A Change Making Experience - University of Cincinnati's Inclusion Council and DEI Workshop

As discussions centering around DEI became more prevalent on University campuses and across the country in 2020, UC CPC saw a need for further education and the importance of providing brave spaces for these conversations within the community. Over the course of the Spring semester, the executive team at that time worked hard to craft something of value within the Panhellenic community - an Inclusion Committee made up of DEI chairs from all 11 chapters and a DEI Workshop meant to provide resources as well as an opportunity to engage in intentional and proactive learning with their peers.

At AFLV Central 2023, the University of Cincinnati College Panhellenic Council (UC CPC) received the Dr. Michael A. McRee Change Making Experience Award for hosting their annual Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Workshop. The workshop spanned for three days during July and provided a space for all chapter executive board teams and interested community members to join and learn in a virtual setting. This workshop was planned by the Panhellenic Executive Board, with the guidance of FSL Assistant Director and Panhellenic Advisor, Madeline Stine.

Since its inception, UC CPC has continued to expand upon the Workshop, taking on more of a theme and direction for the sessions as the community deepens its knowledge on DEI topics. This year’s theme centered on Personal Identity. Topics and experts within each subject matter field were tasked to create educational content for Panhellenic leaders. Each chapter executive board member was expected to attend sessions that related to their position or the community as a whole. Any officers with conflicts were expected to send an alternate in their position. This workshop was also open for general members of the Panhellenic community to attend as well. Throughout the weekend, speakers demonstrated how fraternity and sorority life has different impacts dependent on a person’s identity.

Workshop planning began in February and centered on relevant topics that included recruitment, accessibility, marketing, intentional collaboration, accountability, and inclusive language. Each semester, UC CPC requires its chapters to submit DEI Action Plans detailing things such as areas of success, growth, and program ideas for the semester.

Throughout action plan evaluations, the Panhellenic President and Vice President of Inclusion (VPI) narrowed in on topics that the community had requested more education on.

This year, each speaker had a background in fraternity and sorority life or is currently a fraternity and sorority advisor (FSA) on a University campus. Having these specialized experiences created a mutual understanding amongst the audience and presenters. Each speaker had approximately forty-five minutes of presentations with fifteen minutes to answer questions or provide a time of reflection for attendees.

UC CPC provided a daily introduction and closing to the workshop for attendees to reflect on where they would like to grow, what they have learned thus far, and what action steps they would take as a result of their time at the workshop. The introduction included expectations for leaders and how the council expected chapter leaders to engage.

Closings for the workshop centered on topics surrounding action and growth. This workshop equips each chapter leader, no matter what their title is, to feel responsible and empowered to make their organization a more inclusive space. Chapter leaders would provide at least one answer to the following (see chart below) in the Zoom chat so the hosts and panelists could view and moderate the discussion.

With over 130 Panhellenic members in attendance throughout the weekend, members were encouraged to take our post-workshop assessments each day, to provide feedback on CPC’s organization and ability to effectively educate the community. The following visualizations show attendees’ feedback surrounding intended learning outcomes.

CPC also asked attendees “What does an "inclusive fraternity & sorority community" look like to you?” and left it open-ended. The following answers were collected:

“A place where everyone feels safe.”

“Working with others to continue bettering our community, especially those of different backgrounds.”

“Having events that are for everyone.”

“People actively working towards using inclusive language and being inclusive and empathetic towards anyone in or out of our circle.”

“A community that genuinely welcomes all people into it without tokenizing anyone. I think it is important to include all people who want to join without forcing anything upon anyone.”

UC CPC has found great success in educating members based on this model of having an annual checkpoint through hosting the DEI Workshop. Following the workshop, attendees had access to recordings, presentations, and one-page handouts that the speakers provided. The VPI’s officer description centers on preparing for this event and supporting the community before and after the workshop.

For the next steps, the UC CPC governing documents reflect the importance of hosting and participating in this workshop, which establishes action and accountability for the next group of council and chapter leaders to continue to build on. This workshop has created a collaborative learning environment that the council intends to continue!

Written by Bekah Littlepage, University of Cincinnati Panhellenic President