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A community of collaboration, respect and inclusive practices

Message from the Chief Diversity Officer

Dear App State Community,

To all of our new Mountaineers, welcome to your first semester at App State, and to all of our returning Mountaineers, welcome back! 

At App State, we are committed to cultivating and supporting a welcoming university community and an academic culture of collaboration and respect through education and inclusive practices. As we begin our fall semester, I want to share information about upcoming events as well as resources available to help you connect with the diversity, equity and inclusion work taking place across campus. 

  • This year marks the 25th anniversary of Common Reading at App State. The 2022 Common Reading book is “Junaluska: Oral Histories of a Black Appalachian Community.” Please consider joining A Celebration of Voices from Junaluska — featuring the history, music and community of Junaluska —on Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. Visit the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts website for more information. Several additional events will be offered throughout the upcoming academic year and will be listed as soon as they are finalized. Check the Common Reading website for updates.
  • My office has compiled a calendar of events for the semester that includes programs, workshops and campus town halls. Learn more and register for sessions this semester.
    • We recognize that various local and national events could have affected students while they were away from campus this summer. On Sept. 12 at noon, a “Summer Reflections” Holding Spaces Forum will be held in Plemmons Student Union’s Three Top Mountain Room (169). I hope you will join my office, along with Intercultural Student Affairs, to spend some time talking about these issues. This event is open to all members of the App State Community.
    • Our work is focused not only on diversity of community, but also on diversity and inclusion of thought and belief. To that end, throughout the months of September and October, the Office of Diversity and Division of Student Affairs are co-hosting a series of conversations called Making of Mountaineers — an opportunity for campus community members with different political leanings to engage in meaningful, civil discussions about personal and shared values. Register for Series 1, which includes lunchtime sessions, or Series 2, with evening sessions, via Engage.
  • We have a number of student groups dedicated to providing community and support for underrepresented populations. If you are interested in learning more about these groups, I encourage you to visit Intercultural Student Affairs and also bookmark the university’s Engage website to view additional upcoming events. 
  • A number of centers across campus also support our student communities with programming, services and resources, and serve as places to gather. These include the Major General Edward M. Reeder Jr. Student Veteran Resource Center, the Henderson Springs LGBT Center, the Women’s Center and the Multicultural Center — all located in the Plemmons Student Union — as well as the Office of Disability Resources in Anne Belk Hall and TRIO Student Support Services, which serves first-generation college students and other eligible students, in D.D. Dougherty Hall.
  • Last year, we announced the chosen first name initiative for students, which enables students to use a first name that is different from their legal first name for certain purposes, regardless of whether they have legally changed their name.
  • Similar chosen first name options are now available for employees. Faculty and staff may update their AppCards to display a chosen first name. During the month of September, employees may update their AppCards free of charge. The course schedule search and business services sites can also reflect the submitted chosen name. If you have already submitted your chosen first name, please review your submission and ensure it is the name you would like to use. To update your preferred first name and/or receive an updated AppCard:
    • Review the chosen first name initiative webpage for more information regarding preferred/chosen name usage on campus. Please note that if you choose to update your AppCard with a name other than your legal name, it may no longer be used as a legal form of identification in a variety of situations.
    • Update Banner
      1. Visit AppalNet and click on the AppalNet Self Service tab.
      2. Click on the Personal Information tab, then select Chosen First Name.
      3. Enter your preferred first name and select Update Preferred First Name to ensure it has been saved.
    • Visit Campus Services Express on the second floor of the University Bookstore to get your new AppCard.
      With almost 1,000 auxiliary systems and forms in use across campus, we are striving to use chosen names where possible. A task force will assess additional opportunities for improving the availability and processes for using a chosen name on campus and recommend future changes.
  • Affinity groups are a great way for faculty and staff to start networking and building relationships on campus. Visit the university’s Diversity and Inclusion website for more information about these organizations.
  • In addition to affinity groups, networks and learning communities at App State include:
    • Appalachian Advocates — faculty and staff who are willing to serve as mentors, informally or formally, to students from underrepresented groups;
    • EmpowHER — a faculty and staff learning community for women of color; and
    • Indigenous Appalachian — a learning community for faculty, staff and students (email diversity@appstate.edu for info on how to join).

Again, welcome to App State. We’re glad you’re here.

Sincerely,

Jamie Parson signature

Jamie Parson, J.D.