There’s a lot of discussion around Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in the industry.
As such, Campus Rec Magazine hosted a special virtual roundtable about EDI on June 26, 2020. Five panelists from across the nation gathered to answer questions surrounding this topic. Here are some of the top takeaways from the discussion.
The Panel:
- Jocelyn Hill, the director of Recreational Sports and Fitness at American University
- Vicki Highstreet, the associate director for Recreation Programming at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Kevin Marbury, the vice president for Student Life at the University of Oregon (UO)
- Maureen McGonagle, the director of the Campus Recreation, Centers LLC at DePaul University
- Myrum Washington-White, the director of Athletics at St. Cyril of Alexandria School
Initiating Conversations about Race and Racism
There is a lot of pre work that goes into these conversations, as stated by McGonagle. You have to first build the foundation of trust, educate yourself and commit to listen.
Washington-White said it best: you must be comfortable with being uncomfortable. These dynamic conversations need to take place, as they can lead to change, like American University’s Antiracist Research Policy Center Hill shared about.
All in all, McGonagle said you should not wait for big events to happen in order to have these conversations. And we must meet each other where we are at, as Washington-White pointed out. Be an “ear hustler” as he called it.