OAR Promotes Anti-Racism

Diversity has long been a priority in the Office of Admissions & Recruitment, but in the last several weeks, OAR has taken unprecedented action. Not unlike what we’ve seen in cities and small towns across the USA, the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked a movement within OAR. Leadership and staff have joined together in affirming not only our commitment to diversity and inclusion, but our stance against racial injustice. Realizing that this begins with education, we’ve made the time and several staff members have stepped up to create opportunities for learning, growth, and development. We’ve begun by confronting history and the systems that breed inequality. We’ve examined what this looks like in our industry and most importantly at UW–Madison. We’re assessing what changes we can make to remove barriers and are looking transparently at data so that everyone has a better understanding of where we stand and the impact our work can have.   Sessions we have hosted include:   Bias & Inequity in Education: Foundations of Our Educational System Part 1 of 3: Gain a better understanding of the systemic issues within our educational systems (domestic) that perpetuate achievement gaps and the under-representation of racial and ethnic minorities, those from working class families, and those who are first generation to college.    Bias & Inequity in Education: Understanding UW–Madison Data Part 2 of 3: This session will contextualize Part 1 by providing insight into UW–Madison and how our work can directly impact progress.    Bias & Inequity in Education: How UW–Madison Students are Supported and Build Community Part 3 of 3: Gain an understanding of how UW–Madison supports successful outcomes for underrepresented students.  Underrepresented Voices: Engage with the voices (and applications) of students who helped us achieve the most diverse class in history.