By Emma Kaohi | The Broadside (Contact: [email protected])

At the end of the term on June 6, the Diversity Committee at Central Oregon Community College will be hosting the ninth annual Diversity Achievement Award Ceremony and luncheon. This award ceremony recognizes and praises individuals or teams on campus who display acts of inclusiveness and diversity.

According to the COCC website, the mission behind the Diversity Committee is to “create a welcoming campus climate that supports the rights of individuals and reflects respect for diverse cultures, backgrounds, and ideas.” By honoring those who reflect their mission, the Diversity Committee promotes

“This came out of the Diversity Committee because we wanted to acknowledge those who are working towards creating a respectful environment through a number of ways that people may have contributed,” Karen Roth, Multicultural Activities cCoordinator said.

In order to be nominated, contributions must include one of the following: promoting the recruitment and retention of diverse groups to faculty, staff, administrative positions, and the student body;, bringing enriching, cultural and educational events to campus;, demonstrating efforts to create a climate of respect and understanding among staff, faculty, students;, or helping the community at large by actively participating in community service on or off campus that serves diverse populations.

Nominations were to be submitted to Roth in April, and after much deliberations by the Diversity Committee are made, the winner is recognized at a luncheon. The Diversity Education Award and plaques recognizing those who completed the Allies for Equity training are handed out at the luncheon.

The Diversity Education Award recognizes a student or faculty member who have attended up to 15 hours of workshops, trainings, or cultural events. The Allies for Equity is a 12- hour competency training for employees which the training team for the Allies for Equity won the 2017 faculty award.

“[There are] hard decisions this year., Folks who are nominated often times have contributed in more than one way. For more of them, their service has extended over several years. So the deliberation process is a tough process, but it’s very heartwarming seeing so many people actively working to make COCC an inclusive and respectable place,” Roth said.

Previous winners’ award efforts can be seen across campus, as the Safe Zone Training team won the faculty award in 2014. Students help can be seen throughout the year as the contributions make a noticeable impact to the campus. ■