For the fourth year in a row, Augustana received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award. This national award highlights Augustana’s commitment to creating a diverse campus community.
Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Gauri Pitale said this year marks the fifth time Augustana has been recognized for its diversity work across campus. Pitale said the college has received the HEED award five times since 2019.
“While I am proud to announce this award, I want to make sure that the entire campus is cognizant [that] this is not my award. This is our award,” Pitale said. “The idea of good DEI work is that it’s infused in the fabric of the institution.”
The recognition of this award stands for the improvement and implementation of ideas within DEI. Pitale said events are a visible piece of celebrating diversity on campus, but that they are only one part of it.
“The equity piece is really building policies and continuously looking at what processes and systematic barriers are in our campus community [that] primarily students of underserved backgrounds are facing,” Pitale said. “Then the inclusion piece, which is what everybody on campus has to do.”
Director of the Office of Student Inclusion and Diversity (OSID) Ashley Allen said OSID’s main goals are for students to feel heard and seen on campus. Allen said OSID accomplishes this by creating events and opportunities for students to participate in.
“I think just being able to see how we’re impacting students, staff and faculty across the board [is important] to make sure that Augustana is not just a place where we have diversity, but we want students to have a sense of belonging,” Allen said. “We want them to know that who they are and what they represent is something we value and is what makes Augustana the place that it is right now.”
Allen has been a part of Augustana’s community for nine years and said she has been able to watch Augustana’s DEI program grow. However, she said there is always more work to be done.
Sophomore Afua Asirifi-Bonsu agreed and said it is important for students to feel a sense of belonging on campus. Asirifi-Bonsu is the assistant office coordinator of DEI and an active member of the African Student Association (ASA).
“I’m a woman, I’m black, I’m an international student. I just feel like I have a good understanding of what it means to feel excluded, and I just feel like everybody needs spaces in every community where they can feel at home,” Asirifi-Bonsu said.
Junior Faith Wright is a part of this year’s Student Leaders in Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (SLIDE) program, which was relaunched earlier this year.
Wright said programs such as SLIDE do a good job of educating students about DEI, but she argues true inclusivity goes deeper than that.
“I feel like just making sure that, we’re not saying, ‘Oh, my door is always open’, and leaving it only metaphorically,” Wright said. “But, actually leaving the door open and making sure that people who have different backgrounds or different upbringings, actually feel comfortable going to those spaces and knowing that they can get the help that they need.”
