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Washington State University

We are excited to introduce a new professional development opportunity available to all WSU faculty and staff. The Community & Equity Certificate lays the groundwork for a challenging, personal journey for individuals who are committed to creating equitable and inclusive environments. Through the certificate program, faculty and staff will expand their understanding of equity-mindedness and build a toolkit for engaging more effectively with students, colleagues, and community partners. Faculty and staff must complete seven workshops across four areas to earn the certificate.

To view a breakdown of the courses, visit: https://studentaffairs.wsu.edu/certificate

Building a Community of Respect

This workshop will highlight WSU’s commitment to ensuring a safe and welcoming living-learning-working environment for every member of the Coug community by introducing participants to the 6 Pillars of Respect. Each pillar represents a behavior or action that will help participants become catalysts in creating an environment that honors differences, where interactions are thoughtful, and the humanity of everyone is seen.

Workshop Learning Objectives:

Participants will:

  • Understand how they see themselves, how they see others, and how their filters guide their behavior toward others;
  • Learn tools to help them respond to others in an appropriate manner and work through differences together;
  • Understand how their interactions with and perceptions of others influence their decisions in the workplace;
  • Understand their role in making their workplace/organization better places for ALL to work; and
  • Learn skills to have respectful interactions with others.

No materials to download.

Community & Equity 101: Defining and Cultivating Inclusive Excellence at WSU

In this interactive workshop, the presenters will articulate WSU values related to equity and inclusive excellence as participants engage in exploring key terms related to equity and inclusion, examine notions of intent versus impact, and build knowledge around affirming language. This workshop is intended as a pilot to help shape a developmental series for participants to gain and build upon knowledge, skills, caring, and action across the institution.

We prefer that those who are located on the Pullman campus attend in Pullman, as the training is very interactive and it provides the best learning experience. If you are unable to attend in person, please make sure that you have a webcam and microphone so you can contribute to the group activities.

No materials to download.

Community & Equity 102: Who are You? Fostering Critical Self Awareness to Engage Across Difference

Equity 102, the second session in the new Equity Workshop Series, encourages participants to foster critical self-awareness as they explore their own identities, including their unique characteristics and social locations. Throughout the workshop, participants will discuss how their identities shape their beliefs, values, expectations, perceptions, and actions and develop skills for engaging across difference at WSU.

Equity 101 is a prerequisite for this training.

Please make sure that you have a webcam and microphone so you can contribute to the group activities.

No materials to download.

Community & Equity 103: Moving From Equality Towards Equity

Equity 103 will expand participants’ understanding of how they can build an equity-minded WSU. Participants will examine the distinct difference between equity and equality; explore concepts of power, marginalization, and privilege; discuss historical and ongoing inequities in society; and build skills for fostering equity.
Equity 101 and 102 are prerequisites for this training.

No materials to download.

Conversations on Implicit Bias

This interactive workshop will examine the role implicit bias plays in different life outcomes (employment, health, well-being, etc.). Implicit bias has come to be recognized as a powerful force that not only shapes individual actions, but institutional policies and practices as well. This session will look at three primary mechanisms that produce bias: priming, associations, and assumptions. This session will also create understanding of actions people can take to counteract negative associations that lead to negative consequences for underrepresented people. This workshop will use discussions and media to increase understanding of how implicit bias manifests, how it perpetuates, and what people can do to interrupt it with a vision for changing both individuals and systems.

Workshop Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the concept of implicit bias and begin to identify our individual biases
  • Raise awareness and continue building the skills and behaviors necessary to create more inclusive workplaces and communities
  • Create a welcoming and inclusive campus culture and climate in order to recruit and retain diverse faculty, staff, and students (WSU Drive to 25 – Metric 11)

No materials to download.

Disability Allyship

The Role of Actions, Attitudes, and Language in Breaking Down Institutional and Systematic Disability Barriers. This interactive workshop will take a look at the multiple frameworks used to discuss and define disability, provide an overview of the often-overlooked history of disability, disability rights, and the ways in which language has evolved over time. We will then explore disability allyship in multiple forms, starting with the creation of inclusive spaces and attitudes and moving into the ways in which our use of language has the largest impact on the spaces we participate in.

Workshop Learning Objectives:
• Participants will learn how to be become an advocate or ally and how they can use their voice to work with people with disabilities to remove common institutional barriers
• Participants will understand how multiple identities can impact or limit access to essential services and how multiple disability identities can contribute to some of these struggles
• Participants will understand how disability prejudice and bias can lead to discrimination toward the disability community
• Participants will understand how the two prominent models of disability influence how they treat people with disabilities
• Participants will be able to demonstrate person-first language

No materials to download.

Inclusive Pedagogy

This training is geared toward faculty members who intend to embody inclusive values in their classrooms and beyond. The exploration of inclusive pedagogy will focus on: asset vs. deficit based mindset, transparency in course design and delivery, the mitigation of stereotype threat, and modeling/encouraging growth mindset. The principles to be discussed are adaptable to any discipline and can be utilized for undergraduate, graduate, and professional courses.

  • No materials to download

LGBTQ+ Ally Training

This interactive training is designed to give the participant an introduction to issues faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals. The training is interspersed with short video clips to illustrate specific concepts and also includes several activities that provide the participants with opportunities to work individually and in small groups to discuss new concepts and vocabulary. One activity is about conceptualizing the influences of identity, one activity focuses on vocabulary, one provides an opportunity for role playing, and another activity involves working in small groups to process scenarios.

Teamwork and Culture

While diversity on a team can bring a wider variety of skills and ideas, it can also create challenges that need to be overcome. This workshop will focus on Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory and how these dimensions impact team performance. Tips on leading and managing culturally diverse teams will be offered and lessons will be reinforced through audience participation and group discussion.

Workshop Learning Objectives:

  • Learn about Hofstede’s dimensions on cultural theory
  • Learn how these dimensions can potentially impact team performance
  • Practice in applying the theory through discussion and an activity

No materials to download.

UndocuAlly Training

Undocumented Initiatives’ UndocuAlly Training equips faculty and staff with the knowledge and tools necessary to become an active ally to students from undocumented communities. In this workshop we will discuss the issues facing undocumented communities, the laws and policies affecting undocumented students, and how to work effectively as an ally in higher education institutions.

Workshop Learning Objectives:

  • Explain the varying demographic make-up of undocumented communities
  • Describe the history, policies, and current issues impacting students who are undocumented and who come from undocumented communities
  • Identify the best daily practices to adopt to support students from undocumented communities in navigating the college system
  • Identify opportunities for advocacy and solving inequities in their own team and/or department in order to improve support services for students from undocumented communities

No materials to download.