The Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion focuses on how we live out our Hallmarks of Community, Hospitality, and Love within our Benedictine community. We aspire to create a learning environment in which we prioritize critical thinking, respectful dialogue, and meaningful educational interactions. We advocate for access, equity, and inclusion for historically marginalized and systematically under-served populations. Our focus also includes initiatives that address gender-based violence through a lens of social change; cultivating healthy relationships; celebrating our diversity; and striving for an inclusive and equitable environment where we can all learn and grow together.
The Department provides training, educational programming, and outreach; advises on policies and procedures to remedy discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct, and any related retaliation. We work to create a community that is safer, more inclusive and equitable; ensuring that all individuals are treated with dignity, compassion, and respect.
July is Disability Pride Month, celebrated with awareness programming, parades, and more in cities across the United States. In 1990, then president George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications, and access to state and local government programs and services. The first celebration of Disability Pride was held in the same year in Boston, MA and has become an annual event. Benedictine University works hard to provide equitable education and services to our disabled community members, and provide programming that offers awareness of ableism and the challenges faced by many on a daily basis. It is important to recognize and address these challenges to provide a truly Benedictine environment for all.
