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

“Unity.”
“Understanding.”
“Equality.”
“Respect.”
“Having a voice.”
“Feeling at home.”

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

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

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

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.

“Inclusion, to me, means celebrating diversity and equality for all,” said senior Heather Simpson, on-campus coordinator for Women and Learning and Leadership (WILL), which partnered with SG for Inclusion Week. “This 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.”

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.

“Inclusion on our campus is so important because it keeps us safe. It is imperative we are learning about each other’s 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,” said Elhelou.

Mustafa said the vigil was just one example of the inclusive nature of campus. “We live, breathe, eat and sleep inclusion. And you can see it in all the work that we do,” she said. “We 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.”