The Office of Institutional Equity welcomes you back for the 2025 spring semester! Throughout the first semester the office has been engaged in many conversations, programming, and initiatives such as attending the HECC Tribal Student Support Network Summit, ongoing student retention efforts, support for students receiving veteran benefits, and supporting planning efforts for the upcoming Civic Commons.
Below are a few more important topics that we wanted to highlight for our community!
Undocumented/DACA Student Support
We have a website dedicated to providing information and resources to support undocumented/DACA students. This website will be updated as new information and developments are available. We take an individualized support approach so that we can connect students to appropriate resources, depending on their unique needs. Whether you have questions or need someone to talk to, don't hesitate to reach out to the Undocumented and DACA Student Liaison:
Emilio Solano
Assistant Provost for Institutional Equity
easolano@willamette.edu
503-370-6027
Radical Belonging
We hope that you enjoyed the November lecture with Ben McBride! Drawing from his book “Troubling the Water: The Urgent Work of Radical Belonging,” McBride delivered a keynote address about his concept of radical belonging, examining our implicit biases and our understandings of power and reflecting on how we categorize individuals as "other"—or "same"—people. Instead of asking “What should we do?” he offered a compelling invitation to lean into our shared humanity by asking, “Who do we need to become?”
The University DEI Committee has created a subcommittee to help co-create what comes next in our collective work. If you would like to stay involved in the larger conversation around how to foster radical belonging at Willamette and in our broader communities, contact easolano@willamette.edu.
Employee Resource Groups (Staff/Faculty)
A reminder to check out and join our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)! ERGs are employee-led voluntary groups that are intended to help foster a more equitable, inclusive, and supportive workplace experience. These intentional spaces for employees are generally organized around shared interests, identities, or backgrounds in an effort to enhance inclusive community engagement efforts, and assist in the recruitment and retention of a diverse community of employees.
And if you are interested in creating your own, complete the application!
2023-24 Annual Report
For more information about the kind of work that the Office of Institutional Equity is engaged in, check out our most recent annual report.