Student Employee Diversity Forum

Social Justice Disability Awareness Identity and Culture (Workshop #1)

Join Access Consultants Leslie and Sarina from the McBurney Disability Resource Center in exploring Ableism on campus in this session that looks at adding Accessibility to the concepts of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Whether you’re new to the concept of Ableism or have lots of experience with fighting it, all are welcome to come join the discussion about what we can do to be better allies to our disabled students and colleagues.

Meet Your Presenters:

Leslie Stilson has served as an Access Consultant at the McBurney Disability Resource Center since 2013.  With a background in clinical social work, Leslie strives to support access for individuals with disabilities in higher education and beyond.  She values advocacy, equity and education for all.  Leslie enjoys reading, knitting and spending time with her partner and two young children.

Sarina Watson is a new Access Consultant at the McBurney Center. With a background in school psychology, Sarina strives to enhance accessibility in higher education and promote disability justice. She is passionate about current trends in both areas of disability and education. Sarina enjoys hiking, crocheting, digital painting, and spending time with her partner.

Effective Ways to Create an Inclusive Workplace Climate (Workshop #1)

Many diversity initiatives have one shortcoming: They don’t work! Reviewing recent empirical research conducted by our and other research teams, I discuss effective ways to get people to develop positive attitudes towards members of other social groups and engage in inclusive behaviors in the workplace and their broader community.

Meet Your Presenter:

Naomi is a fifth year PhD student in social psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is advised by Dr. Markus Brauer and her research primarily focuses on examining different mechanisms for promoting inclusive behavior change. She also enjoys facilitating inclusion workshops and sharing her research with communities outside of psychology.

Reckoning with our History: the UW-Madison Public History Project (Workshop #2)

This presentation will detail both the continuous work of the Public History Project on campus, how to approach reckoning work in our campus community, and the role of student employment and labor activism at UW-Madison with information pulled from the UW-Madison Archives.

Meet Your Presenter:

Taylor L. Bailey is a literary scholar, researcher, and curator interested in how marginalized people navigate life, seek liberation, and establish kinship. She received my AB in English literature (with a concentration in fiction writing) and African & African American Studies from Washington University in St. Louis and a MA in Afro-American Studies from UW–Madison. What has intrigued her most about literature and literary studies is the aspect of storytelling and the deep well of history hidden behind each word. Taylor’s work on the Public History Project has allowed her the opportunity to unite the aspects of storytelling present in literary scholarship with public history, research lesser told and known histories, and impart the knowledge of historical findings to the public in intellectual yet creative ways.

Building Experience for Career Success (Workshop #2)

College is so much more than attending class and choosing a major. In this session, you will learn tips for getting a variety of experiences and gaining the skills that employers expect from today’s college graduates. You will also be able to reflect on how what you’ve already done has helped prepare you for post-graduation opportunities. Join the Career Exploration Center to learn how what you do now will help you achieve career success in the future!

Meet Your Presenters:

Claire Peters considers UW-Madison her second home, having grown up in and near Madison, earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees here, and worked on campus for more than 20 years. She has also lived and worked in other parts of the country, including Yellowstone National Park for nine years. Since earning her master’s degree in counseling, she has helped about a gazillion students talk through their major and career interests. In addition to helping students, she loves being with her daughter; watching movies and reading; and kayaking, hiking, biking, and snowshoeing. Her favorite things about Madison are all of the trees, and of course, the lakes.

Audrey Cowling has lived in Madison and worked at the Career Exploration Center since 2018. She holds bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Spanish from UW-Oshkosh, and a master’s degree in Community Counseling from Marquette University. Prior to joining the CEC, she worked as an academic advisor at Purdue University for four years. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, watching Netflix, and hanging out with her cat. Her favorite things about Madison are the Lakeshore Path and the great variety of local restaurants.

Pronoun Usage: 

“You can’t know what pronouns someone uses just by looking at them… Using someone’s pronouns correctly is important because it shows that you respect them. -UW-Madison Gender and Sexuality Campus Center Pronoun Guide

• Gender Pronoun Guide/FAQ UW-Milwaukee

Inclusive Language Information

• Gender Inclusive Language Wisconsin Union Social Justice Hub

Social Justice aims to open the doors of access to everyone. The following resources include events and readings/documentaries to help build an understanding on the topic of Social Justice. The following have been graciously compiled by the Wisconsin Union’s Social Justice Hub:

• Social Justice Reading List & Documentaries
• Calendar of Social Justice Events
• “Starter List” of Social Justice Resources

“The Gender and Sexuality Campus Center (GSCC) is a unit on campus that is aimed to actively address oppression in all forms and affirms, includes and celebrates people across the spectrum of gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, including their intersectional experiences and perspectives.”

The GSCC provides a multitude of trainings, resources and guides for supporting the LGBTQ+ community:

• Trainings & Resources
• Making Welcoming Spaces for TGQ Students UW-Madison GSCC

For additional information or support, contact the GSCC at: lgbt@studentlife.wisc.edu