Terminology

“BIPOC”: Acronym that designates Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color, which, although inclusive, also recognizes the distinct and differential structures of racism that affect Black and Indigenous people: respectively, the long history of transatlantic slavery and continued forms of anti-black racism in carceral institutions and policing; and settler colonialism’s unlawful seizure--and continued extractions--of land and resources belonging to Native Americans. 

“Conservative”: a popular political label rather than a coherent, monolithic movement. Those who claim it for themselves promote a variety of forms of maintaining or returning back to traditional social values (variously construed). For some, this means fiscal restraint and small government, including geopolitical isolationism. For others, this means military adventurism and expansive law enforcement. Similarly, for some, “conservatism” means individualism, unwavering adherence to a strict moral code, and compassion as modeled by the founders of their religions. In our use of the term, we exclude “conservatism” that means denying certain marginalized groups equal rights and freedoms.

“Diversity”: Individual differences (e.g., personality, learning styles and life experiences) and group/social differences (e.g., race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, country of origin and ability, as well as cultural, political, religious or other affiliations) that can be engaged in the service of learning” (source: College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR). 

“Equity”: “The creation of opportunities for historically underrepresented populations to have equal access to and participate in educational programs that are capable of closing the achievement gaps in student success and completion.”

“Inclusion”: “The active, intentional and ongoing engagement with diversity—in people, in the curriculum, in the co-curriculum and in communities (intellectual, social, cultural, geographical) with which individuals might connect in ways that increase one’s awareness, content knowledge, cognitive sophistication and empathetic understanding of the complex ways individuals interact within [and change] systems and institutions.”

“DEI”: Diversity, equity, & inclusion as general principles.

“DDEI”: Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, who oversees ODEI.

“ODEI”: Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the student-facing department under the purview of Academic Affairs.

“Mental illness”: must be regarded as an authentic form of human diversity, so we can further destigmatize acute and chronic mental health conditions. This is possible by avoiding the false dichotomy of framing a condition either as a problem or as a non-entity, giving each member of our community maximum flexibility to define their own struggles. 

“Microaggression”: “a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group (such as a racial minority)” (source:  Merriam-Webster, s.v. “microaggression"). These take a cumulative toll on those who receive them consistently. 

“Progressive”: a popular political label rather than a coherent, monolithic movement. Those who claim it for themselves promote a variety of forms of social progress, and generally align themselves with the ideological goals of DEI. But because “progress” implies that social change is necessarily linear, this can mask the fact that progressively-minded individuals can still promote retrograde policies or avoid structural change (e.g., the common “not in my backyard!” response to affordable housing projects). We have avoided the term throughout--as well as the related term “liberal”--in order to more precisely name the problems that we may all contribute to, regardless of our popular political identifications."