Editor’s note: The following guest column was written by Kauline Cipriani, vice president for inclusive excellence
Welcome new Rams!
Ram Welcome is one of the most exciting times of the year at Colorado State University, and we are thrilled you are here. As the start of the fall semester nears, CSU leadership, faculty and staff spend this week hosting a flurry of campus-wide activities for you and your loved ones to warmly welcome you into our Ram Family.
We know you are experiencing a range of emotions and great anticipation about what lies ahead. On behalf of the dedicated staff in the Office for Inclusive Excellence, also known as OIE, we want you to know we are here for you from your first day at CSU to graduation, and you are welcome here.
Our primary focus at OIE is to nurture environments where those in our community feel welcomed, valued and affirmed. We strive to improve the university climate of inclusion for everyone who comes through our doors to learn, teach and work. We do this by providing leadership, accountability, advocacy and education to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice so all who come to CSU may access and realize their full potential. We do not do this work alone, but in partnership with many units on campus, including Student Affairs, Athletics, and the academic colleges, as well as with community partners in the city of Fort Collins and beyond.
At CSU, our commitment to diversity is a longstanding one that reflects our role and mission as a land-grant institution, and is supported by our Principles of Community. We define diversity in the broadest sense because it reflects a range of human differences and identities that are at the core of our individuality. This includes race and ethnicity, religious and spiritual beliefs, geographic background, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, socioeconomic status, country of origin, personal values and other qualities that contribute to our sense of self. Inclusion is the active engagement with one another across our differences – diversity is essential for inclusion, but active engagement as a vital member of an inclusive community is the culture we advocate and celebrate.
Cultural competency is becoming more important as a prerequisite for personal and professional success in work environments where organizations are seeking increasingly diverse teams to solve humanity’s biggest problems. As new students to CSU, we invite you to engage with our staff to learn more about OIE’s student diversity programs and services. Visit our web site at https://inclusiveexcellence.colostate.edu/. You will find information about OIE’s high-impact student success programs and our cultural and resource centers, which emphasize a specific segment of the student body but are available for the benefit of all CSU students.
Throughout your academic career as a Ram, you will meet people from cities and rural communities across the state and nation. You will meet other scholars from nations around the globe. Your academic experiences will be enriched by knowing students from different backgrounds, ideologies and identities who, like you, are here to seek opportunity through knowledge and to make the world a better place.
At Colorado State University, we proudly say diversity, equity and inclusion are more than words – they are a call to action. Through mindfulness and meaningful progress, we are working toward a vision of community that recognizes we each bring value by our presence, and with that comes an inherent desire and right to be treated with dignity.
So, as you settle in these next few days and weeks and discover what it means for you to be a CSU Ram, take to heart a passion for personal growth made possible through the challenges and opportunities you will face. Be curious and inquisitive about the faculty, staff and peers you encounter, and be prepared to witness the vast world of intriguing people, places and ideas that awaits you on our campuses.
And always remember: You are welcome here.
