Commitment to inclusion: Student Government hosts 2nd Annual Inclusion Week

February 16, 2015

Students gathered in the University Center last Thursday to share their definitions of inclusion. The gathering was part of University of Michigan-Dearborn鈥檚 Second Annual Inclusion Week, hosted by Student Government (SG).

萝莉社-Dearborn Inclusion Week鈥淯苍颈迟测.鈥
鈥淯苍诲别谤蝉迟补苍诲颈苍驳.鈥
鈥淓辩耻补濒颈迟测.鈥
鈥凌别蝉辫别肠迟.鈥
鈥淗aving a voice.鈥
鈥淔eeling at home.鈥

鈥淚nclusion is deeply ingrained on our campus; we strive for it,鈥 said senior Mariam Mustafa, director of inclusion for Student Government. 鈥淚nclusion Week is a week to take time to celebrate the different ways that we practice inclusion on our campus.鈥

The week of events opened with the Fifth Annual Chancellor鈥檚 Town Hall, which provided an open forum for students to meet with 萝莉社-Dearborn Chancellor Daniel Little and discuss the campus and the community.

鈥淚nclusion Week has blossomed from the Chancellor's Town Hall to a week of celebration,鈥 said Ann Lampkin-Williams, senior adviser to the chancellor for inclusion. 鈥滵uring this week, and each and every day, 萝莉社-Dearborn is committed to valuing what makes us all unique, to celebrate those strengths, and to foster an inclusive community where all are welcome.鈥

The week included privilege workshops to start a dialogue on campus about privilege, a game day, where various student organizations met to play board games and socialize, and a student-versus-staff basketball game. SG also hosted a promo table in the University Center, where students defined inclusion.

鈥淚nclusion, to me, means celebrating diversity and equality for all,鈥 said senior Heather Simpson, on-campus coordinator for Women and Learning and Leadership (WILL), which partnered with SG for Inclusion Week. 鈥淭his is important to our campus as we represent a wide range of cultures and ethnicities. By celebrating these differences, we can bring new ways of thought to the community.鈥

SG President Sarah Elhelou said Inclusion Week was especially important in the wake of the deaths of three North Carolina students. Elhelou and SG organized a vigil on campus for Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha. Nearly 200 campus and community members attended the event.

鈥淚nclusion on our campus is so important because it keeps us safe. It is imperative we are learning about each other鈥檚 differences. When we learn about differences and understand them, we have a mutual feeling of love and respect, which is what every human should be striving for,鈥 said Elhelou.

Mustafa said the vigil was just one example of the inclusive nature of campus. 鈥淲e live, breathe, eat and sleep inclusion. And you can see it in all the work that we do,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e work on all kinds of initiatives, making sure the campus is completely accessible for students of all abilities through various capital improvements making sure students are getting their needs met on this campus.鈥