Diversity and Equity Center

The Diversity and Equity Center and Campus Ministry invite you to engage in a dialogue series, called Breaking Bread. This series is an opportunity for the 91ֱ��'s community to encounter each other in our sharing of a meal and conversation.

Join us in the DEC Lounge (Harned 207) on the third Thursdays of the month at 12 p.m. A simple lunch will be provided!

• 9/21 - The gift of Blackness
• 10/19 - Can you be 'woke' and Catholic?
• 11/16 - W.E.B. Du Bois & the souls of white folks
• 2/15 - Cultural gifts to the church
• 3/20 - Black is beautiful; black lives do matter

The Cultural Heritage Events are programs where our 91ֱ��’s University community can learn about a variety of cultures. We invite you to participate in the following programs and events. Let us know if you have any ideas to add! 

• Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month
• Native American Heritage Month
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance
• Black History Month

 for this year's dates. 

In honor of Black History Month, the Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success and the Diversity and Equity Center invite you to attend a special screening of:

Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting On Two Fronts
Tuesday, Feb. 13 @ 5 p.m.
Harned Hall 110

This special screening of the documentary will be followed by a Q&A session with Dru Holley, the director/producer of the film.

Join the Diversity and Equity Center and campus partners in celebrating and honoring Indigenous Peoples' cultures, histories, and sovereignty.

Come take a break and join the Diversity and Equity Center staff for compelling conversations about justice. All are welcome!

Join us in the DEC Lounge at 12 p.m. for:

• Nov. 21: The Truth About Thanksgiving
• Feb. 20: Intersectionality
• March 19: Immigration and Gender

The Diversity and Equity Center, Office of Campus Ministry and Office of Campus Life co-sponsor an event for first-year students. Called Project Story, this is a time for us to bring students together to share something about who they are and what they bring to the 91ֱ��'s community. We foreground the Benedictine values of listening, hospitality and community living to emphasize the idea that we become who we are in relationship with others. To generate conversation, we take students through presentations and activities on cultural identity. 

Questions about the event? Email dec@stmartin.edu for details.

The Service Immersion Program is hosted in partnership with Campus Ministry. The immersion trips have been hosted over Spring Break and students are immersed with a community learn, serve and reflect. Our Immersion Program is the third phase of our Benedictine Leadership Program.

Past locations:

• Yakima, WA
• Colorado Vincentian Volunteers | Denver, CO
• Respite Center | McAllen, TX
• Homeboys and Dolores Mission | Los Angeles, CA
• L'Arche Tahoma | Tacoma, WA
• Firestone | Flint, MI

Questions? Contact John Hopkins or Nick Coffman.

Looking for a space for your next club event?

Act Six is a leadership and scholarship program that connects local faith-based community affiliates with faith- and social justice-based colleges to equip emerging urban and community leaders to engage the college campus and their communities at home.

Learn more about the Act Six program

One of the DEC’s signature programs is AHANA Connections and Mentorship. The term AHANA is an acronym for African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian-Pacific Islander and Native American. The program is designed for incoming students of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Students are paired with a mentor and explore social justice issues.

If you want a way to support your peers, apply in spring semester to be an AHANA mentor next year!

Learn more about AHANA Connections

The Diversity and Equity Center invites Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to strengthen community and belonging by joining us in the DEC Lounge (HH 207).

Email dec@stmartin.edu to opt into the affinity space.

• 10/2 @ 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.  |  Tabling (inviting new students to share the space)
• 10/17 @ 5 p.m.  |   Welcome and kick off
• 11/1 @ 6 p.m.  |  Remember your ancestors
• 11/8 @ 12 p.m.  |  TBD
• 11/22 @ 12 p.m.  |  Friendsgiving

The Passport to Careers Scholarship is administered by the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) and helps unaccompanied youth, homeless youth, and current and former foster youth enroll, persist and complete post-secondary education.

Learn more about Passport to Careers

Creating an inclusive and welcoming community requires the dedication of faculty, staff, and students to promote inclusive excellence in all aspects of academic life. To this end, we work collaboratively with campus partners to sponsor a variety of diversity-related programs and events that recognize and validate our distinct identities, worldviews, and cultures. Our diversity is our strength.

Hospitality: “To offer warmth, acceptance, joy in welcoming others” (RB, 48)

Catholic social teaching calls us to protect human life, promote human dignity, and advance the common good. We sponsor a number of service opportunities for students to put this teaching into action. Through service opportunities, students are able to connect their learning about diversity with the political, social, economic, and global issues currently facing our shared humanity. Students emerge from these opportunities engaged citizens ready to transform their world.

Justice: “…that in all things God may be glorified” (RB, 57)

Supporting the overall success of students requires that faculty, staff, and students engage and promote an equitable educational environment. We offer a variety of programs and opportunities that support underrepresented students in their navigation of college life and educate faculty, staff, and students in building a more equitable community.

Respect for persons: “No one is to pursue what is judged best for oneself, but instead, what is better for someone else” (RB, 72)