{"218581":{"#nid":"218581","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Event Provides Chance to Reflect on Diversity Attitudes","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn the June 10 issue, Paul Kohn shared that he was looking forward to the Diversity Roundtable because he hoped it would offer a chance to reflect on his attitudes toward diversity. So did the event live up to Kohn\u2019s expectations?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI was extremely impressed,\u201d said Kohn, vice provost for Enrollment Services. \u201cFor example, I was reminded that others may hear your words differently than you mean them.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne moment that stood out in Kohn\u2019s mind occurred at the event\u2019s luncheon, when a woman shared that colleagues using the word \u201cguys\u201d to refer to men and women was \u003Cbr \/\u003Eoffensive to her.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe word \u2018guys\u2019 has always been inclusive to me, kind of like \u2018y\u2019all,\u2019\u201d Kohn said. \u201cBut this woman felt like when people said, \u2018Do you guys want to go to lunch,\u2019 it didn\u2019t include her. This was one of those aha moments I wouldn\u2019t have had if I didn\u2019t attend this event.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith a little help from the Diversity Dramatists, a group started by Diversity Consultant Charlotte Hamlin (who spoke during the morning program), attendees had a chance to discuss their own thoughts about diversity-focused issues. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe group performed skits that focused on topics ranging from not hiring someone because she \u201cwasn\u2019t a culture fit\u201d to learning how to work with co-workers with different sexual orientations. Following each skit, faculty and staff had a chance to discuss each topic with those at their tables.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe programming really kept things moving throughout the day,\u201d Kohn said. \u201cAnd the interactive nature of both the morning and lunch programs were just what we needed to stay engaged.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe one area that Kohn wished there had been more discussion about was the status divides on campus among faculty, staff, and students.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere can be very real tension among these groups, and I think it\u2019s just as important for us to discuss these issues as it is to discuss topics such as race and sexual orientation,\u201d he added.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDuring the luncheon, Pearl Alexander, senior director for people strategies for the Office of Human Resources (OHR), provided a progress report on OHR\u2019s diversity efforts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou raised questions, and we\u2019re answering them,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESome of this year\u2019s highlights include offering:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EBrown bag lunches focused on topics such as bullying and incivility.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETraining sessions such as the Fierce Conversations program.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EReading circles, such as the recent event for female faculty and staff members to discuss Sheryl Sandberg\u2019s \u003Cem\u003ELean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlexander and Cheryl Cofield, director for culture, diversity, and inclusion in OHR, also announced the creation of the following employee resource groups (ERGs): African Heritage; Hispanic\/Latino; Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Ally; Introvert; Veterans; and Women. Stay tuned to future issues for more information about the ERGs.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn the June 10 issue, Paul Kohn shared that he was looking forward to the Diversity Roundtable because he hoped it would offer a chance to reflect on his attitudes toward diversity. So did the event live up to Kohn\u2019s expectations?\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"In the June 10 issue, Paul Kohn shared that he was looking forward to the Diversity Roundtable because he hoped it would offer a chance to reflect on his attitudes toward diversity. So did the event live up to Kohn\u2019s expectations?"}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2013-06-24 08:55:56","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:23","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-06-24T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-06-24T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"218521":{"id":"218521","type":"image","title":"2013 Diversity Roundtable: Paul Kohn","body":null,"created":"1449180130","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:02:10","changed":"1475894885","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:48:05","alt":"2013 Diversity Roundtable: Paul Kohn","file":{"fid":"197195","name":"paul_diversity.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/paul_diversity_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/paul_diversity_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2038074,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/paul_diversity_0.jpg?itok=dYN0MJLU"}}},"media_ids":["218521"],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"68241","name":"2013 Diversity Roundtable"},{"id":"736","name":"diversity"},{"id":"8122","name":"Office of Human Resources"},{"id":"8726","name":"OHR"},{"id":"10309","name":"Paul Kohn"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-4142\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}