I continue to focus blog postings on exploring Professional Competency Areas for Student Affairs Practitioners (ACPA & NASPA, 2010). This week is the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion competency.

The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion competency “includes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to create learning environments that are enriched with diverse views and people. It is also designed to create an institutional ethos that accepts and celebrates differences among people, helping to free them of any misconceptions and prejudices” (ACPA & NASPA p. 10).

In the beginner level , student affairs professionals should be able to “analyze the interconnectedness of societies worldwide and how these global perspectives influence institutional learning” (ACPA & NASPA, p. 10). Applying this to your practice, are you able to explain how seemingly divergent religions intersect and overlap (and conversely how they may differ)?

In the intermediate level, professionals must do more than know about social justice but also they should “facilitate others learning and practice of social justice concepts” (ACPA & NASPA, p. 11). For example, if you’re in a conversation with colleagues about diversity topics, do you know the resources and experts to whom you can direct others for information when you yourself may not have all the answers (no one does).

The advanced level has a significant focus on one’s role in enacting policy. To develop skills in this area you might consider what you already know about institutional policies relative to topics such as access and how the functions in which you work can implement practices that are in line with those polices.

What do you need to do to increase your skill set in the equity, diversity and inclusion competency?