“Here’s just some of what we do to make CMU a place that’s holistically safe for students, employees and community friends”
By: Dr. Nikita Murry – Director, Office of Diversity Education – murry1n@cmich.edu
Even under the best of circumstances, the transition from high school to college can spark a myriad of emotions. Fear might bubble to the surface of your thinking because college is something incredibly new and the stakes for success are high. Likewise, euphoria (the feeling not the Netflix program) can be the catalyst to launch your college experience with positive and healthy choices. What you experience as a first-generation college student, new instructor, emerging professional or veteran administrator will be determined by the energy put forward.
Given all that is taking place in the United States currently, and the imminent change when voting season passes: we will need our best energy to move forward towards our overarching dreams and goals for ourselves and others. One way or another, we will emerge from contemporary events. The question is, how will you use this time in the incubator to develop into the type of individual who values the eclecticism of humanity?
In the Office of Diversity Education (ODE), our goal is to help make Central Michigan University a leader in creating a campus culture that actively and honestly works toward treating people right. It really is that simple. We can’t always say treat people the way you want to be treated. As a licensed mental health professional, I know there are wounded people in society who have not learned how to be treated and therefore do not know how to treat others. However, we can make a commitment to treating people how they want to be treated.
Our reason for existing is to help you – regardless of the connection to CMU – create a bigger view of the world through increased cultural competency. Cultural competency that is effective, equitable, and inclusive comes from purposeful engagement in one of the many workshops, trainings and special events hosted by ODE in connection with the Office for Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Here’s just some of what we do to make CMU a place that’s holistically safe for students, employees and community friends:
Provide intercultural education
Facilitate campus-wide interaction
Build collaborative partnerships to advance diversity and inclusion
Implement educational opportunities that cultivate and sustain civility and respect
In other words, we help strive to create a university culture where individuals treat others how they want to be treated.