The re-energized University Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (UCDEI) held a listening forum entitled, “Can We Just Talk?” on Tuesday,  Feb. 18 in the Alice R. Manicur Assembly Hall.

The event, coordinated with the Division of Student Affairs, drew a crowd of over 60 students, faculty members, and administrators. Notable attendees included President Ronald H. Nowaczyk, Chief of FSUPD Cynthia Smith, VP of Student Affairs Dr. Artie Travis, the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dr. Kim Hixson, and the Dean of the College of Education Dr. Boyce Williams.

A few SGA Senators were present, including the Governance Chair Jessica Thayer and Public Relations Char Daysha Sanders

The events began with opening remarks by the co-chairs of the UCDEI, Dr. Jennifer Earles and Ms. Robin Wynder. The Council has become a prominent force on campus as they work towards building a Multicultural Center at the site of the Jefferson School Building on University Drive. The Council has also petitioned to memorialize Brownsville, an African-American community displaced by the building of Frostburg State University. Updates on these projects were discussed at the Feb. 18 event; however, the purpose of the forum was to identify issues on our campus related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

After breaking into small groups, attendees were promoted to talk about the issues currently experienced on campus, as well as to suggest possible areas of improvement. Dr. Travis was vocal about the process saying, “We have to acknowledge that we have problems and issues to work on. We need to address these as a community, not just as individuals as some of us who have been working on this are experiencing fatigue. We need all of us to work together.”

Ideas presented by the groups included recruiting police officers and faculty members of color, offering training to existing staff and faculty members on issues related to diversity and inclusion, providing support systems for second and third-year students, increasing the number of Blue Lights on campus, and putting out more specific BURG alerts with “all clear” messages as follow-up.

One particular idea, proposed by Dr. Heather Hurst of the College of Education, was to institute a “one read” initiative whereby students, faculty, and staff would all partake ion the reading of a particular book. This idea would “act as a conversation starter and generate productive conversations,” says Hurst.

Potential designs for the proposed Multicultural Building were also unveiled at the event. “We wanted to create an outdoor pavilion-type environment as part of the design,” said Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Jeff Graham. The proposed space appears to be similar to the pavilion near the Bobcat Court apartments.

Wynder and Earles say that comments on the building proposals are welcome. “We want students to share their voices, become part of the process, and have ownership over what we do.” Earles admits, “Our campus is good at diversity. It’s the inclusion and equity part that we need to work on.”

When asked about how this event came together, Wynder says that the insensitive video shared on Twitter earlier this month “put a fire under us,” but that this event was already in the works. “And actually, this is the first of three,” says Earles, “we are holding another in March and in April.”

“Our goal here is to start the conversation,” says Wynder.

In other words, “we have to start by planting seeds,” said an Annapolis Hall Residence Assistant named Emilie.