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Hello, Commission members! Welcome to the first of what will be our monthly member newsletter! Through this newsletter, we hope to provide you with updates, information, and opportunities to get involved with CSJE.
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Message from the Chair
Greetings, CSJE family!
I write to you with mixed emotions at the start of the academic year, one which feels unfamiliar and strange and has been utterly exhausting. I hear from colleagues and friends all over about the challenges we are facing as individuals, departments, institutions, organizations, and a society related to race and racism, a global pandemic, dangerous leadership from our government, and so much more. At the same time, having served CSJE now for nearly a decade, I continue to be inspired by the dedication, care, empathy, compassion of our members in the fight toward justice. I am also struck by the strength, tenacity, and candor demonstrated on a daily basis in the face of the full force of oppression.
As a CSJE family, we are emerging from a time of introspection and reimagining, and we hope you will join us as we move forward toward new avenues of the work of social justice. I feel from our leadership and our members an urgency to engage both in dialogue and action. I know that getting involved in an organization like ACPA or CSJE can feel daunting or even scary, if not also exciting. Consider the initiatives presented in this newsletter and those to come as opportunities to test out the waters or dive right in. If you're unsure how to get started, show up to a monthly forum even if you don't think you have anything to say--you may surprise yourself! If you're feeling like you need to do something, consider joining one of our working groups or even taking on a leadership role with one of them. If you just want to connect and talk more about what's right for you, send us an email at csje@acpa.nche.edu so that a member of our team can reach out to you. No matter what, know that you have a home with CSJE.
With love,
Brian Reece
Chair
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Monthly Forum Reminder
Please join us for our next CSJE Monthly Forum! Our monthly forums are a chance to dialogue with other student affairs and higher education professionals interested in social justice work. We always start out with a facilitator's choice discussion topic followed by a conversation about opportunities to get involved with the Commission and updates on current projects! This month, we will focus on how to stay engaged during this time where all of us are struggling. At the same time, we will seek to problematize the desire to stay engaged through it. Join us on September 8 at 3pm Eastern!
We are also collecting information about what Commission members would like to talk about in future monthly forums. If you have any ideas you'd like to submit, please fill out this survey.
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Member Spotlight: New CSJE Vice Chairs
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As part of the CSJE leadership team, Vice Chairs help lead meetings, work with other Commission Chairs and entity groups, liaise with and/or lead some of the working groups within CSJE by providing support and guidance, work with the ACPA international office, and share in decision-making responsibilities that affect the Commission. After a dialogic selection process that took please this summer, we are excited to welcome the following new Vice Chairs to our team!
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Mercedes Diaz (she/her/hers) is currently an MA candidate in higher education at the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Her research interests include: Latinx experience in higher education, gender and race in student Affairs, feminist theory in film, and diversity institutes' effects on students of color in philosophy. She also works full-time as a Graduate Program Administrator and Advisor in the Department of Philosophy at Rutgers University.
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Sean Hembrick (he/him/his) joins the CSJE Directorate from Auburn University in Alabama where he serves at the Coordinator for Equity and Inclusive Excellence in the Office of Inclusion and Diversity. In serving as a Vice Chair for the CSJE, Sean states, "I am excited about contributing to the work of Social Justice Education within the Commission and ACPA. The work of Social Justice is a lived experience for me growing up in East Harlem, NYC. Developing programmatic efforts and expanding on ways we as Student Affairs practitioners can aid in creating productive and equitable campus communities is at the forefront of all I do, especially with regard to Black Lives Matter and the continued civil unrest in America. I hope to push forth CSJE as Vice Chair in helping to rectify these issues." Sean is an avid traveler, lover of Funko Pops, and anything Marvel Comics related.
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Join a Working Group!
We are looking for creative, energetic, and passionate individuals who care about social justice and continuing the work of our Commission! Currently, CSJE has four working groups:
- Communications (Blog, Newsletter, Social Media)
- Education (Webinars, Panels, Convention Programs)
- Community Building and Dialogue (Monthly Forums, Awards Nominations & Selection)
- Fundraising (2020 Campaign, Developing New Fundraising Strategies)
Please sign up by September 18 and expect an email from a member of our leadership team by the end of September. More details are available on the Google Form.
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Upcoming CSJE Events
- September CSJE Monthly Forum on September 8 at 3pm Eastern
- Racism & Racialized Identities Panels: The Experience of International Staff of Color in the United States (Co-Sponsored with the Commission for Global Dimensions of Student Development)
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