Let’s talk about … Self-reflection. Equity and equality. Inclusion. Celebrating our differences.

These are just a few of the featured topics coming on Tuesdays to University of the Pacific and the community through the University Committee for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (UCDEI) Instagram page, @pacific_dei.

In line with its mission and purpose, the UCDEI has launched #LetsTalkTuesday on Instagram. The UCDEI will post weekly, for the next several weeks, with online discussions on:

• Getting uncomfortable with being uncomfortable
• Listening to others speak their truth
• Affirming difference
• Having difficult conversations
• Where to start
• Empathy

The Instagram posts will incorporate videos, infographics, student artwork, spoken word and more.

The UCDEI will collaborate with Pacific Alumni Relations (@pacificalumni), as well as other campus partners, to build webinars on these topics and create virtual spaces for small groups to carry on more in-depth conversations. The sessions will be candid and unscripted.

With the implementation of #LetsTalkTuesday, the goal is to motivate individuals to take action in their own social justice learning. The committee also seeks to lift the Pacific community and beyond to continue the conversation centered on topics of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Follow the UCDEI on Instagram (@pacific_dei) to join in on the Tuesday talk!

What is the UCDEI ?

• The committee is responsible for assisting in the development of programs, projects and policies that will enhance diversity, equity and inclusion, with emphasis on issues related to, but not limited to, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and disability.
• The committee consists of faculty, staff, and undergraduate and graduate students of the University of the Pacific’s San Francisco, Sacramento and Stockton campuses.
• Co-chairs are Dr. Qingwen Dong, professor in the Department of Communications in the College of the Pacific (qdong@pacific.edu ) and Marshea Pratt, assistant director of the Pacific Alumni Association (mpratt@pacific.edu).
• The committee’s name recently was changed from the University Diversity Committee (UDC).

What is next for the UCDEI?

• Nominations for Champion of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Awards
• Updating the UCDEI webpage (just in time for the university website refresh)
• Featuring Pacific students on Instagram, @pacific_dei