Past #NCLUDE Learning Groups

“Unclaimed Nebraska Land”: Understanding Settler Colonialism at a Land-Grant University

Co-sponsored by Career Services, Open to Faculty and Staff.

Anchor: CJ Venable

Meeting Dates: Friday at 1PM (9/15/23, 9/29/23, 10/13/23, 10/27/23, 11/10/23, 12/1/23), Nebraska City Union

The Morrill Act of 1862 and the Nebraska Enabling Act of 1864 sold over 130,000 acres of land to financially support the creation of the University of Nebraska (now UNL). This land was considered ‘unclaimed,’ despite Indigenous Peoples residing in what is now Nebraska since prior to European colonization. This group will explore this past and present of settler colonialism in higher education, including competing narratives about land-grant universities, through Leigh Patel’s book No Study Without Struggle and the Land Grab Universities project from Robert Lee and Tristan Ahtone. Join us to consider how and why settler colonialism remains and what we might do differently in our work at a land-grant institution.

Belong: Find Your People, Create Community & Live A More Connected Life

Anchor: Jerri Harner & German Avila

Meeting Dates: Wednesday at 2PM (9/20, 10/4, 10/25, 11/1, 11/15, 12/6), Nebraska City Campus

Get ready to focus on the single most important thing you can do to live a happy, healthy and successful life: BELONG. This group will read Belong by Radha Agrawal and discuss intentional ways to build and nurture community and belonging for all at UNL. As Agrawal says, “Belonging is the opposite of loneliness. It’s a feeling of home, of “I can exhale here and be fully myself with no judgment or insecurity.” Belonging is about shared values and responsibility, and the desire to participate in making your community better. It’s about taking pride, showing up, and offering your unique gifts to others. You can’t belong if you only take.

What If: Short Stories to Spark Inclusion and Diversity Dialogue

Co-Sponsored by ORED. Open to staff, faculty and administrators.

Anchor: Becky Carter

Meeting Dates: Tuesday at 9:30 AM (8/29, 9/12, 9/26, 10/10, 10/24, 10/31), Virtual **Note change in day**

This #NCLUDE learning group will read short stories from the book What If: Short Stories to Spark Inclusion & Diversity Dialogue by Steve L. Robbins. Virtual meetings will occur approximately every two weeks throughout the fall semester, where we’ll discuss the stories and how to apply the lessons of inclusive excellence. The goal will be to increase our knowledge and skillset specific to diversity and inclusion so that we can create more inclusive team cultures. This group is a great match for anyone newer to learning about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) or new to applying DEI concepts.            

Supporting First Gen Student Success

Open to Faculty and Staff. 

Anchor: Jennifer PeeksMease & Karen Wills

Meeting Dates: Wednesdays at 4PM (9/6, 9/20, 10/4, 10/18,  11/1, 11/15), Nebraska City Campus

This #NCLUDE group will focus on collectively and individually discerning guiding principles and everyday actions that faculty and staff can incorporate into their daily activities to positively impact and support first generation students. Some weeks we'll read common material, while other weeks participants will each read unique materials in order to bring their knowledge to the group.

International Empowerment: Advocating for International Students

Open to faculty, staff, students, and Lincoln community members.

Anchor: Peiwen Wang & Timothy Janda

Meeting Dates: Wednesday from 12PM (9/6, 9/20, 10/4, 10/18, 11/1, 11/15, 11/29), Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center

The International Empowerment #NCLUDE small group will focus on increasing our knowledge on how to advocate for international students as a minoritized population in the US and how this affects identity and experiences while living abroad here in the US. Discussion materials will be provided. We welcome all international community members and those who seek to learn more about international perspectives.

What if I say the Wrong Thing?

Open to faculty, staff, students, and Lincoln community members.

Anchor: Georgia Jones & Joann Ross

Meeting Dates: Thursday from 9AM (9/7, 9/21, 10/5, 10/19, 11/2, 11/16), East Campus

This #NCLUDE small group is for anyone who wants to grow their cultural competence. For some, not knowing how to engage in culturally sensitive conversations prevents them from opening the door to building deeper relationships. Using Vernā Myers’ book, What if I Say the Wrong Thing?, group members will read and reflect on different scenarios to help build understanding and confidence.

Considering Mental Health: Teaching with compassionate challenge

Co-Sponsored by Center for Transformative Teaching. Open to faculty, staff, students, and Lincoln community members who teach or help students develop themselves.

Anchor: Steven Cain & Amy Ort

Meeting Dates: Tuesday at 10 AM (9/5, 9/19, 10/3, 10/24, 11/7, 11/21), Virtual

Postpandemic, many instructors and educational professionals grapple with a false dichotomy between flexibility and rigor. In this #NCLUDE group we'll be discussing, Mind Over Monsters: Supporting Youth Mental Health with Compassionate Challenge. It provides an alternative mindset focused on holding students accountable for rising to authentic challenges during their educational process and doing so compassionately with their development in mind. 

Work with people with intellectual disabilities: From being "researched" to "researchers"

Open to faculty, staff, students, and Lincoln community members.

Anchor: Heng Liang

Meeting Dates: Friday at 2PM (9/1, 9/8, 9/15, 9/22, 9/29, 10/6), Virtual

Is it true that only people with super quick, sharp, and stable minds can do science? Can people with intellectual disabilities also be successful at research? How do you live with, fight with, or get along with disabilities you may have? How do you cooperate with those who have mental disabilities? Or do you simply want to listen and learn more about this topic? Everyone is welcome. Please join us as we read the book Inclusive Research: Is the Road More or Less Well Travelled? and share our thoughts, experiences, and understandings.

Huskers Helping the Homeless

Open to faculty, staff, students, and Lincoln community members.

Anchor: Ryan Lahne & Andrew Brown

Meeting Dates: Thursday at 1PM (9/7 & 9/14 (1-2 pm), 9/26 (9 am - 12 pm), 10/11 (11 am - 12 pm), 10/26 (9 am - 12 pm), 11/9 & 11/16 (1 - 2 pm)) In-person @ the Nebraska Union all dates excecpt, On-site experience (Sept. 26 - PBA and Oct. 26 - Center for People in Need)

This #NCLUDE group will focus on ethics of working toward change in our local communities. This semester we'll focus on homelessness and its impact on our Lincoln community. In addition to our small group meetings, we'll have two hands-on experiences to grow our understanding of our role in change and impact we can each have. We'll each focus on building a personal action plan to guide our personal efforts to ethically engage in work that strengthens our community.

Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World

Co-Sponsored by the University Honors Program, and Global Experiences. Open to faculty, staff, and students. Travel interest or experience helpful but not required.

Anchor: Rebecca Baskerville & Tamy Burnett

Meeting Dates: Tuesday at 2:15 PM (9/5, 9/12, 9/26, 10/10, 10/24, 10/31), Knoll Residential Center

Using Anu Taranath’s book, Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World, group members will grow their intercultural competence as they "cultivate a global traveling lens that helps us look at the complexities and layers that are all around us, both far away and closer to home.” Topics include global citizenship, do-good travel, friendship across difference, being seen and un-seen, centering dignity, and unpacking the journey upon return. Ideal for faculty, staff, and students with experience or interest in global travel, particularly to the Global South.

Building Inclusive Graduate Communities: Supporting & Engaging Graduate Students

Co-Sponsored by the Graduate School. Open to faculty and staff.

Anchor: Angela Bryan & Rebecca Wachs

Meeting Dates: Thursday at 2PM (9/7, 9/21, 10/5, 10/19, 11/2, 11/16), TBD

Graduate students comprise a sizable student population with unique challenges and specific needs. How can we better support, train, and socialize graduate students to enhance their academic, professional, and personal success in ways that account for their diverse backgrounds, lived experiences, and identities? Guided by selected readings and critical reflection, this group will explore the graduate student experience at UNL, identifying current issues and strategies to create inclusive graduate communities. We invite those who engage regularly with graduate students – particularly graduate faculty and departmental staff – to join the conversation.

DEI Deconstructed: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Doing the Work and Doing it Right

Anchor: Mikayla Cruickshank & Mallory Asay

Meeting Dates: Tuesday at 10 AM (8/29, 9/12, 9/26, 10/10, 10/24, 11/7), Hybrid

This #NCLUDE small group offers the opportunity to analyze how current methods and “best practices” leaves marginalized people feeling frustrated and unconvinced of their leaders’ sincerity. We'll work to bridge the neatness of theory with the messiness of practice. Using “DEI Deconstructed: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Doing the Work and Doing It Right” (Zheng, 2022), we will reflect on becoming a more effective DEI advocate, ally, and leader.

Diversity Storytelling for Inclusion

Co-Sponsored by Libraries. Open to Libraries faculty and staff. Please contact diversity@unl.edu if you would like to participate, but are not currently employed in the libraries.

Anchor: Jannah Vanié

Meeting Dates: Wednesday 1PM (9/06, 9/20, 10/04, 10/18, 11/01, 11/15), Love Library 

Storytelling is a powerful and impactful part of creating more inclusive environments. This #NCLUDE learning group invites participants to hear about stories and share their own stories about race or ethnic background, culture, and identity. Storytelling helps us understand each other better. The aim is to reflect on our experiences and gain a deeper perspective about the experiences of people in our workplace. This will enable us to approach our work and relationships through a different lens and move forward with inclusive excellence.

Nu Worlds: Imagining (and Building) Equitable and Inclusive Practices  

Open to Faculty, Staff, Students, and Community Members.

Anchor: Mackayla Kelsey

Meeting Dates: Friday at 9:30AM (9/15, 9/29, 10/13, 10/27, 11/10, 12/01), Location TBD

Grounded in Dunne and Raby’s Speculative Everything (2013), this NCLUDE group will encounter and engage in worldbuilding, storytelling, and other foundational practices derived from emerging media arts.  We’ll use these concepts to collectively imagine, build, and maintain experiences of empathy, joy, serendipity, and collective care, for our presents and futures.

Soil. Seed. Root.

Anchor: Genese Clark

This #NCLUDE small group offers members an opportunity to examine their deeply held beliefs and core assumptions about race as a foundation for justice and belonging. Together, group members will till their metaphorical “soil,” enhancing the internal environment that promotes seeds of inclusivity and belonging to take root. Using “Teaching for Justice and Belonging” (Glass & Berry, 2022), we will reflect on the groundwork for DEI work, engage in self-assessments, and build our internal capacity for racial competency and understanding.  Books will be available to borrow, or group members may purchase their own. All are welcome into this community of care.

Practicing Inclusive Leadership

Anchor: Jennifer PeeksMease

This group will examine the everyday leadership decisions and practices—regarding communication, resources, time, and relationships—to better understand how small changes can have a significant impact on inclusion. Group members will be invited to implement new strategies after each meeting and will discuss both the challenges and successes of the encounter along the way. All are welcome into this community of care, especially those who have leadership and supervisory responsibilities.

Creating an Inclusive Team Culture

Co-Sponsored by University Operations, with limited space for outside participants

Anchor: Celeste Spier

This group is designed specifically for University Operations leaders who would like to expand their leadership ability related to inclusive excellence. We will read short stories from the book What If: Short Stories to Spark Inclusion & Diversity Dialogue (S. L. Robbins, 2018). Virtual meetings will occur every two weeks throughout the spring semester, where we’ll discuss the chapters and how to apply the lessons to leading our teams. The goal will be to increase our knowledge and skillset specific to diversity and inclusion so that we can create more inclusive team cultures. 

Creating Inclusive Online Communities

Co-Sponsored by the Center for Transformative Teaching

Anchor: Amy Ort & Zac Manley

When teaching online, one of the biggest challenges is creating a sense of community that allows students to connect with one another and the instructor. In this learning community, we will discuss strategies you can use to support diverse students by creating an inclusive and supportive online learning environment. To support these conversations, we will read the book Creating Inclusive Online Communities by Sharla Berry & Kathryn E. Linder. All are welcome into this community of care.

Academic Ableism

Co-Sponsored by the Center for Transformative Teaching

Anchor: Abby Mitchell & Grace Troupe

To what extent is academia designed for temporarily abled people? How can we make universities more inclusive spaces for those with disabilities? This group will explore the ableist tendencies within universities and identify strategies to change those tendencies within our sphere of influence. We will read the book, Academic Ableism: Disability and Higher Education by Jay Dolmage which provides a history and critique of approaches to disability in higher education and strategies for critically evaluating our own institutional practices. E-book is available through UNL libraries, and Audibook is available for free through Audible.

Facilitating Dialogue

Anchor: Charlie Foster

How can one seek to have good conversations when we accept that we are polarized? In this group we’ll discuss the difficulty for us and our students to engage in meaningful dialogue with those with whom we disagree. Our group will be informed by Sally Kohn’s book and TED Talk, “The Opposite of Hate” which addresses the need for dialogue when we as a country describe ourselves as polarized. Each week we’ll be examining our own experiences and developing our skills and commitments for both participating in and fostering conversations across difference. Books will be available on loan, or participants can provide their own books.

Inside Graduate Admissions

Co-Sponsored by the Office of Graduate Studies

Open to all, special invitation to those involved in graduate student admissions

Anchor: Angela Bryan & Ruth Oliver-Andrew

Following Dr. Julie R. Posselt’s lead in “seeing the strange in the familiar,” this #NCLUDE learning group will study equity and diversity issues in graduate admissions from the decision-maker’s point of view. Faculty and staff involved in graduate admission decisions are invited to join us and examine their own practices by exploring who the system works for and who falls through the cracks. Group members will collectively reflect on changes needed inside and outside the gates of graduate school and strategies to improve admissions review in their own departments.

What if I Say the Wrong Thing? 

Anchor: Georgia Jones & Joann Ross

This #NCLUDE small group is for anyone who wants to grow their cultural competence. For some, not knowing how to engage in culturally sensitive conversations prevents them from opening the door to building deeper relationships. Using Vernā Myers’ book, What if I Say the Wrong Thing?, group members will read and reflect on different scenarios to help build understanding and confidence. Topics and skills include expanding one’s comfort zone, avoiding in-group favoritism, understanding micro-inequities, seeing all cultures as valid, and using mistakes as an opportunity to grow. Books will be available on loan, or participants can supply their own book. 

International Empowerment

Co-Sponsored by the International Student and Scholar Office

Anchor: Mikki Sandin & Anh Le

The International Empowerment #NCLUDE small group will focus on increasing our knowledge on how to advocate for international students as a minoritized population in the US and how this affects identity and experiences while living abroad. Goals include developing action steps for advocacy and allyship and creating a framework to empower international students and scholars. Discussion materials will be provided. We welcome all international community members and those who seek to learn more about international perspectives.

Connecting with Alumni through DEIB

Open to all, special invitation to those involved in external relationship coordinators

Anchor: Meg Kester & Nathan Hé

This #NCLUDE small group will reflect on the importance of incorporating diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging principles into alumni relations. We'll explore the ways each aspect of alumni communication can be inclusive and effective, how to integrate DEI measures and self-reflection into existing projects, and address ways we can mutually support one another across colleges and the alumni association in our efforts. While our focus is on external relationship coordinators in academic units, we welcome others who are interested in this topic.

Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge

Co-Sponsored by ORED (Limited spaces open for non-ORED partcipants) 

Anchor: Becky Carter

This #NCLUDE small groups will be engaging a Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge from  January - March 2023. The challenge includes committing to attend a one-hour Zoom group discussion approximately every other week.  You will be prompted to access readings, videos or other resources based on that week's theme.  It should take approximately, one-two hours to read/watch/listen to the resource materials prior to the Zoom group discussion.    The content was culled by CUPA-HR (College and University Professional Association for Human Resources) and UNL employees.  This group is already full, with limited seats for those who are in interested hosting a similar small group in their own unit.

Gender Equity Habit Building Challenge

Co-Sponsored by ORED (Limited spaces open for non-ORED partcipants) 

Anchor: Becky Carter

This #NCLUDE small group, will be engaging in  a Gender Equity Habit Building Challenge from January - March 2023.  The format for the challenge is committing to attend a one-hour Zoom group discussion approximately every other week.  You will also be prompted to access readings, videos or other resources based on that week's theme.  It should take approximately, one-two hours to read/watch/listen to the resource materials prior to the Zoom group discussion.      The content was culled by CUPA-HR (College and University Professional Association for Human Resources) and UNL employees.  This group is already full, with limited seats for those who are in interested hosting a similar small group in their own unit.