Professional development day

On February 6th while students are cherishing a day free of classes, faculty will be gathering from 8 a.m. to approximately 3 p.m. for a Professional Development Day, addressing matters that “have direct relevance to what faculty do every day with students in their classes,” said  Tom Nielsen, vice president of instruction.  This year’s focus will be on educational equity.

Marika Reinke, faculty commons director, says that “I don’t think that education can have transformational or empowering impact on all of our students without confronting educational equity and the deficit model of education and then actively and deliberately working towards equitable teaching practices.  The day is a step towards widening the discussion of this topic among faculty and refocusing efforts of student success through an equity lens.” These priorities are mirrored in the student community through the Student Alliance’s event “Connecting Cracked Communities.”

Faculty will start off the day with a complimentary breakfast followed by a welcome and introduction of the education equity program. Dr. Jeff Duncan Andrade “will focus on discussing how to develop educators that are better equipped to create educational environments that understand and respond to the social toxins that emerge from inequality,” according to Megan Harsen, co-chair of the professional development committee, and Yoshiko Harden, vice president of equity and pluralism. Andrade is Associate Professor of Raza Studies and Education at San Francisco State University and Director of the Educational Equity Initiative at the Institute for Sustainable Economic, Educational, and Environmental Design (ISEEED).”

Following the speaker, two sets of breakout sessions will be facilitated on campus. Note that agenda items are subject to change.

The first breakout sessions feature “Searching for Equality in the Library,” “Being an Ally,” “Introducing an Analytical Framework and Developmental Model for Teaching Multicultural and Diversity Courses. “Faculty Validation and Persistence among First Generation College Students,” “4 Little Things That Can Make a BIG Difference to your Students: A UDL Workshop” and an opportunity to meet Andrade.

The second set of breakout sessions feature “What Achievement Gap?: Offering a Counter Narrative to Black Male Underachievement,” “White on Whiteness,” “Putting IT All Together: Applying Frameworks and Developmental Models for Multicultural and Diversity Course Assessment,” “[BC] Students of Color Panel” and an educational equity workshop.

These workshops cover matters of accessibility, micro- aggressions, hate crimes, race and diversity curriculums, also providing student narratives. These efforts are in line with BC’s Pluralism Compact which declares a commitment “ To infuse pluralism into the curriculum and recognize it as an integral part of the learning process” and “encourage diversity in our community by recognizing, welcoming, and encouraging people of any ethnicity, ability, religion, age, nationality, gender or sexual orientation to participate fully in all aspects of community life …”