Diversity and Inclusion

Student Brianna Ridenour
Tuesday, April 26, 2016 Student Spotlight: Middle of Nowhere to Middle of Everything
By Brianna Ridenour

Read more about Student Spotlight: Middle of Nowhere to Middle of Everything

Participants from the 2016 Lavender Graduation
Monday, April 25, 2016 Lavender Graduation

Held April 21, the Lavender Graduation and Chancellor’s Awards for Outstanding Contributions to the GLBT Community honored achievements by members of the LGBTQA+ community at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The ceremony honored six undergraduates, four master’s degree graduate students and two doctoral graduate students. All are graduating members of the LGBTQA+ community who received certificates and commemorative rainbow tassels. A complete participant list is provided below.

Read more about Lavender Graduation

Women's Week Wiki Warriors Edit-A-Thon
Monday, March 21, 2016 Women's Week Informs, Empowers and Inspires Action
Photo by Bergen Johnson

More than 400 students, staff, faculty and community members participated in Women’s Week events. Hosted March 5 -18, 2016, the event included movie screenings, panel discussions, art exhibits, keynote lectures, athletic events and technology centered event – all centered around the mission of empowering women.

Read more about Women's Week Informs, Empowers and Inspires Action

Global Leadership Retreat multicultural hands with globe
Friday, March 11, 2016 Getting to Know Our Global Neighbors
To help these students succeed in their academic pursuits, Student Affairs provides numerous programs and services designed specifically for international students. From serving a warm meal to welcome the students to assisting with tax preparation and planning cultural education and social networking events, our departments work to create an inclusive environment where international students feel they matter.

Read more about Getting to Know Our Global Neighbors

SUSI students from Africa participate in volunteer projects for Habitat for Humanity and a food bank
Thursday, March 10, 2016 A Shared Learning Experience with Africa
Study of the U.S. Institute of Civic Engagement

When we hear about service learning opportunities, the image of college students from Africa visiting the U.S. to provide service and assistance may seem unusual – but it the just one of unique opportunities presented by the Study of the U.S. Institute on Civic Engagement for Student Leaders program.

Read more about A Shared Learning Experience with Africa

A Shared Learning Experience with Africa

When we hear about service learning opportunities, the image of college students from Africa visiting the U.S. to provide service and assistance may seem unusual – but it the just one of unique opportunities presented by the Study of the U.S. Institute on Civic Engagement for Student Leaders program.

Hottest Ticket in Town: OASIS Stroll Off

Excitement and anticipation filled the air as seven multicultural Greek organizations took the stage at the Annual OASIS Stroll Off on Friday, Sept. 9. More than 500 students, alumni and community members packed the Centennial Room in the Nebraska Union to standing room only as they took in performances and cheered on participants.

Lunar New Year Celebrated with Games, Activities

The Lunar New Year was celebrated on Thursday, Jan. 26 with games, food and entertainment. 

Alex Tran, president of the Vietnamese Student Association, explained the background of the Lunar New Year.

“Lunar New Year is the traditional New Year of the Southeast Asian countries. Each year has different animals, and this year is the year of the rooster,” said Tran. “It’s a time family comes together and hands out lucky money, and you play a lot of games. Usually, we take the whole week off for celebrating.”

Women's Week Informs, Empowers and Inspires Action

More than 400 students, staff, faculty and community members participated in Women’s Week events. Hosted March 5 -18, 2016, the event included movie screenings, panel discussions, art exhibits, keynote lectures, athletic events and technology centered event – all centered around the mission of empowering women.

Hispanic Culture Celebrated with Fiesta on the Green

On Thurs., Sept. 22, hundreds of students, faculty and community members of all ages gathered for Fiesta on the Green, an annual event sponsored by the Office of Academic Success and Intercultural Services to celebrate Latino culture during National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Student organization honored for raising $25,000 for suicide prevention

Out of the Darkness, a student organization now in its second year at Nebraska, was honored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) for raising more than $25,000 and being a Top 10 Fundraising Walk in 2016. The campus group ranked fifth among campuses nationwide. An award was presented to Nebraska representatives at the 2017 AFSP Chapter Leadership Conference in Orange County.

Student Spotlight: Middle of Nowhere to Middle of Everything

I grew up in a small town in the Panhandle of Nebraska called Alliance. We are commonly known for Carhenge, UNL alumnus and basketball star Jordan Hooper, and the BNSF Railway. We are a town with a population of approximately 8,500 people, but that number is always fluctuating. According to the 2010 Census, statistics showed Alliance as a predominately white community with 87.49% of residents (7,429 out of 8,491 people) identifying themselves with the “white alone” option on the survey concerning their race. Also only 12.34% (1,048 out of 8,491 people) of the population in Alliance was made of “persons of Hispanic or Latino origin.” I mention the above because when I arrived on the UNL campus in the fall of 2014, I had one of the most eye opening, impactful experiences of my life. I had culture shock.

Drag Workshop Teaches Performance Art to Students

More than 100 students gathered in the Unity Room at the Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center on Thurs., Sept. 29, for the How to Do Drag Workshop. The LGBTQA+ Resource Center and the UNL Spectrum student organization hosted the event in place of a regular UNL Spectrum meeting. At the event, Michael Johnson and Trent Battershaw, experienced drag performers, taught attendees different types of drag and gave tips for on stage performance and how to choose the right name, music, makeup and clothes.

Students share the tradition of Lunar New Year

On Thursday, Jan. 26, the Office of Academic Support and Intercultural Services hosted a Lunar New Year celebration for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus community.

Lavender Graduation

Held April 21, the Lavender Graduation and Chancellor’s Awards for Outstanding Contributions to the GLBT Community honored achievements by members of the LGBTQA+ community at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The ceremony honored six undergraduates, four master’s degree graduate students and two doctoral graduate students. All are graduating members of the LGBTQA+ community who received certificates and commemorative rainbow tassels. A complete participant list is provided below.

Student Spotlight: "Changed" by College

Within the first few weeks of college, someone very close to me at the time expressed to me that “Lincoln (read: UNL) changes people.” I remember feeling very offended at that statement. I didn’t feel any different. What did this individual mean? Was this meant to be defamatory in some way toward myself, my friends, or my chosen institution of higher education?

Intercultural Spotlight celebrates unity with a talent competition

More than 400 students, faculty and staff members gathered in the Nebraska Union on Feb. 4 to watch twelve student groups compete in the Intercultural Spotlight Competition. The evening highlighted unity and cultural appreciation through entertaining performances.

“We organized the event because we believe in the value of cultural diversity and [wanted] to showcase a variety of cultures from different countries, not only one country,” said Luyao Yan, residential international student coordinator.

Celebrating 100 Years of Brotherhood

Smiles, hearty laughter and stories of the good old days flowed freely when members of Kappa Alpha Psi gathered to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Eta Chapter at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

“It’s like a second homecoming – though UNL has their homecoming in the fall, it’s like that second homecoming for the individuals and they just made a big weekend out of it,” said Alfonzo Cooper, a graduate advisor to the Kappa Alpha Psi chapter at UNL.

Pi Alpha Chi Joins Nebraska Panhellenic Association as Associate Member

Pi Alpha Chi, a local sorority founded on Catholic values, was accepted into the Panhellenic Association at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as an associate member in September.

Making Strides: Increasing Minority Student Graduation Rates

In March the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was recognized by The Education Trust for its 10-point reduction in the achievement gap between white and black students between 2003 and 2013. At the same time, UNL increased the overall graduation rate by 4.5 percent. While there is room for continued improvement, this great feat should be celebrated and studied to examine how to further close the achievement gap for minority students.