February 5, 2025

Equity & Inclusive Excellence Engagement Opportunities

Dear family and friends of Goucher students,

We hope you enjoyed the winter holidays! On behalf of the Equity and Inclusive Excellence team, I’m writing to invite you to encourage your student to engage with our division in any of our new initiatives for Spring 2025. 

Dialogue Trainings and Programs

During the Fall 2024 semester, the EIE team organized an election anxiety dialogue, three in-house facilitated dialogue trainings, and two Facilitated Meetings Around Community Conflict (FMACC) trainings. On January 24, 2025, more than 35 students, faculty, and staff attended a Site Problem Identification and Resolution of Issues Together (SPIRIT) program. The FMACC and SPIRIT programs were run by the U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service and supported by Goucher College staff and faculty, who served as facilitators. One of the goals of the SPIRIT program is to generate a DEIJ/SPIRIT Council formed by trained students, faculty, and staff. The goal of this council is to address issues that affect the Goucher community.

Policies

Two policies, the Policy for Campus Demonstrations and Other Similar Events and the Policy for Posting Printed Materials on the Goucher Towson Campus, have been rewritten with student input. Equity and Inclusive Excellence also oversees the Name Change Policy and the Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment. 

Support Team

We are launching a new initiative called the Support Team, which is formed by a group of 10 to 15 volunteer faculty and staff who view student activism as a healthy developmental process and recognize the importance of student engagement in the college community. The Support Team follows a philosophy of intervening at the lowest possible level, with the primary goal of preserving relationships and gaining trust. The Support Team’s role during demonstrations and other similar events will be as observers only. They will introduce themselves to participants and gently remind them of policy compliance when necessary. Only three to five members of the Support Team will attend any given demonstration or similar event.

CREI & Black History Month

The Center for Race, Equity, and Inclusion (CREI) will be spearheading the planning and execution of Affinity Month programming for the Spring 2025 semester. CREI and committee members from across campus have come together to work on programming for the month to provide social and educational opportunities for students. Scheduled programming is as follows: 

February 2, Playback Bingo
Join CREI and LAUNCH for a fun night of classic hip-hop and R&B hits in our musical twist on bingo! Match your favorite song to win amazing prizes. 

February 7, Goucher Black Student Union (GBSU) Black Cinema Party
Join GBSU for the first party of the semester to celebrate Black History Month! Students are encouraged to dress as their favorite character from a Black movie.

February 12, Blackout Basketball Game
Join CREI and Athletics at the first women’s basketball home game of the spring! Wear all black and come ready to win prizes!

February 19, Imani Barbarin
Join us for a program examining how racial identity and disability intersect to shape lived experiences, access to resources, and systemic barriers in health care, education, and social services. Featuring disability rights activist Imani Barbarin. 

February 26, From the Soul to the Table
Join CREI and GBSU for a soul food dinner and to learn about the history of soul food in America. 

February 28, 19th Annual Jewel Robinson Dinner
The annual dinner hosted to honor the first African American student admitted to Goucher College. Proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Imani Fund. 

CREI LGBTQ+ Support

Gender Affirming Closet

Because access to clothing that affirms one’s gender identity and expression is a huge barrier for transgender students, the Gender Affirming Closet was created. The GAC is a growing collection of donations created to give students free access to gender expression and gender affirming items in a safe, welcoming environment. Featured items include binders, tucking tape, gently used clothing, accessories and shoes, and bulge enhancers.

Medical Transportation Funding    

Hosted by CREI, the Office of Title IX, Student Wellness, and the Student Counseling Center, the Medical Transportation Program provides free transportation to medical appointments through Uber. The program must be used for non-emergency medical/mental health appointments. Eligible appointments include:

  • Sexual forensic appointments
  • Urgent and routine mental health appointments
  • Specialist appointments (psychological testing, dental, etc.)
  • Gender affirming care
  • Reproductive health 

For more information, please visit the webpage for Equity & Inclusive Excellence at Goucher College.

Thank you for your support,
Isabel Moreno-López

Isabel Moreno-López, Ph.D.
(She/Ella)
Interim VP for Equity & Inclusive Excellence
Associate Provost for Undergraduate Studies
Professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies