Cultural Understanding Explodes at SMU

Back in the 80's, Samuel Merritt University (SMU) started a committee that gathered employees of all cultural, ethnic, and social backgrounds to recognize and acknowledge one another's traditions.  Over the past twenty years the committee has had a respectable turn out.  But this spring the group reorganized its mission and invited everyone in the SMU community to join in on the campus-wide celebration.  The event, known as the Inclusion Explosion, formerly named Diversity Day, burst into an eye-opening experience.  The celebration was held on March 31, to coincide with the Cesar Chavez birthday holiday.

For Rye Huber, PhD, RN, assistant professor in nursing, getting people to open up about themselves at the institution is a 'long overdue breakthrough.'

"During my 20 years at the institution I have never seen a response like this before," said Huber.  "The institution has always strived to establish a climate that welcomes, celebrates, and promotes respect for the contributions of all students and employees, but it has always been baby steps.  At the Inclusion Explosion event we took a giant step forward and literally laid it out on the table."

Nearly 300 people attended the festival at Bechtel Hall.  According to Kira Allen, Student Services Coordinator and committee organizer, this year's event showed true 'inclusion.'  

"In the past, Diversity Day lacked relevance for students, so the Equity and Inclusion Committee decided that the Inclusion Explosion needed to showcase individual understanding of cultural competency.  We asked the SMU community members to bring out what makes them unique and diverse.  The room was transformed into a showcase for inclusive groups and an opportunity to celebrate different cultures with people of all ages, ethnicities, races, sexual orientations and gender identities."

"People were dancing to world music performed by KTO Project and Friends, and digging into a buffet of Italian, Spanish, Middle Eastern, and American food," said Beth Ching, M.Ed., OTR/L, Occupational Therapy assistant professor.  "But I think what really got people talking about inclusion was the thirty-plus posters and display boards of faculty, staff and students showing how they identify themselves and their own 'unique' perspective on why cultural competency is important to healthcare."

This year's celebration also focused on various religious beliefs.  That is what prompted Ed Azar, a second year podiatry student and Student Body Association Vice President, to create a poster describing his cultural background as a Christian Arab, growing up in San Francisco. 

"I made the display because I want people to know that I exist and that I'm not alone," explained Azar.  "That Arab speaking individuals can be Christians and that Israel/Palestine has many Catholic and Orthodox churches around the country."

Azar's display board showcased his parent's home town in Jerusalem and various Christian churches in that region.  He received high praise from the SMU community which has encouraged him to do it again next year, only bigger. 

"The fact is Christian Arab speaking individuals have been living in America since the 1950's but they avoid revealing who they are because they have dealt with discrimination in the Middle East. They don't want to face any more of it here in America," said Azar.  "In the future, I would like Arab Christians to feel comfortable about going public with their identity for the whole world to know."  

Along with knowing more about employees and students, and how they view and understand 'inclusion,' the event also focused on how diversity and acceptance plays a role in the healthcare profession.      

"Preparing students who know how to interact with individuals without regard to their ethnic, religious, racial or sexual orientation is not only critical in the 21st century, but a necessity in the healthcare field," said Allen.  "Research shows that professionals in healthcare experience considerable uncertainty when caring for ethnically diverse patients, and this uncertainty can lead to hesitancy and apathy in practice, which might contribute to inequalities in care." 

That is why medical researchers and employers support institutions like SMU because its education confronts the need to provide competent care to people of all ages, ethnicities, races, religious backgrounds, sexual orientations and gender identities. 

"For years the University has committed itself to achieving excellence through diversity in the classroom, research lab and the workplace, but many would agree it has been a slow process," said Huber.  "I credit the changes in University policy stemming from our mission, vision, values statement and the work of the Equity and Inclusion Committee for creating a deeper dialogue about the importance of creating an inclusive environment."

Everyone seems to agree, the Inclusion Explosion, to be held again next year on Chavez's birthday, was a significant contribution in shaping the University into an inclusive and diverse school.  "We're becoming an institution where people from all walks of life are not only united by a common quest for knowledge, but also the desire to be accepted for who they are," said Allen.

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