Beta Sigma Pi, College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society, is proud to announce their creation of a new training for faculty. This training, a PowerPoint available to faculty on Blackboard, is focused on cultural competency, diversity, inclusion, and equity in higher education.
The training was created as part of Beta Sigma Pi’s Honors in Action project, a requirement to achieve five-star chapter status, a 48-point plan for achieving success and a pinnacle achievement for PTK chapters. Using the five-star chapter plan as a guide to success, chapters can enhance their working relationship with the college administration by becoming active on the campus and in the community.
During the Fall 2019 semester, leaders of Beta Sigma Pi conducted a campus-wide, anonymous survey on student’s perception of stereotyping on campus. Among 205 participants, nearly nine percent of students reported they had experienced discrimination due to negative stereotypes, 62 percent did not believe stereotyping to be a problem, 21 percent had a slight issue, 14 percent reported average occurrence, and three percent reported moderate to severe stereotyping. Seventeen percent of students surveyed reported they had noticed themselves stereotyping a member of the campus community, almost one fifth of total participants.
“We all have biases,” explained Vice President of Leadership, Rheanna Palmer. “While Beta Sigma Pi knows the material we have provided in this training are not new, the solutions provided may be. Our hope, through this training, is to increase CWI faculty’s awareness of stereotyping, snap judgments, and unconscious bias on campus.”
All faculty are encouraged to participate in the training, available via Blackboard. Following review of the material, participants will be asked to complete a short, 10-question quiz on the content. Results obtained from the quiz will be used by Beta Sigma Pi leadership to complete the write-up for their Honors in Action project, due Jan. 16.
If you have any questions about the training or to learn more about Beta Sigma Pi, please contact Beta Sigma Pi President, Laura Baldwin, at laurabaldwin@my.cwi.edu.