Allyship and Advocacy Resources

Supporting the university by:

• Supporting a diverse workforce of faculty, staff, and professionals in cases where inclusion, equity, and belonging are not being upheld.
• Establishing clear expectations and guidelines for allyship within the university community.
• Fostering a culture of respect and understanding among all relevant parties, regardless of their backgrounds.
• Providing resources and support for individuals seeking to be allies and for those who have been marginalized.
• Work with the DEI Council, governance, and university leadership to perform regular assessments to ensure progress and continuous improvement occurs.

Action Items: 

• Expand the current Allyship and Advocacy group to reflect members from across the university community.
• Work with the DEI Council and Human Resources to provide feedback on current DEI Trainings and provide activities focusing on allyship that supplement the required trainings, provide open spaces for individuals to discuss, practice, and apply.
• Create an online resource hub for individuals seeking information on allyship and diversity and inclusion.
• Conduct two workshops per academic year to provide deeper context on the importance of allyship and advocacy.
• Collaborate with the DEI Council and Human Resources to establish clear guidelines for reporting and addressing incidents of discrimination or bias within the university.
• Develop a mentoring program for underrepresented professionals and staff.
• Work with the Climate Committee to explore ongoing allyship assessments and surveys to track progress and identify areas for improvement.
• Encourage and support employee resource groups for underrepresented groups.

Empowering, supporting, and guiding individuals in the following endeavors: 

• Self-education
• Listening and amplifying marginalized voices
• Taking action to challenge biased behavior, advocate for inclusive policies, and support DEI initiatives
• Building coalitions
• Being accountable
• Creating opportunities for engagement
• Providing resources, including online toolkits, reading lists, and directories of DEI organizations and initiatives

Challenges along the way: 

• Facing resistance and push-back due to lack of awareness or understanding, or personal biases
• Limited resources
• Sustaining engagement over time
• Ensuring intersectionality and diverse perspectives
• Facing institutional resistance (existing policies, structures, systems)
• Building trust and collaboration, when marginalized communities have history that does not inspire trust in allies
• Changing attitudes and mindsets for the better, over the long-term

Members:

Dana Brown, co-chair
John Lawless, co-chair
Bidhan Chandra
David Fullard
Desiree Drindak
Lauren Allen
Melissa Zgliczynski

Allies:

• are not members of the marginalized community, and have privilege that the members of that community do not - they use that privilege to help
  • privilege can include advantages, opportunities, resources, influence, power, relative immunity to certain kinds of consequences
• amplify marginalized voices rather than trying to be heard themselves
• provide a support system for individuals in the marginalized community
• stand up for what's right, especially when it is more risky for those who are members of the marginalized community
• take responsibility to self-educate and to meet their own emotional needs when things get hard (rather than putting the burden on the community or individuals they're trying to be an ally to)
• accept that being an ally is a lifelong process and not a label that can be claimed
• are accountable to the communities that they are trying to be allies to, take constructive feedback, and accept that the usefulness of their allyship is determined by the people they're trying to be allies to
• are not passive supporters - may be more comfortable being called advocates or even accomplices. These terms imply taking conscious, intentional action and accepting risk to the self on behalf of others.