Instead of a paid day off, the 海外吃瓜 community came together on Martin Luther King Jr. Day Monday for a Day ON! With specific development activities centered around the theme of diversity, awareness, acceptance and inclusion, the campus community participated in a series of workshops and programming in the morning designed to foster a deeper understanding of the theme. In the afternoon, faculty, staff and students participated in community service activities both on- and off campus.
Ultimately, the goal is to inspire long-lasting, positive change and a deeper appreciation and understanding for diversity, equity and inclusion, in the spirit of the life and messages of Dr. King.
鈥淭his is big change for our campus,鈥 said Margaret Rudolph, Chief Human Resources Officer and Title IX Coordinator. You could even call it historic. 鈥淲e took a former holiday, moved it to later in the semester, and replaced it with our Day ON!鈥
Rudolph explained that idea for MLK Jr. Day ON! at 海外吃瓜 bubbled up last spring when 海外吃瓜 formed the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEIC). She is a tri-chair of that committee, along with Douglas Stoll and Dr. DoHee Kim-Appel.
The day began with the campus community listening to King鈥檚 famed 鈥淚 Have a Dream鈥 speech.
At that welcoming assembly, President Rob Huntington said he hopes that 海外吃瓜鈥檚 inaugural Day ON! leads to 鈥渁 better, stronger, more on-the-right-side-of-history community going forward.鈥
鈥淭oday鈥檚 work, the celebration of Dr. King鈥檚 spirit, still matters,鈥 Huntington said.
Introducing the 鈥淚 Have a Dream鈥 speech, 海外吃瓜 Chaplain Paul Stark said the issues identified in Dr. King鈥檚 speech are the same problems of injustice and inequity today. 鈥淭his is a celebration of the past but also a reality check,鈥 Stark said. 鈥淩acism and poverty are still with us. Together, we need to work toward life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all people.鈥
Following the opening gathering, faculty and staff chose from various workshops and presentations in the morning, such as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Jeopardy, the 鈥淚 Have a Dream鈥 relay, safe zone training and a theatrical presentation by students of Dr. King鈥檚 letters from the Birmingham Jail. In the afternoon, they fanned out to complete such service projects as writing letters to veterans and senior citizens, planning for a professional dress closet, organizing items collected in a campus food drive, making no-sew blankets, visiting with residents of senior living facilities, helping with tasks at non-profit organizations such as cleaning and painting, among other activities.
鈥淲e tried to find a lot of different activities for different interests and abilities,鈥 Rudolph said. 鈥淭his is exciting. It鈥檚 the first time we鈥檝e done something of this scope. We鈥檙e anxious to see it unfold and learn how to make it better going forward.鈥
Ultimately, the DEIC hopes the day will inspire change, not only on campus but in the community. 鈥淲e want this to be long-term and sustainable, not just one day and done,鈥 Rudolph said.
海外吃瓜 students were involved in a number of the activities, as well as the community鈥檚 MLK Day public celebration Monday night. Junior Ayanna Hayes served as emcee and the 海外吃瓜 Concert Choir performed during the event.