On Sunday, Dec. 5, EMU held their student town hall meeting to discuss various important matters such as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) grants, COVID updates, and University Commons (UC) renovations.
The meeting was held at the Suter Science Center (SSC) and via zoom. It started with various announcements by the SGA co-presidents who were present at the meeting. Shannon Dycus, Dean of Students was able to lead the meeting successfully alongside other staff members who were at the meeting either in person or over zoom to share important information with the students.
Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Jackie Font-Guzman was in charge of sharing information regarding the DEI grants and how they are going to be used at EMU in the following years. Font-Guzman talked about two specific DEI grants that will begin in the spring of 2022. The first grant, “Inclusive Excellence Grant Program,” aims to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and a sense of belonging at EMU. It offers students and staff members the opportunity to advance and grow as a community. Undergraduate and graduate students are able to receive this grant. This is a grant made for students at EMU who want to share ideas and create projects that are inclusive and will support equity, diversity, and inclusion. This grant will be available in Feb. 2022.
The second grant, “Hertzler-Koshy Faculty Fellowship,” is a grant that will facilitate faculty with the opportunity to develop student-centered teaching that is inclusive of the diverse student body. The programs encourage faculty/student collaboration in projects that infuse diversity into the curriculum with a specific focus on race, ethnicity, disability, and gender content. This grant will be available in Oct. 2022.
After discussing the two DEI grants at great length, the town hall meeting moved swiftly to talk about COVID-19 updates for EMU and other announcements. For instance, in the spring semester, during MLK Day, there will be no classes but an opportunity for students to attend convo-worthy events that are educational and inspiring. When it comes to COVID-19 updates, at least 90% of residential students are vaccinated, and they are also encouraged to get the booster especially now that the semester is almost over and everyone is going back home and to their families. Also, “over-the-counter COVID tests will not be available in the spring,” Dycus mentioned.
When it comes to UC renovations, EMU wants to use the bookstore space, Dycus said that the space will be used as “a destination where social, educational and leadership interactions can occur, a contributing factor in creating positive connections for students. This positive engagement, in turn, contributes to student sense of belonging and academic success.”
The current scope for the UC renovations is that there will be a New Admissions Office in lower UC where the game room used to be. There will also be a Student Union space with a coffee shop, game room, and small meeting spaces. Finally, there will be a renovation of the president’s reception room.
The students’ town hall meeting provided a lot of information that will prove useful for students and faculty at EMU.
