Resource Spotlight On: Fulbright College’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The University of Arkansas and our Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences have so many resources available – but how do you find them or learn what might come in handy to know? 

In our “Resources Spotlight On …” series, we explore the myriad of valuable resources available on topics ranging from how to write a research paper, to ways to connect to various communities and groups on campus, to easier navigation of our services, to finding hidden campus gems, and everything in between. 

In this edition of “Resources Spotlight On …” we take a deep dive into the college’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to learn how this Dean’s Office team strives to create a shared sense of belonging that prioritizes inclusivity, while best meeting the ever-changing needs of the college’s students, faculty, staff and greater community.   

Read on to meet assistant dean Romona West and graduate assistant Leea Johnson, who offer valuable insight into what DEI is, why it’s integral to our college and university, how it can help, and how to connect with their team. 

What is the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion? 

West said that the DEI Office supports the college in myriad ways.  

“Our goal is to serve faculty, staff and students and help build a more inclusive climate overall for the college,” West said. “So, we do that through recruitment and retention. We tend to look at a number of our underserved communities and determine how we can really help make our college more diverse from that perspective. And then we also do that through education.” 

By focusing on how to best benefit Fulbright College and the U of A through thoughtful DEI practices, West posits the question at the heart of her team: “How do we build this climate where everyone feels a part of it and everyone can really try and bring their best selves to work, to class, to research, to the service that they’re doing, and feel good about doing that?”   

And as West points out, that question is key to the original intent behind the U of A itself.   

“We are our state’s land grant institution, and we are supposed to be here to serve the constituents of our state and that means everyone,” West said, adding that her team also provides this service through education, community events, resource connection, and more. 

What is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion? 

While the definitions of the individual words diversity, equity, and inclusion can be found in any dictionary, West offered more insight into the nuanced way they work together to form new meanings in the context of the services her team provides.   

“Diversity, the way we define it, is really not only about just looking at somebody and thinking, okay, is this person is a person of color, but truly, as individuals, it’s having and understanding that we all have different lived experiences. Whether it’s socioeconomic status, being a first-generation student, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, disability status, or something else, it could be a number of different things.” 

“Diversity is also diversity of thought and it’s about bringing your full self to our campus community. Whether that is to a classroom you’re teaching in, or as a student, or if you’re staff and you’re working here,” West said. “Diversity really, truly does enrich us all because we learn from one another and learn better.”   

The next piece to creating a more enriching learning environment is equity, which West explains is often conflated with equality.  

“It’s not about us necessarily being equal,” she said. “Yes, you get equal opportunities to certain things, but we have to understand that we all didn’t start at the same place.”  

And since West earlier pointed out the U of A’s goal is to serve all its people, that means offering them each the support they need to be successful, which may vary greatly from person to person.   

“When I think about equity, I think about us meeting people where they are and realizing that we all have different needs,” West said. “But it’s truly about meeting us where we are and helping others to achieve their best based on their needs.” 

As current graduate student in the School of Social Work and graduate assistant for the DEI Office, Leea Johnson points out, equity can also only really be achieved through acknowledging a difference in need.   

Johnson said, “I think that DEI on campus is all about recognizing the type of students that organizations like the University of Arkansas have served, which is mostly white upper-class students for the majority of its history and recognizing that and then making room for other students’ voices and trying to create equity in that.”  

Another piece in helping to create the best environment for people to engage their best selves is to foster a community where everyone has space and significance, and one way to do this is through inclusivity.   

“We have a deep care for promoting all peoples, all cultures, all identities and making it an inclusive and empowering environment,” Johnson said.   

West agreed, adding that “I am always thinking about inclusion and thinking about how important it is for folks to feel like they belong.” 

In addition to fostering a sense of belonging, the DEI Office is meant to help students thrive at Fulbright College and the U of A.   

“I think for me it just feels so important to celebrate students, cultures, and achievements, and help connect them to each other because I think being in Arkansas or coming to campus as a student from an underrepresented group would be really overwhelming,” Johnson said. “So, just trying to make pockets of safety for these underrepresented students around campus.”   

Why are Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion important? 

In explaining the importance of DEI, West said that even our understanding of who DEI benefits can sometimes be skewed.   

“People may think, ‘Oh, they’re just talking about BIPOC and BIPOC folks and the sexual orientation of people. That’s all we’re talking about,’” she said.  

“But that’s not all we’re talking about. And folks need to know that because I feel like sometimes someone might feel excluded, or mistakenly think that we’re saying ‘you’re not part of diversity,’” she added. “And that’s not the case. You’re absolutely part of diversity, right? And you absolutely do make a difference, and your contributions and lived experiences do matter.” 

Johnson agreed, and further underscored why diversity, equity, and inclusion matter on college campuses.  

“DEI is really important on campus because the reality is that there are structural and systemic things in place that have oppressed underrepresented groups currently and historically in the state of Arkansas and in the United States, and that affects things like higher education and even things like confidence in the higher education space and access to resources in that space,” Johnson said. “It really just touches everything.”  

While the positive impact of DEI has a long reach, so too do the unfortunate disparities that have produced the need for increased intentionality in these practices.   

“When I think of DEI on campus I think that, this is a small way that we can try to create equity in the world by granting that in the educational space,” Johnson said, adding that their team will do “whatever we can do to make students feel welcome, empower them to tap into their own voice, celebrate their own culture and help them navigate the culture of campus.”  

How can you get involved? 

There are many ways to connect with Fulbright College’s Office of DEI.  

Students in particular can get involved in the college’s DEI efforts by becoming part of the team’s student ambassador program.   

As West explains, “we try to get a broad range of students from the various disciplines in our college involved, where they are kind of representatives who help us build that inclusive climate and culture of belonging for our college and even in their home departments.”   

Learn more about the program by visiting it online. 

West said that another great way for students, faculty staff, alumni, and the college’s wider community to get involved is to attend her team’s biweekly DEI hour that is intended to create space for everyone to learn openly about DEI.   

“Every other week we host a DEI hour and that’s usually where we’re inviting in a speaker to talk about a certain topic. Usually, we try to make it on salient issues or things that are top of mind, and then there’s open discussion,” West said. “We also intentionally don’t record these events because we really want folks to be able to ask questions, share and not be judged for it later.”   

Learn more about upcoming DEI Hours and other events online.  

To help stay up to date on all DEI programming and resources, as well as pertinent news around campus, West also recommends subscribing to the office’s weekly newsletter. 

Sign up online or by emailing arscdei@uark.edu.  

West also recommends submitting information to the newsletter as well.  

“We ask folks to please let us know if they’re having speaking engagements or invited talks or events they’d like us to promote or share,” she said.   

“By getting involved with the Fulbright College Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in any way you’re able, we can help support the college’s vision of ‘Peace Through Education,” so that it becomes something that is truly embedded within us all,” West said. 

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