Enhancing the Black Student Experience

EBSE Symposium: April 2023

Moving Toward a More Equitable Future: Decolonizing Our Institution

The 2023 Enhancing the Black Student Experience (EBSE) Symposium provided an intentional and needed space to explore and reimagine equity on this campus through the lens of decolonization. Each daily session had been carefully curated specifically for faculty and staff to start conversations on how decolonization might enhance the Black student experience at UC San Diego.

The value of this year's symposium acknowledged the gaps and opportunities adversely affecting Black students on campus in an actionable way that does not put the onus or burden of taking action on the students -- but on the faculty and staff as equity-minded change agents.

Each day focused on topics our students have indicated are most important to their holistic success at UC San Diego.

Past Schedule

The EBSE Committee hosted the following sessions in-person:

Kick-Off: Friday, April 21, Noon – 2 p.m.
Theme Sessions: Tuesday - Thursday, April 25-27 (Week 4 of Spring Quarter 2023), Noon – 2 p.m.

Registration closed on Wednesday, April 12.

Session Details

Please note each day of the symposium was located in a different space on campus.

Date	Session	Details
Kick-Off - Friday, April 21	Moving Toward a More Equitable Future: Decolonizing Our Institution	Location: Price Center Ballroom East Time: Noon – 2 p.m.
Day 1 - Tuesday, April 25	A Collective Effort in Addressing Anti-Blackness	Location: The Forum Time: Noon – 2 p.m.
Day 2 - Wednesday, April 26	Decolonizing the Academy	Location: The Dolores Huerta Room Time: Noon - 2 p.m.
Day 3 - Thursday, April 27	A Path Forward: Critically Examining our Practice as Student Affairs Staff	Location: Faculty Club - Atkinson Pavilion Time: Noon – 2 p.m.
Closing Activity - Wednesday, June 21	This is How We Do It! Reimagining Our Institution Toward an Equitable Future Objective: Apply theories learned during EBSE 2023 in practical, actionable ways. Dr. Stephan Quaye will be returning to facilitate this workshop.	Location: The Forum, PC East Time: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Pre-Symposium Reading Material

To help you make the most of your experience, we would like you to read through the attached writings that explore racial justice, decolonization, and the power we hold in making a change in our field.

Decolonizing the Academy

Decolonization is not a Metaphor

A Bold Vision Forward: A Framework for the Strategic Imperative for Racial Justice and Decolonization

Thank you again for your participation.

Background

Held annually each April, the week-long EBSE symposium is designed to increase awareness of the Black student experience at UC San Diego, with the goal of fostering intentional and sustained action to enhance this experience and promote pro-Blackness at the university.

Committee Co-Chairs

Breana Clark, Graduate & Professional Student Association Advisor
Mya D. Hines, Senior Academic Advisor, Muir College
John Rawlins, III, Campus Diversity Officer/Director, Black Resource Center

The Black Student Union (BSU), Black Graduate and Professional Student Association (BGPSA), and the offices of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life and the Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion are partners in producing this event.

Past Sessions and Speakers

2022 EBSE Symposium

The 2022 symposium covered the following areas:

Undergraduate, Graduate, and Professional Education
Inclusive Frontline Services
Professional Development and Alumni Engagement: a Sense of Belonging

"Student Success: A Black Lens"

Dr. Tia McNair
VP, Diversity, Equity and Student Success and Executive Director for the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers, American Association of Colleges and Universities

"Black Campus Life"

Dr. Antar Tichavakunda
Assistant Professor of Education, University of Cincinnati

Nurturing Holistic Black Excellence through Education"

Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig
Dean | College of Education, University of Kentucky

"Post-Traumatic Growth and Flourishing in the Face of Racial Trauma"

Dr. Tabitha Grier-Reed
Associate Dean | Graduate Education and Faculty Development, University of Minnesota

"Nurturing Holistic Black Excellence through Frontline Services"

Dr. A. Dexter Samuels
Senior VP Student Affairs & Executive Director | Meharry Medical College

"Nurturing Holistic Black Excellence through Professional Development and Alumni Engagement"

Triton Alumni Panels

Arts & Humanity and Social Sciences
Engineering and Biological, Physical, and Marine Sciences
Law, Medicine and Business

Collaborative Opportunity: "Sharing Best Practices at UC San Diego"

To continue to grow our capacity for enhancing our Black student experience, this year we are adding a new component to allow us to collaborate and build on existing positive efforts.

We have created an opportunity for campus community members (staff, faculty, and administrators) to share a practice, policy, or procedure that has been implemented since the inaugural symposium in 2021 to enhance the Black student experience at UC San Diego.

“Black Academic Excellence Initiative Update”

Dr. Becky Petitt
Vice Chancellor, Equity Diversity and Inclusion, UC San Diego

“Application of Critical Race Theory to Nurturing Holistic Black Excellence”

Taifha Natalee Alexander
Project Director, CRT Forward, UCLA School of Law

Resources

Books & Articles

High Achieving African American Students and the College Choice Process: Applying Critical Race Theory (Routledge Research in Educational Equality and Diversity)

How to be an Active Bystander When You See Casual Racism

Purdue University Looks to Boost its Commitment to African American Students

Data Sources

UC San Diego Undergraduate Diversity Dashboard

University of California 2020 Accountability Report: Chapter 7: Diversity

Donate

Donations to the following funds help continue the success of Black students.

Give to UC San Diego
Black Alumni Scholarship fund (BASF) donors can give to the Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences or Engineering, Math & Science fund. The Black Alumni Scholarship is facilitated by the San Diego Foundation and is the only scholarship associated with UC San Diego that can be exclusively offered to Black students due to UC San Diego's restrictions in alignment with Prop 209.
Black Studies Project -Fund 7051 To provide general discretionary support for the Black Studies Project in the department of Ethnic Studies at UC San Diego.
James Avery Memorial Scholarship - Fund 2275 (To provide undergraduate scholarships to African-American students who major in the performing arts.
Black Resource Center (BRC) - E3077 To provide general support for the Black Resource Center, including administrative support for the center and funding for its programmatic activities.
Ujima Black History Month (BHM) Scholarship – E4538 Funds scholarship awards annually to enrolled UC San Diego undergraduate students demonstrating academic and creative achievement in the study of African Americans, their history and culture in honor of Dr. Joe W. and Mary S. Watson.
Black Academic Excellence Initiative (BAEI) – E3300 UC San Diego’s Black Academic Excellence Initiative is a university-wide effort designed to create a more inclusive teaching and learning environment that reflects the diversity of the state, as well as our nation.

PATHWays programs

PATHways to STEM Scholarships – E3432 Funds will be used for PATHS Program salary, programming, recruitment,
PATHways to STEM Program – E3431 This fund will provide scholarship support to students participating in the PATHways to STEM through Enhanced Access and Mentorship (PATHS) Program.
PATHways to STEM: Graduate Fellowships – E4795 Graduate fellowship support to students participating in the PATHways to STEM through Enhanced Access and Mentorship (PATHS) Program

Education

Research & Experiential Learning Opportunities at UC San Diego
A Resource Guide for Black Students

Reports

The Campaign for College Opportunity Report: The State of Higher Education for Black Californians

Videos

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi in conversation with Diane Forbes Berthoud, AVC of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Greyson Sims, Labor Affairs Director of Associated Students Office of External Affairs, UC San Diego.

Opening & closing remarks and Q&A moderated by Rachel Asiedu, Campus Organizing Director of Associated Students Office of External Affairs, UC San Diego.

March 3, 2021

https://mediaspace.ucsd.edu/media/Ibram+X+Kendi+3+3+21/1_6kxuelma

Historical Context

Since early 2021, UC San Diego leadership has been in an ongoing dialog with representatives of our Black Student Union (BSU) and Black Graduate and Professional Student Association (BGPSA) on how to better meet their needs and how to drive action that would make this campus a more inclusive and welcoming environment for Black students.

These robust conversations brought into focus the progress that has been made over the years as well as the gaps yet to be addressed. It became clear the entire campus needs to be involved in addressing these gaps and in developing solutions to improve the experience of Black students on our campus.

The 12-day Anti-Racism Challenge during the summer of 2020 to learn to identify racist language and address anti-Blackness as it manifests on our campus. This challenge generated an interest in proactive steps and additional training to help develop solution-oriented action plans. Simultaneously, Student Affairs created shared strategic Commitments to Address Anti-Blackness and prioritized hosting a symposium on the Black student experience at UC San Diego in response to students' requests for a series of sessions. Representatives from the BSU, BGPSA, Student Affairs, and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion collaborated to chair the creation of a shared learning experience that better equips the campus to respond to the concerns voiced by our Black students. In 2021, more than 40 faculty and staff across campus came together to co-create this symposium to empower their colleagues to engage in this work.

The goal of the Enhancing the Black Student Experience symposium is to increase awareness of the Black student experience at UC San Diego by fostering intentional and sustained action to enhance their experience and promote pro-blackness at UC San Diego.

The symposium aligns with the goals established for the Black Academic Excellence Initiative, the Strategic Plan for Inclusive Excellence, Student Affairs Strategic Plan, and the UC San Diego Strategic Plan. The symposium aims to provide participants with knowledge, tools, and strategies to create better experiences for Black undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.