• Overview
• Resources
• Community Involvement
• • Programs
• • Building Awareness
• • Celebrations
• • Interactive Theatre
• Building Diversity Into University Processes
• Measuring Results

Building Awareness for Diversity

Organizations that recognize the value of diversity and manage diversity effectively often realize these benefits:

• Diversity brings a variety of ideas and viewpoints to the organization - an advantage that is especially beneficial when creative problem solving is required.
• Diversity increases productivity and makes work fun and interesting.
• Employees are willing to take risks; they play to win rather than to not lose. As a result, creativity, leadership and innovation are enhanced.
• Employees are empowered and have a sense of their potential in and value to the university.

Training is an effective way to help employees recognize the need for diversity and their own reactions and biases. Human Resources and Equal Opportunity Services are available to lead and facilitate a variety of workshops and seminars related to diversity. Contact your Human Resources representative to discuss what program best meets the needs of your department or group. A summary of the available programs is listed below; all programs can be customized to your group.

Sexual Harassment Training
Human Resources provides sexual harassment training seminars for faculty and supervisors through Learning and Development programs, as well as via an online Preventing Sexual Harrassment seminar than can be taken at any time. Annual training for resident assistants and teaching assistants is available every school year. We also provide training for staff by department invitation. Training covers the following areas:

• Definition of sexual harassment
• The two types of sexual harassment: quid pro quo and hostile environment
• Intent vs. impact
• What to do

To set up training contact Human Resources at 268-4747. Review the university policy on sexual harassment on-line.

Diversity Awareness Training
Human Resources provides diversity awareness workshops to faculty, staff and students. The workshops aim to:

• Provide framework for managing diversity;
• Identify some of the information and misinformation we have learned about some other groups;
• Learn some techniques to use in interpreting prejudicial jokes, remarks and slurs.

In the training session, perspectives on diversity, stereotypes, and dealing with oppression are addressed. For further information on prejudice-awareness training, please contact Barbara Smith or Everett Tademy at 268-4747.

You might also consider participating in Interactive Theatre, an innovative approach to provoking thought and discussion about these subjects.