The tragic murder of George Floyd in 2020 and the events that took place during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, prompted individuals and institutions worldwide to examine the inequities that exist for underrepresented communities and to reflect on their own biases. These pivotal events and experiences offered an opportunity to maintain the status quo or to choose action and education. The Fleishman Career Center team chose to move beyond short-term diversity training sessions we had previously relied on and dive deeper into what diversity, equity, and inclusion meant to and for us, the students we serve, and our partners. In response, we established the Diversity and Social Justice Working Group to guide our efforts to embed the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything we do as career development professionals.
Phase 1
Phase 1 of the Working Group focused on building an internal gracious space for staff reflection on beliefs and attitudes related to whiteness, race, privilege, and implicit bias, while also providing continuous education on social identities represented by the students and partners we serve. From July 2020 to December 2022, our office routinely carved out time to examine the histories and nuances of underrepresented communities such as LGBTQ+, students with disabilities, women, BIPOC individuals, etc., and how these histories and experiences may influence students’ career journey and the way we support them in the process.
Phase 2
For change to happen, awareness must be accompanied by action. In Fall 2023 the Working Group launched Phase 2 to apply our learning from Phase 1 in our daily work and operations while continuing to provide ongoing training and education to staff where necessary. Phase 2 is a collaborative effort to systematically evaluate Fleishman Career Center programs, initiatives and procedures through our Equity, Accessibility and Representation (EAR) Framework with the goal to remove or alleviate systemic barriers to reaching underrepresented students with our services. To date, the Working Group has collaborated with program leaders to assess and revise the Fleishman Career Center’s Credit-Bearing Academic Internship Program, CDCI 395, and the Internship Funds, with more evaluations to come as each program is reviewed and finalized.
Focus on equitable student programming
As we individually and collectively work to elevate diversity, equity, and inclusion into our daily practices as career professionals, we recognize and acknowledge that students’ intersecting identities greatly impact all aspects of their education and career journey and we strive to meet their needs through direct programming. In partnership with key stakeholders including student groups and campus departments, we aim to design programs that are representative of historically underrepresented groups such as different racial and ethnic backgrounds, disabilities, LGBTQIA+ communities, and others.
We acknowledge that this work is a continuous effort that requires continued education,
reflection, action, and partnership with key stakeholders. We invite students and
campus partners to inform this process and contribute to our vision of equitably reaching
all students with career knowledge and opportunity.