The University of Connecticut Honors Program hosted their Reflections & Connections DEIJ Summit on Tuesday, March 11 from 2 to 6 p.m. in the Rome Commons Ballroom. Immediately following the conference, they also hosted an International Night.
The DEIJ summit consisted of three workshops running from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. The first workshop, DEI 101, was presented by the UConn DEI Student Specialists. The workshop discussed diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, beginning with the meaning of DEI and what it looks like in higher education.
The specialists defined social, personal and salient identity, asking the audience to write down their three most salient identities, along with any challenges they face in higher education.
“We asked the participants to consider how salient identities and education challenges intersect, and ended the presentation by pushing students to consider how DEIB [diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging] affects students in the Honors Program at UConn”, said Rebecca Drouillard, a sixth-semester College of Liberal Arts and Sciences student who is also part of the DEI Student Specialists.
The second workshop was a lecture by Micah Heumann, Ph.D., who serves as the director of the Office of Undergraduate Research. The research presented was in regard to racial microaggressions at UConn. Heumann defined the difference between microaggressions and macroaggressions. The objective of the study, according to Heumann, was to identify patterns and trends, as well as to amplify the voices of minority students.
The survey found that “only 23% [of students] reported that race relations on campus were not problematic,” according to Heumann. Heumann also said that changes in administration have been made since the study was conducted.
The final workshop, titled “Looking to the Future through the Interwoven Threads of Today: The Seventh Generation Process,” was held by Timothy Beaucage, an honors program advisor and STEM scholar coordinator.
The workshop began with some light meditation, after which students paired up for the activity. One partner in each group was instructed to embody a current ancestor and the other was to embody a descendant from 200 years into the future. The current ancestor was asked deep questions about current society and their inspirations for the future.
After the DEI workshops and an intermission, the second part of the conference, International Night, began. International Night, or I-Night, celebrated different cultures and diversity across the UConn campus, featuring a range of cultural foods, from Korean chicken bulgogi to cannoli.
I-Night also consisted of a number of cultural performances. Alima, UConn Irish Dance Team, UConn Sanskriti, Afrobina, Hindu Students Organization, Slavic Cultural Society, Jhalak and the Tai, Lao & Cambodian Student Association all performed. Sabrina Keovilay also had an individual performance.
Alexandra Salem, president of Honors for Diversity, said the event was a collaborative effort.
“This was truly a collaborative effort, and I’m so happy all the different organizations got to show off what their culture means to them. With a campus as diverse as UConn, I think it’s important to see and understand all the different communities we have on campus,” said Salem.
Lisa Liang, president of the Honors Council, also said the event was a team effort and success.
“Planning the Honors DEIJ Summit was truly a team effort, and I’m so grateful for everyone who contributed to making it happen. The event itself was such a huge success – seeing students connect over diverse cultures and celebrate our community made all the hard work worth it!” said Liang.
This event was sponsored by the Honors Council, Honors for Diversity, Honors DEI and Honors Student Leadership Board at UConn Stamford.