CEC Welcomes You to the 2016-2017 Academic Year!

Dear Students:

Whether you’re just starting out at Lehigh or you’ve already made South Mountain your home, the Council on Equity and Community (CEC) welcomes you to campus for the 2016-2017 academic year.

The CEC, as you may know, is made up of classmates, colleagues, mentors and friends with the shared goal of creating a more welcoming and inclusive Lehigh. The CEC attempts to influence university culture and policy, encourage conversations about issues on and beyond campus, and bring people and groups together to collaborate on important issues relating to diversity and inclusion.

Because Lehigh is an academic institution, the CEC supports an environment where students, faculty, and staff can discuss tough topics, such as those relating to diversity, inclusion, harassment, and bias.

But, the CEC also realizes that in order to engage in these challenging conversations, guidelines should be established so that these conversations take place in a respectful and thoughtful way. These Guidelines for Effective Cross-Cultural Dialogue have been developed by an outside consultant, are available via this email and are also on the Diversity & Inclusion website. These Guidelines not only assist in engaging in effective group conversations, but can be useful in one-on-one conversations as well.

The CEC will be putting into place opportunities to learn about the Guidelines and how to use them so we can all engage in more effective dialogue. Watch for more information, coming soon.

Events over the summer, such as the tragic shooting in Orlando, and the current presidential election often spark spirited discussions, but can also be upsetting and stressful. Please don’t hesitate to connect with the numerous resources, both on- and off-campus, that can support you during difficult situations. For more information on available support resources, visit the Diversity & Inclusion website and the Equal Opportunity Compliance’s Resources webpage.

During the academic year, the CEC will sponsor a series of events on campus to encourage on-going conversations about topics relating to diversity and inclusivity. We encourage you to attend and to share your ideas with the CEC about how we can create a more welcoming and inclusive environment at Lehigh.

We hope that you are excited to share in the evolution of Lehigh. We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you at our events throughout the year!