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  Communities Activated: Stories from Behind the Scenes of Progress

  Avery C. Edenfield, Ariel Malan, Mel Payne, Roberto Lopez, and Blair L. Barfuss

  In 2020, USU received the Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement, recognizing USU has great work to do in our communities; as a land grant institution we have the responsibility to the communities in which we are located to honor the mission statement of ‘serving the public through learning, discovery, and engagement and cultivating diversity of thought and culture.’ This panel will center the voices of community leaders and change-makers dedicated to advancing progress toward equity. As we learn from panelists about their community initiatives and advocacy, participants will be invited to reflect on ways they can engage in their communities to ignite change.

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  Working at the Intersections: Critical Race Scholarship and Pedagogy Today

  Avery C. Edenfield, Isaiah Jones, Emma Mecham, and Christy M. Glass

  Recent conversations in Utah and nationwide highlight the debate and division surrounding Critical Race Theory (CRT) in education. The purpose of this event is to celebrate the ways CRT informs and deepens our teaching, research, and community engagement in higher education. Panelists will explore how they use CRT in the classroom and in their research, and discuss how doing so advances USU’s mission of “cultivating diversity of thought and culture" and “serving the public through learning, discovery, and engagement.” Join us for an engaging—and celebratory—discussion that will reenergize our shared purpose in this work and build connections across our university.

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  Pride in the Field

  Hay Pradell, Steph Crowell, River Johnson, Oluwadamilola Opayemi, and Elizabeth Grace Wong

  Many USU students, staff, and faculty are engaged in projects and research focused on the LGBTQIA+ community, as explored in the Utah State Today series, “Celebrating Pride.” Join us for a panel discussing approaches to research about, with, and by the LGBTQIA+ community. What key considerations should researchers center when studying gender and sexuality? From research design, to language use, to avoiding bias, to supporting researchers, what do inclusion, equity, and justice look like in practice? Panelists and attendees will reflect together on positionality, privilege, and marginalization, while taking away actionable practices for future research.

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  Graduate Student Voices

  Rana Abulbasal, Jamal-Jared Alexander, Elizabeth Grace Wong, Amand Hardiman, Niyonta Chowdhury-Magaña, and Lili Yan

  Building on previous events in this series, especially our conversation on inclusive mentoring, this panel will feature perspectives from USU graduate student leaders from across the university. Discussion will explore pressing issues in the graduate student experience through an intersectional lens and explore graduate students’ work as scholars, teachers, researchers, learners, activists, and more. Fellow graduate students, faculty, and staff will benefit from hearing this conversation, and will leave motivated to create a more inclusive and supported graduate student community at USU. Readings, resources, and campus connections to groups like the Graduate Students of Color Association, Black Student Union, Inclusion Center, and more will be shared with attendees.

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  Culturally Responsive and Inclusive Teaching

  Sam Clem, Marilyn M. Cuch, Daniel Piper, Andrea M. Hawkman, Melissa Tehee, and Christy M. Glass

  Building on previous events in this series, this panel will explore how to bring diversity, equity, and inclusion theories and practices into our classroom teaching, both in face-to-face and online instructional settings. Drawing on their expertise in a range of teaching and learning contexts, panelists will share principles for culturally responsive and inclusive instruction. Together, we will reflect on why this work has always mattered – and why it especially matters now.

  Watch the video to see the discussion. Click on the download button for a list of readings and resources.

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  Best Practices for Inclusive Mentoring

  Jamal-Jared Alexander, Marisela Martinez-Cola, Melanie M. Domenech Rodriguez, Jennifer Sinor, and Christy M. Glass

  This panel discussion will highlight perspectives from faculty mentors and student mentees about how to create and sustain a diverse and inclusive graduate student community at USU. Join us as we talk about structures and practices that meaningfully support graduate student scholars, including strategies for recruitment, retention, and the transition into post-graduate life.

  Watch the video to see the discussion. Click on the download button for a list of readings and resources.

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  Research and Publishing during COVID-19

  Avery C. Edenfield, Annie Isabel Fukushima, Becky L. Thoms, Elizabeth Vargis, and Christy M. Glass

  This discussion will explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on scholarly research and publishing. Travel restrictions, retracted funding, delayed or halted projects, and an increase in caretaker and other personal responsibilities at home compound to create unprecedented challenges for producing and publishing research. Early indicators show women, those with significant unpaid care responsibilities, and members of minoritized groups have been disproportionately impacted. For graduate students and early career faculty who depend on research and publication for promotion and tenure, the stakes are especially high. Join our panelists for a conversation about the how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the research landscape.

  Watch the video to see the discussion. Click on the download button for a list of readings and resources.

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  Citation as a Critical Practice

  Cana Uluak Itchuaqiyaq, Breanne Litts, Mario Itzel Suarez, Cree Taylor, and Christy M. Glass

  This discussion will explore the politics and ethics of citation. As academics, how, why, when, and whom do we cite, and what is at stake in these practices? Areas for discussion will include representation in disciplinary canons and the undercitation of scholars who are Black, Indigenous, People of Color, LGBTQ+, women, and members of multiply marginalized groups. By considering citation in the context of power and privilege, this panel will unpack what it means to adopt a critical approach to citation in our research, teaching, and scholarship.

  Watch the video to see the discussion. Click on the download button for a list of readings and resources.