About the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program
What is the Diversity and Inclusion Fellow Program?
The Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Fellows Cohort in the Communication Sciences and Disorders graduate program at Minnesota State University, Mankato is an affinity group created to meet the critical need of recruitment and retention of people of color into the profession of speech-language pathology. Students from historically marginalized/minoritized backgrounds come together for community, support and to develop skills to dismantle and deconstruct whiteness in Speech-Language Pathology.
What are the benefits of becoming a Diversity and Inclusion Fellow?
- Engage with and receive personal and professional mentoring from faculty members of color.
- Build relationships and solidarity with other students from historically marginalized and underrepresented racial/ethnic groups.
- Share a brave space of relief and support for students and faculty of color to talk about and address experiences with racism and inequity.
- Engage in social justice work as a unified team to lead departmental efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion.
- Gain self-advocacy tools to talk about racialized experiences in academic and professional spaces.
Who is eligible to become a Diversity and Inclusion Fellow?
- You must identify as a person from a historically marginalized/minoritized racial or ethnic group.
- You must have a desire to engage in programming to advance racial equity.
How do I apply to become a Diversity and Inclusion Fellow?
In addition to identifying as a person of color on your graduate admissions application, you will be required to write a brief statement (approximately 1-2 paragraphs) expressing your interest in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategic Task Force programming. This programming is optional for students of color.
What is the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Strategic Task Force?
To avoid the racial tokenism of graduate students, a task force was designed for the purpose of mentorship and collaborative racial equity work for D&I Fellows The task force consists of five core committees:
- Recruitment: The purpose of the recruitment committee is to raise awareness about the profession of speech-language pathology and recruit students of color for the undergraduate and graduate programs.
- Mentorship: The purpose of the mentorship committee is to provide mentorship opportunities to current undergraduate students of color as well as the D & I Fellows.
- Current and Continuing Education: The purpose of the current and continuing education committee is to critically examine current academic practices, policies, and existing courses to address racial/ethnic disparities. The committee also looks to provide professional development and education related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.
- Service: The purpose of the service committee is to plan and implement outreach activities for underserved youth and adults in the local community.
- Research: The purpose of the research committee is to center the voices of SLPs of color who are researchers and/or social media influencers. The committee disseminates research by people of color to the MSU Mankato community through social media platforms. The committee also seeks to participate in research activities to include research papers, projects, and convention presentations.
- Social gatherings and events are also prioritized to foster a sense of inclusion and belonging within the affinity group.
Questions about the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows? Please contact Department Chair Sheen Chiou.
