Buzzwords & belonging: DFs discuss O-Week

By Veronica Yang     12/3/24 10:37pm

Diversity, equity and inclusion are buzzwords that often get thrown around, but at Rice, students and administration work to bring them to life. It shows: Rice was recently rated fifteenth for most diverse colleges in America by Niche.  

As preparations for the 2025 Orientation Week begin, applications for O-Week coordinators, advisors and other leadership roles have started to open. Among these roles are the new cohort of Diversity Facilitators. 

Catherine Clack, the associate vice provost for DEI and director of the Multicultural Center describes a DF’s mission as preparing students academically, socially and culturally, facilitating an easy transition to the diverse campus community. 

---

---

“The DFs are there to ensure everyone is able to begin developing a sense of belonging, making sure the diversity of our students is respected and that they are included in an equitable experience at Rice,” Clack said. 

DFs go through hours of training to help promote values such as inclusion and respect, Clack said.

Neha Kohli, a diversity facilitator coordinator, oversees the role. She said she believes interest in becoming a DF has significantly increased, as over 30 people attended the DF information session this year compared to four last year.

Ameenat Adisa, a Sid Richardson College diversity facilitator, said that DFs aim to provide a voice to all students. 

“We are just trying to make sure that everyone feels like they have a voice here, and to be that voice for those that may be shy,” Adisa, a Duncan College sophomore, said.

Despite the efforts DFs put into the O-Week planning process, Ava Brazell, a Jones College diversity facilitator, said she feels their work is often undervalued or even disregarded. 

“It's a little bit hard getting the role taken seriously … Something the entire campus should understand is we’re a resource throughout the entire year, and I feel that role is very important, but we are getting put on the back burner a little bit during O-Week,” Brazell, a sophomore, said.

There is even recent talk that DFs will be pushed completely out of the O-Week planning process, according to Kohli.

“Removing [us] from the Orientation Week planning process makes it so that we are just tokens, we are just representation, which is important, but I am personally not willing to put in so much work, just to be used by my identity,” Kohli said.

DFs have found it hard to gain proper acknowledgment and recognition for the work they do, according to Denise Lundu, a 2024 McMurtry College O-Week diversity facilitator. Lundu said DFs face broader misconceptions about diversity and inclusion held by students.

“Most also don’t understand that just because Rice is considered diverse, doesn’t mean they are inclusive,” Lundu, a Brown College sophomore, said. “You can have a bunch of people with different experiences, but what good is it to the community if they don’t come together — if they don’t even interact?”

The DFs’ work ensures that Rice’s commitment to diversity is more than just a statement, Lundu said. 

“I hope that diversity and inclusion become less of a ‘quota’ to fulfill and more of a core value embedded into Rice’s identity,” Lundu said.

---