Augsburg University believes that it is important to share a common language while working towards a wholly inclusive and equitable community through our work in areas of diversity, inclusion, and equity; this work affects our teaching, student development and success, institutional functioning, and our ability to effectively engage with one another, our University community, and local and global communities. Please find below our University-preferred definitions.
Definitions
Culture – The patterns of shared basic assumptions, behaviors, and experiences within a group of people that are learned by and taught to new members in order to guide them in the appropriate and inappropriate ways of perceiving, thinking, feeling, and acting.
Diversity* – Is about the mix of people and their individual differences (e.g., learning styles, personality, life experiences, etc.) and group/social differences (e.g., gender, race or ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, country of origin, political/religious affiliations, etc.).
Equality – In educational settings, the ideology of equality stems from a limited focus on preserving the idea of “fairness” by solely providing all students the exact same resources, services, etc.
Equity – In educational settings, the ideology of equity steams from a more informed understanding of disparities and inequities faced by marginalized student populations and working at providing them the resources, services, etc. that they need.
Equity-mindedness* – Is a demonstrated awareness and willingness to address equity issues within the organization by the faculty, staff, administration, and students.
Ethnicity – A population whose members identify with each other based largely on common nationality and/or shared ancestry.
Inclusion* – Is how we make the [diversity] mix work. This requires active, intentional, and continual engagement with diversity in the curriculum, the classroom, co-curricular activities; our communities (including social, cultural, and intellectual); and any places where people might connect. Our goal is to increase awareness, content knowledge, [skills], and empathic understanding of the way individuals interact with each other, systems, and institutions.
Intercultural Competency* – Is the overall capability of an individual or organization to manage and navigate key features of intercultural communication and interaction: namely, cultural commonalities and differences, unfamiliarity, intergroup dynamics, and other struggles that may be present.
Race – The socially constructed concept of dividing people into groups based on skin color and physical characteristics.
*These definitions are adapted from the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).
Resources
The following links provide access to different resources related to diversity, inclusion and equity at Augsburg University. For access to these resources, click on the links below. (Please note that you may be asked to sign into your AugNet account in order to gain access to some of the resources.)
American Indian Student Services
Center for Wellness and Counseling
Discrimination and Bias Reporting
International Student and Scholar Services