During Orientation Week, faculty and staff will have an opportunity to work with new students and establish that S&T’s value of inclusion is woven into the fiber of the community. Faculty and staff will facilitate workshops with groups of 20-30 students on Aug. 13, during the time that is usually reserved for a convocation ceremony. Instead of convocation, the 75-minute workshops will feature a mix of lecture, conversation, and interactive activity.

Facilitators are required to attend one “Diversity Concepts” class and one “Facilitating Difficult Conversations” class. These classes are open to the campus and provide an opportunity for professional development.

Diversity concepts 

To help facilitators feel comfortable engaging others in discussions on diversity and inclusion, these sessions will cover various diversity concepts to ensure baseline knowledge and develop and hone skills. The classes will be held in Room 227 Fulton Hall on these dates:

• 1-3 p.m. Tuesday, July 10
• 9-11 a.m. Tuesday, July 24

Facilitating difficult conversations

These sessions will cover skills and tactics for facilitating difficult conversations. Participants will learn practical skills with an emphasis on diversity and inclusion subjects. The classes will be held in Room 227 Fulton Hall on these dates:

• 9-11 a.m. Thursday, July 12
• 1-3 p.m. Thursday, July 26

For more information of if you are interested in attending these classes, please contact Sarah Murchie, executive assistant, at murchies@mst.edu.