Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Social Justice Committee
The DEIJ Committee is dedicated to supporting and advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice (DEIJ) efforts both within the ARA Board and throughout the worldwide Rice alumni community. Our mission is to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all Owls by enhancing the culture and knowledge of the ARA Board, providing resources to support lifelong learning and engagement, and partnering with the broader Rice community to celebrate and advance DEIJ initiatives across campus. Through intersectional work that spans race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status and more, we hope to create an impactful experience for our extraordinary alumni community.
We welcome your feedback! Please submit your comments or questions via our online feedback form.
To support the DEIJ Committee’s efforts in creating a sense of belonging for all alumni and members of the Rice community, please visit Rice’s donation form and type “ARA Diversity Fund” into the other/special instructions field.
Objectives
- We will strengthen Rice’s culture of alumni leadership by supporting the continual growth and education of our ARA Board members and Alumni Relations staff, engaging them as key activators for DEIJ efforts.
- We will expand opportunities for Rice alumni to learn about and engage in DEIJ efforts by promoting educational resources and connecting alumni to the vibrant intellectual contributions of Rice’s scholars.
- We will collaborate with students, faculty and university leaders to strengthen diversity, equity, inclusion and justice initiatives across campus.
University Resources
Task Force on Slavery, Segregation and Racial Injustice
Doc Talks podcast, presented by Alexander Byrd ’90 and Caleb McDaniel
Center for African and African American Studies
Disability Resource Center
Rice Alumni Programming
The Rice Alumni 21-Day Equity Challenge provides an opportunity for the broader Rice community to develop a deeper understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and build more thoughtful habits around DEI efforts in personal and professional environments.
Beyond the Hedges Podcasts
“The Docs” featuring Alexander Byrd ’90 and Caleb McDaniel, Episode 9
“The Fallacy of Racial Colorblindness” with Prof. Anthony Pinn, Episode 4
“Racial Trauma” with Prof. Tony Brown, Episode 3
“Disability is a Diversity Issue” with Alan Russell, Season 2, Episode 1
“Rice Talks: Racial Justice”
A discussion on racial justice with Prof. Anthony Pinn, featured at Owl Together 2020.
“REDEFINE Engineering Education: Toward Ubiquitous Inclusion”
Virtual Brains in a Bar event featuring Yvette E. Pearson, associate dean for accreditation, assessment and strategic initiatives at the George R. Brown School of Engineering.
Alumni Affinity Groups
A full list of ARA Affinity Groups can be found here: Affinity Groups
Association of Rice University Black Alumni
Society of Latino Alumni of Rice
Rice Alumni Pride
Rice University Community of Asian Alumni
If you would like to acknowledge and link to your group’s DEI efforts here, please email us.
2021-2022 DEIJ Committee Members
Board Chair(s):
Toya Cirica Bell ’87
Estevan Delgado ’13
Members:
Chad Benedict ’01
Meg Brigman ’18
Alejandro Chaoul ’06
Bobby Dixon ’97
Shawn E Simmons ’99
Tania Min ’90
Staff Liaison: Amanda Martindale, Associate Director, Alumni Networks