Extension DEI Committee Meeting Minutes June 21, 2023

July 17, 2023 DEI Minutes

Extension DEI Committee Meeting
June 21, 2023
Via Zoom

Attending: Beth Hawkyard, Angela Hart, Karen Giles, Stephanie Shea, Alicia Greenlaw, Alisha Targonski, Andrew Hudacs, Ella Glatter, Izzy Ruffin, Laura Wilson, Scarlett Tudor, Rebecca Long, Tara Marble, Trisha Smith, Hannah Carter

Agenda

  1. Introductions
  2. Group norms
    • Ok to be “raggedy”; things don’t have to be perfectly worded
    • Watch out for acronyms
    • We are accepted and forgiving
    • Our work is to better ourselves and Extension
    • This work is important; sometimes we may not know how to approach things
    • Assume good intentions
    • Open to feedback
  3. History of DEI work within Extension
    • Past DEI Committee work
      • Spearheaded by a county person
      • Created some initiative within the staff
      • Part of our organizational culture
      • Wasn’t a real committee, though it did put forth some policies
    • 2020 – “How to be an Anti-Racist” book club
    • IDI work
    • Ag service providers grant
    • Grassroots Engagement book

      Notes on book discussions:

      • Unlearning and learning
      • Easier entry points
  4. Ideas for this group
    • Examining policies that are roadblocks
    • Creating a sustained organizational culture
    • Informing the work of our needs assessment
    • Determining how this work is shared/prioritized
      • Plugged in
      • Potential FTE within the organization
    • Notes:
      • Who are we not reaching? Barriers?
      • DEI and DEIA (accessibility)
      • Organizational Culture
        • Penn State requires “x” hours of DEI training/work per year? 10 hours?
        • Make this work both mandatory but also that people want to do it.
        • Question: Could this be part of the annual evaluation/assessment?
          • Individual plans – what are you curious about?
        • Creating discussion groups
        • Experience for internal employees
          • Sense of belonging – take a temperature check
          • What could we be doing better?
          • Options for pronouns on nametags
          • These could be easy wins internally?
        • Develop organizational best practices for leading inclusive spaces
      • What is the work of this committee? Action or advice
        • Consensus that it’s both
        • We are all here to do something
      • Intentional reflection time with a supervisor
  5. Moving forward
    • Frequency of meetings
      • One 90-minute meeting for July, August, September, and October (to include 30 minutes for lunch); possibly other meetings as needed
    • Name
      • Several ideas were suggested: Inclusion Committee, IDEA, DEI Committee
    • Notes – potentially on our website?
      • We will post the notes of this committee on our website and share them with the organization.
    • Other next steps
  6. Other ideas/thoughts?
    • What is the leadership structure and funding?