Bay Path University

18 Bay Pathway Spring/Summer 2021 The spring semester featured three workshops with Dr. Tia Brown McNair, the Vice President in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Student Success and Executive Director for the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers at the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) in Washington, D.C. She is an authority on implementing best practices for student success and inclusivity. What were some of the main takeaways from this experience for faculty and staff? "After every session with Dr. Brown McNair, we surveyed the community. Over two hundred faculty and staff attended these virtual sessions, so their feedback was critical. Without a doubt, whether it was her explanations on the definitions of DEI, or her discussion on equity mindedness, these were reflective and thought-provoking sessions. The required reading for these sessions was Dr. Brown McNair's and her colleagues' book, From Equity Talk to Equity Walk, which helped to inform the community on definitions and level-setting for this work. At first the information seemed almost overwhelming, especially to those new to DEI work, but once it was realized that it was okay to be in different places with the work, there came a better understanding of the way forward. Major questions coming out of these sessions included: How is Bay Path doing in its DEI efforts? What specifically do we need to work on? Where are our weak areas? In the end, people were hungry for more. Dr. Brown McNair also worked with our undergraduate and a group of our graduate faculty on embedding DEI into the curriculum. In the future, Dr. Brown McNair will return to Bay Path and continue to build on this work. We will also be looking towards other DEI experts, specifically on developing a more robust DEI roadmap for Bay Path." How can alumni learn more about DEI at Bay Path? "Bay Path's Office of Multicultural Affairs does a fantastic job with helping everyone—students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the public—access some real thought-provoking and emotional opportunities about DEI. There are panels, events, and presentations I encourage everyone to attend. Many are in the evening to not conflict with daytime work schedules. If you are an alumna, I would suggest signing up for the online alumni newsletter, or check the University's website. There is always something happening. In the future, we will be looking for more ways to bring in alumni into our DEI work. It's a continual process." Starting Over The Sping/Summer 2021 issue of the MFA-sponsored Multiplicity Magazine is available online The theme of the Spring/Summer 2021 issue of Multiplicity Magazine has particular relevance in our present times: Starting Over. This past year has been a period of reflection and a re-assessment of where we are going. In the words of the editorial staff: "…we explore the meaning and experience of beginning anew. In personal essays, poems, and photographs, our sixteen contributors reveal surprising truths about life after losing (or leaving) a loved one, immigrating to a new country, fleeing a religion, or making a discovery that changes everything about the past—and perhaps—the future." Writers from the United States, Australia, Germany, France, and Nigeria contributed essays and poems. Each of the contributors reflect the diversity of our world. They range in age from twenty- five to seventy; describe themselves as Black, Latinx, Southeast Asian, and white; and identify as straight, bi, and gay. They are well known and unknown. All have something to say, and they say it with grace and power. The University recognizes that having a diverse workforce is one of our top priorities.

• Cover