Mar 28th 2019

CoA Gathering for Diversity and Inclusion

Wednesday, April 3, 2019
S. R. Crown Hall, Center Core
12–2 p.m.

Illinois Institute of Technology’s College of Architecture is excited to announce the formation of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, a transparent group within the college striving to create mindfulness and awareness about diversity, equity, and inclusion both on the Illinois Tech campus and in the architecture profession as a whole. To kick off the committee’s formation, the College of Architecture will host a lunchtime gathering in S. R. Crown Hall on April 3, from noon–2 p.m., that is open to all members of Illinois Tech’s College of Architecture community.

The event will introduce Diversity and Inclusion Committee members, who will open a dialogue on the group’s goals and its activities on campus. A light lunch reception and an opening of an interactive exhibit will follow. Attendees will be asked to contemplate and submit handwritten responses to prompts surrounding the topics of diversity and inclusiveness at the College of Architecture on Post-it notes directly on Crown Hall’s north core wall.

The committee looks to uncover and celebrate diversity within the College of Architecture through both active research and engaging campus events. Ultimately, the committee hopes to facilitate discussions between faculty, students, staff, alumni, and other members of the College of Architecture community.

“This committee isn’t a reaction to anything going on, but we know that it’s important to be able to talk about these things. It promotes our values and goals as a university,” says Jennifer Park, visiting assistant professor and committee member. “We already have a diverse student body, but the idea is to build on that and to be able to not just celebrate it but also work with it so that we are getting the most creativity out of both students and faculty by enabling these conversations.”