April 2023 DEI Updates

Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 

Division of DEI Updates: 

  • Strategic Action Planning - if you have not received the recorded session, please reach out to mcphersonp@rowan.edu

Division of DEI Upcoming Events and Professional Development 

  • DEI SUMMIT3rd Annual DEI SUMMIT - Equity in Action: What's Your ETA?
  • Save the Date April 10, 2023, starting at 9:00 a.m. on Webex
    Keynote: Dr. Brittany Cooper is the keynote speaker and will host a meet and greet with a limited number of students who register for this event
  • Part of the DEI Summit will include the DEI Senate awards
      • Call for Proposals are open! For more information, CLICK HERE
      • To submit your proposal, SUBMIT HERE – form closes March 27th 

 Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tik Tok @RowanDEI

Social Justice, Inclusion and Conflict Resolution (SJICR) 

  • SJICR has many exciting and important events planned for this year. Please visit this link for regularly updated SJICR information and events for the most up-to-date information
  • New Interfaith, Prayer and Meditation Space 
    • Hawthorn Hall, Room 202 | Max. 2
      Accessible from 7:30 AM - 10:30 PM | Card access needed for access after hours
      *Please email Tara Ferrucci at ferrucci@rowan.edu to inquire about card access
    • Savitz Hall Room 218 | Max. 15
      Accessible from 7:30 AM - 10:30 PM
      • The Prayer Space located on the 2nd Floor of Savitz Hall, Room 218, will be reserved every day beginning Wednesday, March 22nd through Sunday, April 23rd, 9:30 PM – 11 PM for Ramadan. Signage will be posted outside of the prayer room. For more information regarding the guidelines and usage of the space, please review the Interfaith, Prayer, and Meditation Space Policy
  • Student Leadership Nominations 
    • With the end of the year approaching, we would like to invite the entire campus community to take time to nominate a deserving student, advisor, or program for the 2023 Celebrating Leadership Awards. The reception will be held on Monday, April 24, 2023, at 5 PM in the Student Center Ballroom.  You can RSVP for the event on ProfLink: go.rowan.edu/CLA2023RSVP. All nominees will be recognized at this event, with a special recognition and plaque presented to the award winner.
  • Programs: The programs below are not exclusive to SJICR and may be programs hosted by affiliated student organizations. For more information, please visit proflink
  • Ramadan Information  
    • As we near the end of the semester the Islamic holy month of Ramadan (3/22-4/21)) is upon us. Muslims who observe Ramadan fast from dawn until sunset and participate in Taraweeh prayers each evening for approximately two hours for 30 days that are determined annually by the lunar calendar.

      Muslims commemorate the revelation of the Quran during the month of Ramadan. It is a time for spiritual reflection and self-improvement, and Muslims practice self-control, gratitude, and compassion for others who are less fortunate. Muslims focus on religious devotion by increasing daily prayers, reading the Quran, and giving to charity (zakat). 

      Accommodating Muslim Students on Campus

      As we embark on Ramadan, it is important to create a welcoming environment that allows our Muslim students to feel fully supported. For faculty and staff some best practices could be:

    • Make any class materials during Ramadan available virtually in an asynchronous format so that students can remain caught up, should they miss content due to spiritual practices.
    • Offer an asynchronous option for classes meetings during the breaking of the fast at sunset.
    • Offer students the opportunity to meet during regular or extended office hours in order to stay current with course materials and content.  
    • Avoid scheduling meetings or events with student groups after sunset.
    • Include information about the religious observances policy on syllabi. 
    • Be aware of private spaces where students can go to pray near your location or share the prayer space locations we have on campus: Hawthorne 202 and Savitz 218
    • Most importantly, talk to your students about how you can support and advocate for them during Ramadan and beyond.

The Center for Neurodiversity

The Center for Neurodiversity welcomes the new co-directors for 2022-2023, Chiara Latimer and John Woodruff! The Center for Neurodiversity also welcomes Visiting Scholar in Residence, Zosia Zaks, and Ph.D. Graduate Assistant, Mary Kalliny. We also welcome a new Faculty Fellow for the spring semester - Professor Patricia Coughlin, College of Communications. Welcome to our team!

The Center is located on the first floor of Laurel Hall. Please visit the website: go.rowan.edu/neurodiversity.

Upcoming events: 

  • Congrats to cohort 10 for completing the IPP Certificate!
  • Launched a Neuro-Inclusive Workplace Certificate this semster, 1st cohort complete
  • Those who have completed the IPP Certificate have been contacted to participate in a study to review the work done and how it is impacting the Rowan community
  • Launched Book Study - We’re Not Broken, author will be speaking to campus
    • Collaborating with CHSS and Faculty Center to provide virtual UDL accessibility presentations, April 14, 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.
  • Neurodiversity Celebration Week - FREE Neurodiversity Conference available provided by City University of New York, April 14 - registration: https://cunysps.swoogo.com/cunynd/2935761

 

Center for Access, Persistence and Achievement (CAPA) 

CAPA is pleased to share the digital brochure with further information on the Center for Access, Persistence and Achievement - https://sites.rowan.edu/ascend/_docs/capa-digital-brochure.pdf

  • A Day in the Life Admissions/Recruitment Event - CAPA is collaborating with Admissions to bring back the “A Day in the Life” program. This will be a one-day (non-residential) event for Junior students from Camden City to explore the Rowan campus, attend a class, eat at our dining hall, and showcase different clubs/organizations on campus via DEI Day.
  • CAPA is finishing their book study on the Racial Healing Guide

Please visit the website - www.rowan.edu/capa 

The Faculty Center 

  • A Senate Resolution for the BIPOC Studies designation, based on a course advocated for by the Black Student Union in their list of demands to the Rowan administration,  we recently hosted a Town Hall meeting for the community to share their support their concerns and ask questions. Watch for more info on when those town halls will be held, and please try to come and share your voice!
  • Please take a moment to review “‘Hope is Not a Strategy’: A White Paper of the Antiracist Pedagogies and Practices Taskforce.” This White Paper is the outcome of the 2021-2022 Antiracist Pedagogies and Practices Taskforce. Feel free to reach out to Rachael Shapiro (shapiror@rowan.edu) with any questions, concerns, or feedback!

Rowan School of Osteopathic Medicine (RowanSOM)

  • Listen to Black Mamas – Documentary Screening & Panel Discussion (Recording & Materials)
    • From the announcement: "Listen to Black Mamas" is a documentary film on the maternal mortality crisis in New Jersey.  There will be a panel discussion following the film.  The film can be viewed in person or online.  Please share with colleagues and students. The video, a collaboration with Planned Parenthood of Northern, Central and Southern New Jersey, and the Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., Southern New Jersey Chapter, explores how the joy of pregnancy can, too often, become a nightmare for Black women."
    • Save the Date: Panel Discussion - Creating an LGBTQIA+ Friendly Practice
  • Save the Date - Rowan-Virtua SOM LGBTQIA+ Panel - “Creating an LGBTQ-friendly Practice

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU)

Celebrating CMSRU's 10th Anniversary, CMSRU is celebrating a decade of growth and innovation in medical education and research.

  • Recruitment: The Office for Diversity and Community Affairs (ODCA) at CMSRU is launching the PULSE Pathway to Success program – an extension of the existing PULSE program. The PULSE PTS program is geared towards 12th-grade students currently enrolled in our JUMP High Saturday Academy. The goal of this program is to provide academic and professional development workshops to aid 12th-grade students with their transition to college.
  • CMSRU’s Black Male Collective Collective is currently seeking undergraduate students to participate. Please see below program description: 
  • The Black Male Collective-Revitalizing Access to Medical Professions for Underrepresented Populations program, or BMC – RAMP UP, is a mentoring program jointly sponsored by Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU), Rowan University and Cooper University Health Care. BMC – RAMP UP’s primary aim is to identify Rowan students who are African American males with an interest in careers in medicine and support them through their undergraduate years – and beyond – to maximize their chances of achieving their career goals. Each student will be paired with an African American male physician or CMSRU medical student mentor to promote academic advancement, social support, and networking opportunities.

    For more information about the program, please submit an inquiry form, and we will be in touch.