SUNY Potsdam 2024 DEI Symposium

8:30 a.m.
Registration and Coffee Break
 

9:30 a.m.
Opening & General Session
 

10:45 - Breakout Session 1

• Gender and Sexuality: Creating inclusive and affirming environments for all
  Join the ACR Health Q Center for a conversation and discussion on creating an inclusive and affirming environments for all students, particularly our LGBTQIA+ students. 
  Presented by: The ACR Health Q Center
   
• Hot Topics in Higher Education- The legal Landscape and Campus Impact
  The Office of General Counsel will be joining us to discuss critical legal issues impacting SUNY campuses systemwide and the importance of ensuring that SUNY’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) remain at the forefront of campus policies, procedures, and practices. 
  Presented by: Mishka Thomas, Esq. SUNY Legal 

12:30 p.m.
Lunch on Your Own

1:30 p.m. - Breakout Session 2

• Gender and Sexuality: Creating inclusive and affirming environments for all (Repeat)
  Join the ACR Health Q Center for a conversation and discussion on creating an inclusive and affirming environments for all students, particularly our LGBTQIA+ students. 
  Presented by: The ACR Health Q Center
   
• Hot Topics in Higher Education- The legal Landscape and Campus Impact (Repeat)
  The Office of General Counsel will be joining us to discuss critical legal issues impacting SUNY campuses systemwide and the importance of ensuring that SUNY’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) remain at the forefront of campus policies, procedures, and practices. 
  Presented by: Mishka Thomas, Esq. SUNY Legal
   
• The Traumatic Impact of our Legacy: Understanding Race Based Traumatic Stress
  Individual Learner’s Journey and Clinical Wellness Perspective
  This workshop was born from the desire to teach participants about the causes, symptoms, and interventions to address and support individuals experiencing Race-Based Traumatic Stress. Along the path of creation, it became clearer to the presenter, RBTS cannot be fully understood without revisiting the history of white supremacy and its present-day manifestations. This is not an expert’s roadmap to activism, but an invitation to share in the presenter’s beginning journey of understanding. It is hoped that through sharing this will encourage participants to begin their own. 
  Presented by: Josh Brown, College Counseling Center

3:10 p.m. - Breakout Session 3

• Standing Together: Countering, Confronting and Expelling Islamophobia
  This interactive session will offer evidence-based information on nurturing a safe space for Muslim employees and students on college campuses. This session will blend research insights with practical strategies. The session will equip participants with a comprehensive understanding of Islamophobia and its root causes. Participants will learn practical strategies for creating inclusive spaces, promoting allyship, and dismantling Islamophobia to create a more equitable campus for Muslims through education and coalition-oriented strategies. 
  Presented by: Dr. Usama M. Shaikh, EdD (he/him/his), Assistant Chief Diversity Officer, Stony Brook University
   
• Tools for Fostering Inclusivity: Building Belonging Through Self-Reflective Practices
  Understanding ourselves is crucial to connecting with others, particularly those who experience the world differently than we do. In this session, we will explore practices that help us examine our own perspectives and behaviors, focusing on how dominant systems have influenced our thinking. By reflecting on the factors that have shaped our personal journeys, we can uncover practical ways to foster understanding and build trust within broader communities. This session will integrate concepts from Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner's 7 Cultural Dimensions and SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice). Participants will engage in reflective activities and sharing, with the goal of leaving inspired and empowered to drive change. They will also gain new insights into how their views have been shaped and how this awareness can help build safer, more inclusive communities. 
  Presented by: Tamara Jolly, MAT. Adirondack Diversity Initiative 

8:30 a.m.
Registration & Coffee Break

9 a.m. - Breakout Session 4

• Freedom of Expression, Academic Freedom, and the First Amendment in the Public University
  This workshop will focus on the First Amendment’s requirements, including what is protected and what is not protected speech.  Will explain the difference between “hate speech” and “hate crimes,” often misunderstood.  Academic freedom is another topic I can cover in the talk/discussion, particularly the role of social media and other outside-the-classroom expression. 
  Presented by: Allen Grove, Syracuse University
   
• The Hidden Connection: An Introduction to the Link Between Executive Function and Student Behavior 
  The modern post-secondary student body is more diverse than ever, and many staff and educators are eager to understand how to support a wide variety of students on their path to independence and success as self-driven and self-motivated young adults. While awareness is increasing around various neurodivergent diagnoses, executive function difficulties are often at the heart of observed faculty and staff concerns regardless of any type of formal diagnosis. This workshop will explore executive function as a lens to foster expert learner behaviors both inside and outside the classroom by exploring how the executive function building blocks show us the “WAI” to success. Content will cover a combination of theory, behavioral connection, and strategies. 
  Presented by: Rick Bryck, Ph.D., Senior Director of the Landmark College Institute for Research and Training

10:45 a.m. - Breakout Session 5

• Standing Together: Countering, Confronting and Expelling Islamophobia (Repeat) 
  This interactive session will offer evidence-based information on nurturing a safe space for Muslim employees and students on college campuses. This session will blend research insights with practical strategies. The session will equip participants with a comprehensive understanding of Islamophobia and its root causes. Participants will learn practical strategies for creating inclusive spaces, promoting allyship, and dismantling Islamophobia to create a more equitable campus for Muslims through education and coalition-oriented strategies. 
  Presented by: Dr. Usama M. Shaikh, EdD (he/him/his), Assistant Chief Diversity Officer, Stony Brook University
   
• Tools for Fostering Inclusivity: Building Belonging Through Self-Reflective Practices (Repeat)
  Understanding ourselves is crucial to connecting with others, particularly those who experience the world differently than we do. In this session, we will explore practices that help us examine our own perspectives and behaviors, focusing on how dominant systems have influenced our thinking. By reflecting on the factors that have shaped our personal journeys, we can uncover practical ways to foster understanding and build trust within broader communities. This session will integrate concepts from Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner's 7 Cultural Dimensions and SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice). Participants will engage in reflective activities and sharing, with the goal of leaving inspired and empowered to drive change. They will also gain new insights into how their views have been shaped and how this awareness can help build safer, more inclusive communities. 
  Presented by: Tamara Jolly, MAT.  Adirondack Diversity Initiative
   
• Creating Inclusive Campuses through Universal Design for Learning
  The modern classroom is more diverse than ever before, and educators are more invested than ever in understanding how to support students with highly differing preferences and needs. This workshop will serve as an introduction to the solution of meeting all students in both their zone of preference and need by covering the three pillars of Universal Design for Learning that are the hallmarks of the new “ERA” of teaching. Attendees will also learn about the overlap between strong universal design and legal requirements for digital accessibility. Attendees of Workshop 1 will make the additional connection between UDL and desired student behavior associated with executive function. Content will cover a combination of theory and suggestions, as well as leave time for application. 
  Presented by: Rick Bryck, Ph.D., Senior Director of the Landmark College Institute for Research and Training

12:15 p.m.
Closing Remarks