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Focus on Outcomes
Module 5: Advocating for Inclusion and Justice*
From Ways to Incorporate DEI into Your Courses By David Luke, Chief Diversity Officer, University of Michigan, Flint
Focus on Outcomes
The work of DEI can be daunting in scope. When one thinks about all that needs to be done in terms of student recruitment and retention, faculty development, classroom management, support services, etc., it can be paralyzing. A focus on outcomes is important. I’m reminded of an interview that Ta-Nehisi Coates did with former President Barack Obama. In the interview (and in other public media appearances), Obama spoke about how many of his more-progressive staffers were disappointed with the healthcare legislation they passed, since it did not have a single-payer option. Obama’s response was that millions of people gained medical coverage from the legislation, which is better, and better is good.
Some of the bigger changes that we desire to make when advocating for justice and equity often include a culture change. We want our institutions to become anti-racist institutions, anti-oppressive organizations, and to generate positive social change for which they were often not designed to do. During our short time connected to these institutions, that type of overhaul may be unlikely, but we can think about how our interventions can make things better for individuals in the organization, and better is good.
Consider, for example, when a university implements a policy that makes it possible for students to change their preferred name and/or indicate their pronouns. For a transgender or gender-nonconforming student, being deadnamed can have a host of negative consequences, and indeed put that student in real danger. Having the ability to designate what they should be called reduces anxiety for students when their professors are taking attendance or calling on them to participate, for example. Additionally, adding all-gender restrooms can make our campuses places where something as simple as using the restroom doesn’t require intense cognitive labor and resources from students who have safety concerns.
*Published 07/22. © 2022 Sage Publishing. All rights reserved. All other brand and product names are the property of their respective owners.