Page 10 - Dentistry Magazine 2021

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DENTISTRY 2021
Second-year clinical learners celebrated their White Coat Ceremony, delayed due to COVID-19 protocols, this September.
to treat patients from diverse backgrounds in a culturally competent way. They expected the School of Dentistry to not only be responsive to the times, but to foster diversity and inclusion in its structure and systems, people and programs while standing for equity.
This year, Dean Keith Mays changed the title and office of the Assistant Dean for Admissions and Diversity to Assistant Dean for Admissions & Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to reflect the importance and value of DEI in our school. Sharing circles were organized to allow safe spaces for students, faculty and staff to reflect on Floyd’s death and related issues and to give recommendations on what needed to
be done. Members of the DEI committee led these sharing circles and brought recommendations to the committee. Recommendations were categorized and subcommittees were formed for implementation.
DDS Class of 2024
Ultimately, the plans resulted in three main goals:
1. Assess effective strategies to develop sustainable programs for diversity, equity and inclusion
2. Describe approaches to engage and mobilize students, faculty and staff in building an inclusive culture
3. Identify challenges and approaches to overcome them
What was commendable was the enthusiastic response from students, staff and faculty who volunteered to be part of the subcommittees to work on the recommenda- tions. Subcommittees were formed on six areas, repre- senting where work needed to be done to integrate DEI into the life and work of the school: internal community building, teaching and learning, patient care, external community engagement, communications, and research.
Amid the death of George Floyd and renewed focus on social and racial justice came an increase in anti-Asian sentiments. In order to combat those sentiments and work toward a broader scope of diversity and equity, a student group called Better Together formed. These students continued to meet after the sharing circles disbanded. With support from the DEI office, they addressed anti- Asian racism in a webinar attended by more than 40 students. Their work continued with a second webinar in October, focusing on Amplifying Black Voices.
More than a year after Floyd’s death, what has happened to those plans? Does the passion for social justice and equity still consume those who advocated for change at the beginning? What changes, if any, have taken place?
The work of DEI is hard work. It needs sensitivity and care. The issues we faced have plagued the country for generations and cannot be resolved with webinars and other good intentions. Changes will come slowly and in