Trevino paves way for diversity
When Jesus Trevino came to the University of South Dakota in fall 2012, he had a vision for the Office of Diversity, a vision that has steered USD in the right direction and toward an actual remedy for its diversity shortcomings.
Since then, the associate vice president for diversity has implemented numerous policies and incentives, the most prevalent of which is the idea of inclusive excellence.
Inclusive excellence revolves around the idea of accepting others for their backgrounds and life experiences as opposed to the traditional ideas about diversity being linked to race and ethnicity.
Under Trevino, the university has developed a Diversity and Inclusiveness Statement, the first important step toward serious action about the issue of diversity by the university.
Trevino has also spearheaded the Voices of Discovery Intergroup Dialogue Program, which promotes communication between various student groups, including those that have to do with race, sexual orientation and economic status.
This has allowed groups to not only publicize their events within the diverse groups, but also gives them the opportunity to work together and form a more inclusive identity.
Trevino said he includes groups such as veterans and gender identities in his definition of diversity, allowing communities to overlap each other in ways they already realistically do.
The office has also overseen the Multicultural Leadership Retreat and the formation of organizations such as the Muslim Student Association, Asian American Student Association, Latino Student Organization and Students for Inclusive Excellence.
Most of these initiatives came in the wake of the 2010-11 Higher Learning Commission accreditation process, where diversity was listed as a concern for the university.
Through these actions, the definition of diversity has expanded once again, and groups previously not recognized with an organization have been able to connect with each other.
As part of this response, Trevino has strived to make the university a flagship university in the region for diversity. Through these initiatives, he has increased conversations about diversity, bringing it to the forefront of conversations.
With inclusive excellence, he has brought these conversations past issues of race and has promoted the use of a holistic approach to diversity. Trevino works not only to get individuals talking about diversity and inclusive excellence, but to involve the university in on these discussions.
With these discussions, the university is learning to look at problems from multiple angles, not just under the lens of race or ethnicity.
After all, each individual has a different background, adding to the diverse makeup of the university — it just takes some time to recognize it.
Photo: Associate Vice President for Diversity Jesus Trevino leads a “fishbowl” discussion during the Diversity Symposium March 27 in the Muenster University Center ballroom.
