Initiatives & Programs
Initiatives & Programs
The Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion works to foster a culture of belonging by creating programming that affirms and facilitates shared learning and academic connectedness amongst the campus community.
Culture of Belonging Programs
The Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion collaborates with partners across the School to foster inclusion by offering a menu of welcoming and affirming programming to support the success and retention of our diverse campus community. Annual programs include Heritage Awareness Programs and Initiatives (HAPI); Welcome Week BIPOC student, faculty, and staff reception; faculty and staff affinity gatherings; Student Affinity Groups; Multicultural Affinity Communities; and the Cultural Oasis and Affinity Group Open House.
The Heritage Awareness Programs and Initiatives (HAPI) Committee
The Heritage Awareness Programs and Initiatives (HAPI) Committee is a collaboration of students, staff, and faculty whose primary purpose is to offer learning opportunities and foster a sense of belonging by honoring the heritage of historically marginalized communities in order to cultivate a more inclusive School. HAPI is committed to affirming and honoring these communities through the creation of partnerships and programs designed for all SAIC community members to learn more about the richness of diverse cultures, art practices, histories, and contemporary lived experiences.
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Fall 2024
Latinx Heritage Month (September 15–October 15)
LGBTQIA+ History Month (October)
Indigenous Peoples Day (October 14)
Native American Heritage Month (November)
SAIC Disability Month (November/December), in conjunction with International Day of Persons with DisabilitiesSpring 2025
Black History Month (February)
Women's History Month (March)
Trans Visibility Week (centered around Trans Day Of Visibility on March 31)
Arab American Heritage Month (April)
Asian, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AAANHPI) Heritage Month (April/May)
Jewish American Heritage Month (April/May)
Events
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- August 26: BIPOC Students, Faculty, and Staff Welcome Week Social
- September 9: Cultural Oasis and Affinity Group Open House
- October 2: BIPOC Faculty and Staff Reception
- October 7: International Faculty and Staff Reception
- October 9: LGBTQIA Faculty and Staff Reception
- October 15: Religious and Spiritual Minority Faculty and Staff Lunch
- October 16: People Living with Disabilities Faculty and Staff Lunch
- October 17: Parenting and Caregiving Faculty and Staff Lunch
- May 7: Taking Root: DEI in Action EOY Celebration
DEIA+AR Development and Learning
The Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion coordinates, facilitates, and collaborates with campus partners to provide school-wide opportunities for development and learning for students, faculty, staff, and SAIC leaders. The DEI staff are internal content experts and partners who can co-create training, workshops, and educational programs based on departmental and SAIC community needs and interests.
Annual Shared Read
As an outgrowth of SAIC’s ongoing commitment to redress institutionalized racism and advance racial equity, the purpose of Shared Read—our annual, School-wide reading of a text—is to create a foundational and integrative learning experience for us to collectively cultivate anti-racist awareness and ways of being. The formal and informal engagements we develop through the Shared Read are integral to our development of a shared repository of knowledge that invites us to stretch ourselves by embracing new ways of thinking and being in the classroom, studio, and office—and beyond. If you are interested in teaching the book in your courses, using it in programming, would like to begin a book club, or simply would like a copy of the book selected for this academic year, please email saicdiveristy@saic.edu.
2024–25 Book
Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements by adrienne maree brown and Walidah Imarisha
An online reading guide for the text can be found here.