Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Using Media Equation Theory To Assess The Effectiveness Of Virtual Reality Technology In Organizational Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, And Belonging (Deib) Training, Michael L. Oetken

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The emergence of immersive virtual reality media technology is providing human beings with a new communication platform to engage beyond the traditional frameworks of video media, audio media, and static webpages on the Internet. These communication media technologies offer users an immersive environment in which they are able to communicate and interact with fellow human beings and non-human entities in life-like mannerisms. Most importantly, this technology also has the potential to bridge gaps and solve problems within the context of certain cultural and societal issues. The issue of communication deficiencies surrounding the area of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) …

Framing Esports’ Jedi Issues: A Case Study In Media Irresponsibility, David Painter, Brittani Sahm

Faculty Publications

Purpose: This investigation analyzes Asian, European, and North American coverage of esports’ justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) issues as a case study of media organizations’ communications on these topics.

Design/methodology/approach: This quantitative content analysis describes coverage of esports’ race, gender, age, and social class issues to draw inferences about media organizations’ abilities to meet their social responsibilities when reporting on organizational JEDI issues.

Findings: There were significant differences across continents; however, most stories only mentioned gender and age, seldom noting esports’ race or social class issues.

Research limitations/implications: Although all stories analyzed were published in English, the findings extend …

S6e8: What Is It Like Being A University President In The 21st Century?, Ron Lisnet, Joan Ferrini-Mundy

The Maine Question

In 2018, Joan Ferrini-Mundy became the 21st president of the University of Maine and its regional campus, the University of Maine at Machias. In 2021, she was appointed vice chancellor for research and innovation for the University of Maine System. Among her many leadership initiatives: the appointment of the President’s Council on Diversity Equity and Inclusion to ensure foundational inclusive excellence, and chairing the UMS Science Advisory Board to stay abreast of fast-breaking scientific and medical developments in areas relevant for universities and the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this week’s episode of “The Maine Question” podcast, Ferrini-Mundy, UMaine’s second female president …

The Trauma-Informed Equity-Minded Asset-Based Model (Team) The Six R’S For Social Justice-Oriented Educators, Srividya Ramasubramanian, Emily Riewestahl, Shelby Landmark

Mass Communications - All Scholarship

This paper describes the Trauma-informed Equity-minded Asset-based Model (TEAM) framework for social justice-oriented educators. We draw on trauma-informed approaches to illustrate how systemic racism as systemic trauma and normative whiteness as dominant ideology are embedded in the U.S education and media institutions. From an equity-minded perspective, we critique notions such as egalitarianism, colorblind racism, neoliberal multiculturalism, and abstract liberalism. Using an asset-based model, we urge educators to avoid deficit ideologies to frame marginalized communities. The TEAM approach offers the following “Six R’s” as strategies: (1) Realizing that dominant ideologies are embedded in educational systems, (2) Recognizing the long-term effects of …

Internet Connectivity Among Indigenous And Tribal Communities In North America - A Focus On Social And Educational Outcomes, Christopher S. Yoo, Leon Gwaka, Muge Haseki

All Faculty Scholarship

Broadband access is an important part of enhancing rural community development, improving the general quality of life. Recent telecommunications stimulus projects in the U.S. and Canada were intended to increase availability of broadband through funding infrastructure investments, largely in rural and remote regions. However, there are various small, remote, and rural communities, who remain unconnected. Connectivity is especially important for indigenous and tribal communities to access opportunities for various public services as they are generally located in remote areas. In 2016, the FCC reported that 41% of U.S. citizens living on tribal lands, and 68% of those in the rural …

Speaking My Truth: Voices And Portraits Of Honors Students Of Color, Leah Kerbs

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Founded in 1962, the Honors Program at Western Washington University has prided itself on the cornerstones of academic excellence, student growth, and a tight-knit Honors community. With class sizes averaging 18 students and a dedicated Honors living space, the program certainly provides students a unique opportunity to build closer relationships with professors and peers alike as they pursue their goals within a larger university setting.

However, like colleges and universities across the nation, the predominantly white program has struggled to meaningfully include the voices and experiences of its students of color. For many, their relationship with the program remains a …

Mostly White, Christian, And Straight: Informational And Institutional Erasure Of Lgbtq And Ethnoculturally Diverse Older Adults On Long-Term Care Homes Websites, Ferzana Chaze, Sulaimon Giwa, Nellie Groenenberg, Bianca Burns

Publications and Scholarship

The website of a long-term care home is the face of the organization, providing not only a snapshot view of the home’s programs and services, but also an insight into the organization’s vision, mission, policies, and culture. The website provides information—either purposefully or inadvertently—about the manner in which the organization responds to diversity among its residents. Guided by an intersectional analysis, this study uses content analysis to examine websites of long-term care homes run by companies, municipalities, and not-for-profit organizations in two provinces in Canada to understand how these websites demonstrate inclusion towards ethnoculturally diverse and LGBTQ older adults. Findings …

Towards High-Empathy Hiring: Implementing Leading Practices For More Inclusive Recruitment, Sarah Beaubien, Annie Bélanger, Scott Ayotte

Presentations

Have you ever wondered if the interview process could be a kinder, more accessible experience, meant to develop connections? Would you like to critically examine practices in the hiring process to ensure empathy to applicants going through the process? In taking a closer look at our own practices, collaborating with the Office of Inclusion and Equity, we have made changes, which have led to a more positive experience for candidates and our organizational outcomes.

Challenging Calls For Civility, Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt

Faculty Publications

In conjunction with her article "When Free Speech Disrupts Diversity Initiatives: What We Value and What We Do Not," Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt writes about civility codes and free speech for Academe Blog.

Diversifying The Stem Education To Career Pipeline, Adrienne Coleman

Publications & Research

This webinar will provide participants with the results of the Diversifying STEM Think Tank and provide strategies to enhance diversity in the STEM Education to Career Pipeline. It will further focus on the motivation of Black and Latino students to engage in STEM. With an understanding of strategies to diversify, matriculation to higher education may improve, STEM engagement may be enhanced, and visibility in STEM careers may increase. Diversifying the STEM fields may indirectly impact the socioeconomic status of these communities with opportunities to increase their earning potential, have more consistent employment, and obtain leadership positions; while enhancing the industry …

More Than, Joslyn Maenner, Katie Knobbe, Joel Girouard, Desiree Botica, Molly Deaver, Alex Vasey, Ramon Diaz De Leon, Lucy Grant, Kyle Thompson, Adam Weisenberger

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Student Advertising Projects

This project was developed in response to the following challenge: create messaging to promote a more welcoming and inclusive climate on campus while branding the Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center.

Talk. Act. Thrive. (You)Nified, Amitynine, Amy Okell, Cristina Petrisor, Dayton Stange, Connor Schulte, Amanda Schmidt, Courtney Sehn, Brandon Weeldreyer, Colin Burt, Anh Thoai Dinh

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Student Advertising Projects

This project was developed in response to the following challenge: create messaging to promote a more welcoming and inclusive climate on campus while branding the Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center.

Our Diversity Is What Will Drive New Levels Of Excellence, Lisa Barkley

UCF Forum

Diversity has changed and the face of America has changed. As a nation, we have to come to grips with the reality that our melting pot has never had so many ingredients mixed in – and we are never going back to what it used to be.

There Is Nothing More Diverse Than "New", Frederick A. Miller, Roger Gans

Communication Faculty Publications

In the organizational competition for talent, successful retention of newly recruited workers is at least as important as the initial hire. Still, many organizations fail to establish a sense of inclusion for new people in much the same way they often fail to create a sense of inclusion for people of color, women, people with foreign accents, or anyone with obvious differences from the “traditional group.” In most organizations, even those that have embarked on “diversity initiatives,” newly hired people often do not feel welcomed. Consequently, turnover rates in the first two years of employment are seven times greater than …