Diversity Committee January Meeting Notes: January 17th, 1:00pm

Posted on

Diversity Committee January Meeting Notes: January 17th, 1:00pm, Room 150

1.  Announcements

  • The next Diversity Committee meeting will be held February 21, 1-2:00pm, Hodges Library Room 150.
      The Diversity Committee will be meeting with Mark Puentes on February 5th, 11:00am-12:00pm, Hodges Library Room 605
      Possible question for Mark: “How we can prepare ourselves and engage with the new Vice Chancellor of Diversity?”
      All committee members are invited to this session!
  • Citizenship display in the University Center organized by Sojourna and Anne
  • March 20, 21, and 22 – RAD Class
  • Megan Smith is organizing another library event open and available for all UT women. The class is 12 hours total and culminates with a training exercise in self-defense. Register online here. For more questions, contact Megan (msmith93@utk.edu or 865-974-6903) or UTPD (974-3114).

2.  Webpage Update (Judy and Rabia) (http://www.lib.utk.edu/diversity/)

  • Judy and Rabia showed changes made so far
  • What do we want on the home page?
      o Contact us
      o Highlight/inform about cultural issues/news
      o Recommended Culture Corner: Focus on Women’s issues i.e. Sex, gender, power
      o Pictures from previous activities? Picture collage for home page
      o Organize information by years
  • Deadline for the webpage: end of February and beginning of March
  • Email Judy and Rabia with suggested changes

3. Human Libraries Update (Ingrid)

  • Presenting at Black Issues Conference, “UTK Human Library Experience: Reading into Black Culture” February 2, 2:15-3:00pm UTK University Center Rm 225
  • Please come support us!

4. Alliance of Women Philanthropists 2012 Giving Circle Grant Update (Sojourna)

  • Grant to bring Half the Sky the Book and film to campus along with a scholarship is submitted
  • Friends of the Libraries will provide matching funds
  • The announcement will be made Feb 22, 2013
  • Possible Life of the Mind partnership

5. Diversity Committee Social Networking Media Update  (Ingrid)

  • Ingrid is working to integrate the diversity committee’s efforts into the libraries’ social networking media

6. Common Ground Book Club Update  (Ingrid)

  • A writer’s transsexual journey will be the topic of the next Common Ground Book Club discussion led by Dean of the university Libraries Steve Smith.
    • T Cooper’s Real Man Adventures will be the subject of discussion on Tuesday, February 19, at 4:30 p.m. in the Culture Corner, first floor of Hodges Library. Real Man Adventures is a collage of letters, essays, interviews, artwork, and conversations exploring what it means to be a man. T Cooper maintains a sense of humor as he takes us through his transition into identifying as male — even publishing the letter he wrote to his parents to inform them that he “wasn’t their daughter anymore.” It’s a brash, wildly inventive, and comic exploration of the paradoxes and pleasures of masculinity.

7. New items

  • Elizabeth Young of the University Libraries graciously donated a basket of preserves for the Race Against Racism on behalf of the Diversity Committee. (Thank You)
  • The Confucius Institute is coming to campus April 11-12. See Anne Hulse ahulse1@utk.edu for more information.
  • Robin Bedenbaugh requests our support to bring Dr. Srivi Ramasubramanian from Texas A&M to speak at the libraries about the impact of media in fostering a diverse community of respect.
    • The committee agreed to work with Robin in bringing in the speaker.