This article was written by Christa Ruiz and Stephanie Searing.
On January 12, Stevens announced the new Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) in Student Affairs. In an interview with The Stute, Sara Klein, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, and Liliana Delman, Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, spoke about the objectives and functioning of the new office.
The new office comes as an expansion to what was previously known as “Diversity Education” within the Office of Undergraduate Student Life, in which Delman served as the Assistant Director. However, “the vision to create an independent Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion has been a goal shared by many at Stevens for several years,” Klein and Delman said. Klein proposed the idea of a separate office during the Fall 2021 semester and received approval from President Farvardin shortly after. Stressing the student efforts that went into the new office, Delman additionally stated that “over the years, students have been asking for a DEI office and increased focus on these important topics. This new office is part of our response to further support students and advocate for their needs.”
The two believe that the Office of DEI will be able to “increase resources and programs to serve the Stevens community and fully realize the university’s mission to support and promote DEI issues.” Delman will lead as the inaugural Director, with her team composed of Kody Guedes, Graduate Coordinator for Diversity Initiatives, and student employees.
The Office of DEI has objectives for campus including identity development, social justice education, community-building, empowerment, and allyship. “The Office of DEI centers the voices and needs of underrepresented and underserved students through collaboration with cultural, LGBTQ+, religious and identity-based professional student organizations,” Klein and Delman said. Through building awareness and empathy on campus to create a more inclusive community, they hope to achieve this goal. The exact mission statement can be viewed at this link.
Annual events hosted by the office include workshops, affinity luncheons, history & heritage months and awareness weeks, National Coming Out day, and Stevens Pride Week. Klein and Delman stated that future workshops will be offered on topics such as Safe Zone, Anti-Racist Leadership, Creating Inclusive Classrooms, Cross-Cultural Communication, Conflict Resolution, and more to all students, faculty and staff. The Office of DEI will also offer assistance to all people at Stevens seeking advice, tips or expertise on being an ally.
The first official event hosted by the new office was the inaugural Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, held over Zoom on January 17. The event featured speeches by Assemblywoman Angela V. McKnight of the New Jersey General Assembly, President Farvardin, Frank DiCola ‘15 (Founder of Hoboken Charity Quest), and Josh Hector (President of the Stevens chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.). McKnight spoke about her career in politics, her desire to give back to the community and make an impact, and her nonprofit organization, AngelaCares, which assists senior citizens and their caregivers. She also emphasized the importance of continuous learning and that students can make change by reaching out to your assembly people, senators, and others in office.
Dicola spoke about his new app Hoboken Charity Quest that shows community service opportunities around Hoboken. Hector spoke about the history of Martin Luther King Jr., as he was in the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity at Boston University. Hector also spoke about how it takes more than one person to make a change.
From January 31 to February 4 the Office of DEI will be giving out “MLK Day of Service Take Home Activity Kits” in the Intercultural Space for students to work on. The kits are then due back to the Student Center by February 4 to be distributed to the Hoboken Food Pantry, Hudson Pride Center, and Hoboken Charter School.
Currently, Delman and her team have offices in the Student Center, but are looking forward to moving into the University Center. However, Klein and Delman also noted that “the Office of DEI also oversees multiple spaces on campus,” including the Intercultural Space, the Lore-El Center for Women’s Leadership, and the Quiet Space. Students can visit www.stevens.edu/DEI and follow @stevensstudents and the Office of DEI DuckLink page for upcoming events and information.
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