We found 80 results that contain "belonging"

2025's National Day of Racial Healing will occur on Tuesday, January 21. The American Association of Colleges and Universities has called on colleges and universities to "engage in activities, events, or strategies that promote healing, foster engagement around issues of racism, bias, inequity, and injustice, and build an equitable and just society where all individuals can thrive" as part of the National Racial Day of Healing. The National Day of Racial Healing is "a time to contemplate our shared values and create the blueprint together for #HowWeHeal from the effects of racism. Launched in 2017, it is an opportunity to bring [all] people together and inspire collective action to build common ground for a more just and equitable world." As part of this commitment, educators may consider engaging in events during the week, participate in the #HowWeHeal hashtag, and bringing awareness to the day with students. Some activities and events within the MSU and Lansing community includes: 

Read the #HowWeHeal Conversation Guide
Watch the "Changing the Narrative" series
Attend the MSU's 2025 MLK Student Symposium
Attend Lansing's Beloved Community Week
Attend MSU Libraries' Social Justice Film and Discussion on: Fannie Lou Hamer's America

Accesible Design Checklist: Text and Content
This checklist meant to serve as a starting place, rather than a complete list or expert regulations. Accessibility should be considered throughout all parts of the design process, and designing accessible compositions benefits all people, not just those with disabilities. This post is the second part of the Accessible Design Checklist series: 

Overview
Text and Content
Multimedia

Text and Content Accessibility
When looking at the overall design of content, composers should consider the overall text and content on their designs.
Color ContrastColor alone should not be used to convey meaning. When color is used beside black and white, it should have a color contrast between the text and background of at least 4.5 to 1. Spartan Green is also an acceptable addition to use with white. The colors used should not affect colorblind users.FontThe font chosen should be a sans serif font with no narrow, bold, or decorative features. Preferably, a font that has unique characters (e.g., the I, l, and 1 are different) should be chosen. 

In general, no more than two different fonts should be used.
The font size should be at least 12 points.

HyperlinksHyperlinks should be descriptive, which means that without the context of the sentence around the hyperlink, it should be understandable on its own. Avoid using the full link directly into a design.Inclusive LanguageThere are many considerations for written language within a design. 

The work should avoid jargon and idioms that are not understandable for a wide audience. 
Written work should be concise and understandable. 
Avoid using a word fully capitalized to convey information (if it’s not an acronym). Acronyms should not be used without first defining them.
Avoid using language that excludes and/or harms users, such as ableist language or genderist language. 

SpacingText should be left-aligned, and alignment should not be used to convey meaning. There are many textual spacing properties to consider in designs: 

Line spacing is at least 1.5 times the font size;
Spacing following paragraphs is at least 2 times the font size;
Letter spacing is at least 0.12 times the font size; and
Word spacing is at least 0.16 times the font size.

TablesTables should be used for tabular data rather than visual presentation. Use simple tables with one column and/or one row with headings and avoid merged cells. Tables should have captions, textual contextualization, and all cells filled.
References and Resources for Accessible Design

Level Access’ Must-Have Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Checklist 
Michigan State University’s Create Accessible Content
University of Washington’s Accessibility Checklist
Web Accessibility in Mind’s WCAG 2 Checklist
Web Accessibility Initiative's Design and Develop Overview

Continue to read more about the checklist in the next part of the series, Accessible Design Checklist: Multimedia.Accessible Design Checklist: Text and Content © 2024 by Bethany Meadows is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. The cover photo, "Free close design text computer" is marked with CC0 1.0.

Housing and food insecurity can have profound and detrimental effects on our students, affecting various aspects of their academic performance, physical health, and overall well-being. In the recording below, presenters discuss the critical issues of housing and food insecurity impacting our students. Our panel of speakers share insights, experiences, and innovative solutions aimed at creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for those affected by housing and food insecurity.
This event is for anyone that works directly with students and is seeking to learn more about resources that support students that may be experiencing food, housing, financial, and mental health concerns.
Presenters:

Nicole Edmonds, Director of MSU Student Food Bank
Spencer Good, Co-Founder and President of Spartan Food Security Council
Erin Kramer, Community Liaison Coordinator in the Office of Community and Student Relations

Upon completion of this learning experience participants will be able to:

Identify resources that provide support for students experiencing housing and food insecurity
Direct students to the appropriate offices and resources for further support
Know of proactive strategies to connect students with housing and food concerns.

Learn more about this important topic by viewing the video and access the PowerPoint slides below:

Food Insecurity at Michigan State University presentation
Spartan Food Bank presentation

MSU Food Bank Video (click here)

Housing Insecurity presentation

When individuals have access to essential elements such as food, shelter, safety, and a sense of belonging, it positively influences their mental state. Conversely, when basic needs are unmet or compromised, it can lead to stress, anxiety, and a decline in mental well-being. In this session, we explore the relationship between mental health and the emergence of various insecurities, and resources that can be utilized to support students.
This event is for anyone that works directly with students and is seeking to learn more about resources that support students that may be experiencing food, housing, financial, and mental health concerns.
Presenter:

Dr. Olivia Scott, Acting Assisting Director of Multicultural Initiatives and Community Engagement in MSU's Counseling and Psychiatric Services

Upon completion of this learning experience participants will be able to:

Identify resources that provide support for students experiencing mental health concerns 
Know what offices and resources are available to students
Know proactive strategies for connecting students with mental health support 

Learn more about this important topic by viewing the video below. Access the PowerPoint slides here.

You may have students in your class who require specific accommodations related to a disability in order to fully participate and reach their academic goals. The Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) is the unit at MSU which supports students and employees who require reasonable accommodations.
Students who have registered with the RCPD go through a process of providing disability documentation and participating in a needs assessment with an Ability Access Specialist, resulting in a determination of individualized reasonable accommodations for that student which are listed in an Accommodation Letter. Instructors and TAs will usually receive Accommodation Letters at the beginning of the semester. Once you receive an Accommodation Letter from a student, you have specific responsibilities: you must make the requested individualized accommodations or adjustments to your course and keep the student’s disability status confidential. You are encouraged to meet with the student 1 on 1 to discuss implementing the accommodations, to only discuss accommodations with colleagues on a need-to-know basis while protecting students’ identities, and to contact the RCPD with any questions or concerns.
Here is a video from the RCPD showing an MSU educator’s point of view about student accommodations. (Please note: until recently, Accommodation Letters were called VISA forms, for Verified Individualized Services and Accommodations forms, and some MSU resources like the video linked above still refer to the older name for this document.)Photo by Daniel Ali on Unsplash

First Generation

TRIO Student Support Services Program For first-generation college students who meet certain income criteria and for students with documented disabilities

Athletes

Student Athlete Support

International Students

Office of International Students and Scholars
English Language Center For international students needing to improve their English language skills before beginning their academic course work
Teaching Multilingual Students: Challenges and Strategies

Students who were in foster or kinship care, have experienced homelessness, or are otherwise independent

FAME (Fostering Academics, Mentoring Excellence)

Graduate Students

Graduate Student Life and Wellbeing

Student Veterans

Student Veterans Resource Center

Student Parents

Student Parent Resource Center

A more in-depth look at the challenges facing English language learners in college, as well as considerations and strategies for college instructors. While an older resource, its conclusions remain relevant.

So you've started to think about diversity, equity, and inclusion. You read DEI & Student Belonging and have reflected on your educator identity. But now you're wondering - how... how do I work to make sure my course is an equitable and inclusive space?

Start with your syllabus

Use the Interfaith Calendar when planning important dates for the course
Syllabus resources: The What and Why of a Syllabus, CELT Checklist Iowa State




Consider your course resources

Be mindful of choosing course materials (language, examples, photos) and whose voices you're highlighting
Older materials can be an opportunity to address DEI awareness over time


Think about your students

Pronunciation, pronouns & consistency
Consider everyone as individuals who are unique & don’t make assumptions about student identities (race, religion, orientation, gender)
Address growth mindset & possible anxiety


Be intentional in how you facilitate discussion

Establish ground rules, guidelines, norms
Use a random system for asking questions
Monitor so that no one dominates
Allow students to finish before responding
Avoid generalizations


Think critically about your communication

Language matters: avoid idioms, “common” figures of speech (CSU Inclusive Language Guide), abbreviations and acronyms should be explained
Use multiple forms of communication (seeing/hearing, and also explain key ideas in different ways)
Gather feedback from students 
Don’t assume quiet students don’t understand – there are numerous reasons why a student may not speak up


[Re]consider your classroom presentation/lecture/facilitation approach

Use gender neutral language and include varied examples
Promote a respectful classroom climate
Encourage participation (eye contact, wait time, talk with students outside of class)
Vary teaching methods to learning styles
Be very cautious of humor in class


Be intentional about setting up teams & group projects

Heterogeneous, but avoid tokenism
Check-in often
Use peer evaluations


Articulate assessment and evaluation expectations

Make sure your expectations are clear
Align your learning goals, content and evaluations



Photo by javier trueba on Unsplash