An opportunity to explore diversity and inclusion issues while learning about personal biases was an eye-opening experience for Nebraska’s Stephen Cass.
The senior history and classics major was among the more than 400 Huskers who took part in the Check Your Blind Spots Mobile Tour — Diversity and Inclusion Fair, held Sept. 17 on the Nebraska Union Plaza. The event featured a multi-media trailer designed to teach individuals about unconscious bias.
“This was a tremendous opportunity to learn about issues and strategies related to inclusiveness,” Cass said. “It’s really great exposure about what we can do individually in terms of diversity and inclusion within our campus community.”
The Blind Spots video presentation challenged participants to recognize that — based on the amount of information processed instantaneously — human brains often use cognitive short cuts that result in assumptions being made about others.
“Basically, we need to realize that our brains are making these assumptions for us,” Cass said. “We need to remember to slow down, think about our actions, seek a different perspective and see people for who they really are rather than who we assume they are.”
The Blind Spots tour is part of CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion, the largest chief executive officer-driven commitment in the United States. It is designed to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The movement includes a pledge that administrators can sign, signifying that their organization/company is dedicated to creating a workplace environment where diversity and inclusion are valued.
Chancellor Ronnie Green signed the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion pledge earlier this year.
The visit was organized by the Staff Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council in response to findings of a University of Nebraska–Lincoln diversity analysis completed by Halualani and Associates last year.
“The report mentioned that the university does a lot of diversity-related programming, but they are nearly all offered within silos and are one-and-done events,” said Karen Kassebaum, director of staff diversity and inclusion. “The findings stressed the need to do something that was continual and open to the entire campus community. That’s our goal with this, to create an annual program that connects diversity efforts universitywide and builds upon them.”
Along with the multi-media presentation, the event was accompanied by a resource fair with more than 20 local organizations and campus partners offering information related to diversity and inclusion.
Maggie Miller, a residence hall director, said the event provided a wealth of information and tips that she hopes to integrate into her work with students in Selleck Hall.
“The information was extremely useful,” Miller said. “We each make these instantaneous judgments about each other. But, we need to move beyond those if we are truly going to be inclusive.”
