DEI Student Ambassadors Program

ABSTRACT

In this paper we describe the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Student Ambassadors program at Seattle University and the initiatives and activities that the ambassadors have been engaged in. This program drew inspiration from several Bias Busters groups created by industry and academia, especially the Bias Busters @ Carnegie Mellon University and the Bias Busters in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at University of California Berkeley. The student ambassadors were given broad objectives to improve the college community and educate the student population about diversity, equity, and inclusion. An initial planned project of the ambassadors was to organize a DEI Takeover Week during spring of 2020. This project had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The student ambassadors took this as an opportunity to instead develop programs focused on equity and inclusion issues that arose due to the pandemic and the transition to remote / virtual instruction. The DEI Student Ambassadors organized Zoom Town Halls that were open to all students, faculty, and staff in the college to engage in frank conversations about the challenges of the pandemic and how they connected to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Additionally, the DEI Student Ambassadors developed theater-based workshops about microaggressions and bystander intervention. These workshops were administered in a number of classes, and highlighted real-world scenarios drawn from student surveys conducted in spring 2018 as well as the DEI Student Ambassadors' own experiences. Response to the DEI Student Ambassadors and the programs they have developed has been largely very positive. We conclude by discussing plans for how to continue, adapt, and expand this program. © 2022 American Society for Engineering Education.