2023 Diversity Summit on “Campus Climate: Learn, Engage, Take Action”

On Tuesday, Feb. 28, Geneseo hosted its fifth annual Diversity Summit with the theme of “Campus Climate: Learn, Engage, Take Action.” The event was organized by the Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE) and the President’s Commission on Diversity and Community (co-chaired by Director of Residence Life Sarah Frank and Chief Diversity Officer Robbie Routenberg), with several services provided through Student Association (SA) funding and Campus Auxiliary Services (CAS).

All classes were canceled on Tuesday to allow students and faculty an unrestricted opportunity to participate in the summit however they wished. The summit consisted of a plethora of sessions and activities, along with a keynote speech delivered by African historian, author, and TEDx Talk speaker Emmanuel Kulu, who presented on African history and the neglect and misrepresentation of Black history in mainstream media and educational institutions.

The sessions hosted by the summit were presented by students, staff, and faculty alike on a range of topics, from ableism and accessibility to micro-aggressions and multiculturalism. Junior communications and Black studies double major Alexa Victor was one such student and helped facilitate a dialogue on “The Black Student Experience at Geneseo: Cultivating a new climate.”

“I’m very pro sharing my experience,” Victor said, “and I like to also hear the experience of others, where they relate, where they differ—so, a session like this was perfect for me because I was able to share my experience, I was able to hear other experiences, [and] we were able to get…listeners in the room, people that we need to hear us. I think the importance of [the] Diversity Summit is having…faculty, admin, staff, and students all together working on one thing—and that’s very rare, [so] it’s very good to see that.”

Robbie Routenberg, Geneseo’s Chief Diversity Officer (CDO), elaborated on this faculty involvement in the Diversity Summit, as well as some of their excitement regarding the summit.

“The buzz with the Diversity Summit,” Routenberg said, “always brings a lot of… joy, because people really take shared ownership over the event. It’s stewarded by a small committee, a small team of people who handle logistics and planning, but it’s really successful because everybody participates and everybody shares a role.”

While the overall goal of the summit remains fairly consistent each year, this year’s summit was unique in a significant logistical regard, as the first summit to be hosted fully in person since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, Routenberg explained, “We really were able to explore where we wanted things to be held on campus and how to connect and tap into the strengths of being…on campus as it relates to hosting a successful event…so there [are] a couple things, just logistically, that are really new or strengthened.”

Routenberg continued, “We’re really hoping that whatever people take away from the day tomorrow, they continue to actively think about and take actions, you know, towards helping shift and change our campus climate…towards one that feels affirming and supportive for everybody.”

With the Bailey classrooms used for Diversity Summit sessions filled to the brim with participants, the dedication to education and engagement was evident across campus. Hannah Lustyik, a senior English creative writing major, commented on both her enthusiasm for the summit and her eagerness to learn more after attending a session about “Insights From Psychology For a Multiculturally Welcoming Campus,” led by senior psychology and Spanish double major Thomas Griffin.

“I think the diversity summit is fantastic—I just wish there was more than one day a year for it,” Lustyik said. “I feel like there are so many presentations that I wish I could watch all of them, rather than have to, like, divide my time, you know?”

Lustyik continued, “Everyone is doing a fantastic job and I’m really happy that this school allows everyone to send their own presentations…It’s just a great way to build campus community and actually hear people’s voices.”

 While support for the summit was widespread, Lustyik was not the only student to comment on some changes she might wish to see; Victor, too, had notes about the culture surrounding Geneseo students’ participation in the event.

“I do wish more students would come, because…you do see a lot of, like, ‘Oh, the day off, like, I could do day-drink[ing], and I can do this and that,’ and it’s a little disheartening,” Victor said. “But, at the end of the day, all you can do is…promote, try to show up for support, and try to do what you can…while you can.”

Similar to Victor, with the theme “Campus Climate: Learn, Engage, Take Action” at heart, many of the summit participants and facilitators alike highlighted the continued action and progress they hope to see in this year’s Diversity Summit’s aftermath. Referencing the institutional action Geneseo looks to instate, Routenberg explained, “My office is really intended to be a support system for everybody and the work that everybody is trying to do to move the campus forward. We’re sort of the center hub of this multi-spoke wheel.”

Routenberg continued, “My hope is that people are thinking about action in lots of ways and taking initiative, and letting this office and others know how we can support that, and, also, how we can amplify the good work that’s happening so we can celebrate accomplishments and also inspire others through those accomplishments.”

For those wishing to explore more of these active resources, Routenberg promoted The Office of Multicultural Affairs, Heritage Month programming and celebrations, and Diversity and Inclusion Community Educator (DICE) training. Routenberg explained, however, that this is not an exhaustive list of ways in which Geneseo students can integrate their takeaways from the summit into their daily lives:

“Taking action is really about, you know, what do you do when you’re in a residence hall and somebody says something or does something that feels like bias, you know? Or, you’re at a…club event, or Greek life, or athletics, or off-campus, you know, just sort of generally in your lives…what does it mean to take action, both in the face of something that feels biased and unhealthy but also proactively? How can people take what they’re learning about campus climate, microaggressions, bias, etc., and make real changes within their own…spheres of influence?”

With the forward momentum generated by the Diversity Summit, there is hope that these questions will continue to motivate the actions and intentions of the Geneseo community until next year’s Diversity Summit.