We asked Greg Nayor, Ph.D., the Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Daemen College (NY) and Naomi Sigg, Senior Associate Dean of Students at Case Western Reserve University (OH) to share some key concepts that are important to cover when training BITs/BAIT teams with a DEI lens. Greg said, “You have to be able to separate your personal experience from the response. It can be challenging when you are collectively working with a student who is struggling but not doing any of the things that you would expect them to do. While this is a natural reaction, stepping back and trying to understand the person behind the issue will go a long way in attempting to best manage the situation, build rapport, and help that student succeed. The key here is really checking our own assumptions at the door.”
Naomi added, “Each of us brings our whole selves and identities to our work and this includes our biases. We must be able to acknowledge and suspend our biases when working with our diverse student populations. Administrators in the Care and BIT processes also need to be well-trained in concepts like racial trauma, implicit bias, and be knowledgeable of the needs and experiences of BIPOC and other marginalized groups. Furthermore, it is critical to be well connected to DEI institutional and community resources to connect students to services and resources that best address their individual needs.”
