Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Staff time to implement changes.

If possible, move Sachar study abroad application deadline later in order to give students more time to complete.

Demystify scholarship application and materials through group and individual advising.

Remove the need to complete a quiz and submit other materials before meeting with an adviser.

Ensure availability of staff by phone/Zoom even after work from home ends.

Remove restrictions on drop-ins (that students needed to have previously met with an adviser).

Campus partners to help promote scholarships and scholarship advising.

Collecting feedback on scholarship application process and advising resources.

Continuing engagement survey each year and add questions to ask about overall office/appointment access.

Analyzing data on how many students would not have been able to meet with an adviser without fulfilling criteria first.

Offering a scholarship workshop each year.

Having a dedicated ambassador as a scholarship specialist.

Budgetary needs for creating a new Brandeis-led program.

Strong partnerships and continued learning on program offerings/curriculum.

Instagram and Facebook presence.

Biweekly newsletter.

Establishment of a faculty-led program abroad in a non-Western location.

Promotion of programs in non-Western locations through specialized events and marketing.

Highlighting programs that center anti-racism in curriculum.

Updating essay questions to include reflection on the role of colonialism.

Faculty.

Administration.

Program providers.

Global Brandeis collaboration with the International Students and Scholars Office and the English Language Programs.

Program will be created by summer 2023.

Study Abroad Ambassador outreach project/event each year will be focused on non-Western locations, e.g., non-Western trivia night at the Stein (fall 2020).

Instagram/Facebook will do a program highlight of one of these programs each month at least.

Strong relationships with campus partners.

Strong relationships with program partners who have on-site resources and support for underrepresented students.

Dedicated time and financial support for professional development.

Posse, MKTYP, etc. workshops.

Strengthening connections with and frequent visits to cultural clubs.

Departmental outreach.

I Am Study Abroad continues to be central to I Love Study Abroad Week.

Continued professional development for staff.

Continue reflection on white supremacy culture within the office, as well as our positionality/biases.

Re-designing pre-departure orientation to have more anti-racist content and be more relevant to BIPOC students.

Posse Scholars Program, Myra Kraft Transitional Year Program, Student Support Services Program.

Intercultural Center, student leaders/e-boards of cultural clubs.

Faculty.

At least four events per year aimed at BIPOC students and meeting them where they are.

At least five cultural club visits per year.

Special events with academic departments, boosting their events and also inviting them into I Love Study Abroad Week and other Office of Study Abroad-led initiatives.

Collect feedback from I Am Study Abroad and what students would like to see.

Conferences, like Diversity Abroad, and ongoing discussion with those outside of Brandeis.

Return to quarterly white supremacy culture audit and make at least one significant adjustment in office processes and policies as a result.

Website, social media (Facebook and Instagram) and newsletters.

Photo contest solicits wide range of photos from student returnees.

Revising office mission and goals.

Student representation on website will reflect the range of students who are eligible for and who enroll in study abroad, without tokenizing or relegating BIPOC students to represent certain pages/profiles.

Use world maps that depict equal area projections, such as the Peters Projection Map.

Program brochures/descriptions will be reviewed and edited for anti-racism language.

Brandeis media and communications.

Mission and goals will be revised by May 2021.

Review the representation of students in photos on our website at the end of each academic year.

Equal proportion of BIPOC and white students on website.

Replace all maps (physical and virtual) with Peters Projection Map.

Program brochures and descriptions will not make colonialist comparisons in describing locations or use exoticizing language which "others" locations that are majority BIPOC.

Continued funding of study abroad ambassador and graduate assistant positions (no new funding needed).

Hiring study abroad ambassadors whose identities reflect what we hope to see in study abroad, not just what exists currently.

Hiring diverse interns and graduate assistants.

Prioritizing Black/POC-led organizations when hiring for team-building and ambassador orientation activities.

Campus partners who can help promote open positions and have the ability to recommend students.

Update engagement survey sent at end of each year to ask students if they felt their identities were represented by Office of Study Abroad staff.

Review prior to hiring process for the next academic year.