and (ii) contribute to the understanding of race, ethnicity, diversity, inclusivity, and equity. After the workshops, STEM Peer Mentors will tour the headquarters of the non-profit organization "Growing Power" to learn how broad community supported initiatives can help individuals and families living in urban landscapes.
Ruttanatip Chonwerawong, Student Diversity Programs, School of Education, UW-Madison - "American Indians in Wisconsin: History, Cultures and Sovereignty"
Funds will be used for a "reading across the school" project whereby Sherman Alexie's book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian will be distributed to faculty, students, and academic and classified staff. Ten reading groups facilitated by Education Diversity Committee members will be organized to ensure cross-categorical participation. The EDC members will implement a year-long theme-base project with a topic relating to diversity, with the reading project being a part of a series of events.
Juliet Cole Institute for Learning Partnership, and Sherry Lacenski, Dance Manager, UW-Green Bay - "Dance Workshop for Nia African/African-American Dancers and Drummers"
This grant will fund a series of workshops for the Nia African/African-American Dancers and Drummers, a multiethnic university and community group. Each workshop will begin with dance and drum instruction in separate rooms and conclude with practice together. It is expected that this activity will enable four more dance pieces to be added to the group's repertoire, and increase their membership by three new drummers and six new dancers from among the student body.
Rahsaan Dunn, Multicultural Educational Resource Center, UW-Platteville - "UW-Platteville Peer Mentor Group"
This grant will be used by the MERC to expand an unpaid volunteer mentor program with prospective students of color. Funds will allow the Peer Mentoring Group to better recruit students utilizing phone calls, e-mails, and visits to schools and college fairs. The objective is to establish ongoing relationships with the students from their initial contact and throughout their academic years.
Heather Good, Wisconsin Union Theatre, UW-Madison - "Madison World Music Festival"
The festival will host international artists from around the world to promote diversity, unity, and knowledge among people of varying ethnicities, beliefs, and backgrounds. In addition to the primary performance space on the Memorial Union Terrace, other locations in Madison will be utilized. Each year, hands-on community events bring in artists to teach dance, folksong, or other indigenous craft, as well as educate the participants about other cultures. This multi-day program is free and open to all.
Thomas Harris, Office of Multicultural Student Services, UW-La Crosse - "Hosting the Eleventh Annual National White Privilege Conference"
UW-La Crosse will be one of twenty entities that will co-sponsor the Eleventh Annual White Privilege Conference scheduled for April 7-10, 2010. This national conference will provide an environment where people across age, race, social class, gender, professional attainment, profession, religion, ability, and sexual orientation can gather to learn how to analyze and dismantle systems of privilege. Although white privilege will be the focal point of the conference, the intersections of all types of privileges will be intregrated into the dialogue. A wide scope of guest presenters will lead workshops, deliver keynotes, and perform cultural arts. Areas enhancing the conference will include curricular infusion and instructional innovations, professional development and resource materials.
Tom LoGuidice, Teaching Excellence Center for Faculty and Staff Development, UW-Platteville - "Creating an Inclusive Community: A Continuing Forum"
The Teaching Excellence Center and the School of Education at UW-Platteville will take the lead in hosting an interactive theatre presentation to improve the interaction among the different groups on campus. Among the goals of this initiative is to attract and retain the minority students' presence and retention in the science, technology, engineering, and math departments. After an initial campus forum, the Troupe will be available to courses throughout the campus. Patrick Sims, Director of Theatre for Cultural and Social Awareness, UW-Madison, will act as consultant.
Patricia Ploetz, Center for Academic Excellence and Student Engagement, UW-Stevens Point - "Diversity is Good Pedagogy"
The Center for Academic Excellence and Student Engagement and the Director of the Office of Equity and Affirmative Action have come together to develop a one and one-half day workshop. It will provide faculty members with strategies for acknowledging what they and their students bring to the classroom, in order to develop learning experiences that promote a non-dominant perspective that is open to and shares diverse points of view. As a result of the workshop, faculty participants will be able to: (i) identify the unique perspectives (white privilege) that they bring to the learning environment; (ii) recognize the diverse characteristics that students bring to the learning environment; and (iii) develop a set of strategies for moving from an exclusive to a transformative learning environment.
Ellen Smith, Department of Educational Foundations, UW-Whitewater - "Ojibwe Children's Book"
Funds will be used to produce a bilingual children's book about everyday lives of Indian children in Milwaukee, written in both English and Ojibwe. The book will feature contemporary Indian middle- and elementary school children in typical situations: waking up, eating breakfast, boarding the bus, working in classes, eating lunch, providing service to their communities, and attending/participating in Indian and mainstream ceremonies. The final product will be featured in the Indian Issues class at UW-Whitewater and disseminated to Indian schools throughout Wisconsin. It will address stereotypes of Indian children and create a resource for Wisconsin educators.
Genella Stubrud, Teacher Education Department, UW-River Falls - "WiTEACH Leadership Program"
The WiTEACH Leadership Program is designed to address the issues of both recruitment and retention of diverse teacher education candidates and STEM-focused teacher education candidates at UW-River Falls. Grant funds will go toward supporting student workers as tutors and peer mentors who will work one-on-one with program participants in math and science courses.
Odawa L. A. White, Office of Multicultural Affairs, UW-Eau Claire - "Building Bridges for American Indian Youth"
The Office of Multicultural Affairs will partner with the Title VII program in the Eau Claire Area School District (ECASD) to recruit and train two UW-Eau Claire students as tutors and mentors. Chosen from UW-Eau Claire's College of Education and Human Sciences and/or American Indian Studies, these tutors and mentors will each meet weekly for ten weeks with eight ECASD students to provide academic, social, and cultural support.
Dang Yang, School of Education, UW-Stout - "Teacher Education Mentoring Program"
Institute funds will be utilized by the Teacher Mentoring Program to: (i) provide a forum where diverse and low SES students have an opportunity to connect with Teacher Education students and faculty; (ii) provide an opportunity for these students to come to campus for Teacher Education Shadow Day where they will spend a day attending a Foundation of Education class or a Multicultural Perspectives class with their college mentor; and (iii) provide a forum where diverse and low SES high school students can receive information about Teacher Education programs, funding/scholarship opportunities, and career information. Although this mentoring program will promote all of UW-Stout's Teacher Education programs, it will take special consideration to promote teacher education in the STEM fields.