Mar 21, 2024
**Advancing DEI Values**
In an enlightening new episode of SA Voices From The Field
Dr. Jill
Creighton invites Shawntal
Brown, an advocate for diversity, equity, and
inclusion (DEI), to share her insights on driving institutional
support for these crucial values. Shawntal emphasizes how
integrating DEI into the fabric of higher education is not just
beneficial but essential for creating welcoming and inclusive
environments.
**The Research Journey**
Shawntal's research journey reveals a strategic pivot from
focusing on staff insights to exploring university presidents' role
in championing DEI. This shift underscores the importance of
leadership buy-in for effective DEI initiatives
**Navigating Complex Social Landscapes**
Proactive DEI work is emerging as a priority in contemporary
academia. Dr. Jill and Shawntal discuss the challenges posed by
today's charged social and political climates, emphasizing the need
for steadfast commitment to DEI principles.
**Legislative Impacts on DEI**
Texas Senate Bill 17's severe restrictions on diversity
trainings and resources present significant hurdles. Shawntal
offers a poignant analysis of the bill's consequences, exploring
the complex task of reconciling legislative compliance with DEI
values.
**Staying True to DEI Amidst Legal Challenges**
Transitioning DEI efforts to align with new legislation while
adhering to core values is a delicate balance. Shawntal reflects on
her time in the school of engineering, bringing a personal touch to
her professional dedication to supporting students.
**Self-Care for DEI Professionals**
Shawntal wisely advises her peers to prioritize self-care while
traversing the treacherous waters of DEI work, advocating for a
strong support system amidst the current landscape.
**Professional
Development and Community Building**
Promising initiatives like the NASPA 2024 Mid Level Administrators
Conference and the Women's Leadership Institute provide pivotal
growth and networking opportunities for DEI professionals.
**Resources
Against Regressive Legislation**
Sharing resources and staying informed are vital for navigating
legislative impacts on higher education, as Shawntal passionately
discusses.
TRANSCRIPT
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:00:01]:
Welcome to Student Affairs Voices from the field, the podcast where
we share your student affairs stories from fresh perspectives to
seasoned experts. This is season 10, continuing our season 9 theme
of On Transitions in Student Affairs. This podcast is brought to
you by NASPA, and I'm doctor Jill Creighton, she, her, hers, your
essay voices from the field host. Hey, essay voices. Welcome back
for our next episode. And today, I'm very excited to introduce you
to Shawntal Brown. Shawntal aims to advance the values of
diversity, equity, and inclusion and promote servant leadership
through her research, service, and formal academic appointments. In
her current appointment as senior outreach program coordinator for
initiatives for campus support in the division of campus and
community engagement at the University of Texas at Austin, Shawntal
builds connections with students, staff, and faculty so the campus
community members can experience a welcoming and inclusive campus
climate.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:00:57]:
She enjoys a research based approach to community building,
including leveraging campus climate assessment findings to develop
resources and strategically approach campus outreach to support
equitable environments at the university. Her equity lens is also
evident in her service and accolades. Shawntal is the co-president
of the Texas Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education
or TADAHE for short and provides TADAHE administrators with
professional and personal development opportunities in alignment
with the mission, envision, and equity and inclusive experience of
the organization. Additionally, she received the NASPA Region 3 DEI
Mosaic Award for her passion and support of diversity, equity, and
inclusion through her advocacy and research. Shawntal's doctoral
research focuses on university presidents and their commitments to
DEI through their organizational perspective. Her work, mapping
pleasure and pain of women's bodies, Southern Black feminist
geographic interventions in the journal Gender, Place, and Culture.
And Additionally, she has co authored with doctor Michael a Goodman
in ACPA developments called It'll Be Like Biden and Harris, a Black
Woman's Conundrum in Collegiate Student Government. To bridge
research and practice across disciplines, Shawntal regularly
presents at different conferences, including National Women's
Studies Association, the Texas Association College and University
Student Personnel Administrators or TCUPSA Group, and with
NASPA.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:02:16]:
Hope you enjoy our conversation. Before this episode moves forward
today, I want to ensure that we clarify the timeline for the
conversation. Shawntal and I had the pleasure of speaking in mid
February 2024. This was prior to the layoffs happening at the
University of Florida in the DEIB space. So if you don't hear us
reference it or you're confused why something sounds a little
different than your expectations, it's because that particular
action simply had not occurred yet when this conversation was
recorded. If you are a person at the University of Florida who's
been impacted by the legislation and by job loss, just want to say
that I'm thinking about you and hope that you're able to progress
forward in a way that is meaningful and also still helps our
students feel included, not just feel included, but become included
in our collegiate spaces. I appreciate all of the work that you all
are doing and have done. Shawntal, we are thrilled to welcome you
to SA Voices.
Shawntal Brown
[00:03:14]:
Yes. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited for today.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:03:17]:
And in our theme of transitions, we're going to be talking about
your transitions primarily as a diversity educator and student
activist all the way through to professional who's supporting
students who are engaging in activism. And we always love to get to
know our guests by asking you how you got to your current seat.
Shawntal Brown
[00:03:34]:
Yes. So I think going back, I am originally from Oklahoma City. So
transferred to Austin, Texas for my master's in women's and gender
studies. And so while I was a master's student, I was just trying
to find my way of, like, you know, what do I wanna do as a career?
What do I want to, like, focus on? And I found myself being in
spaces that primarily supported minority student populations. And
so first started out in a center called the Gender and Sexuality
Center, supported LGBTQIA students, women students within that
space, and led different opportunities like a feminist Friday,
where we talked about different topics focused on, like, you know,
feminist theory, talking about occurring events, things like that.
Just supporting folks who are like in different organizations. And
so as I was in that space, I was like, I kinda like this. This is
like a really cool space to be in.
Shawntal Brown
[00:04:23]:
I really enjoyed just working along the different program programs
that they did, events that were had. And I was like there's there's
something about this that I like and so after I finish that
internship, I started working at the international office at my
institution at the University of Texas at Austin, and I was working
with, like, different students from different, countries. So from,
like, China, Germany, you name it. We were working with those
student populations. And to do that event, I was considered a
assistant program coordinator then. And before, I'm not formally
trained in, you know, student theory, higher education, and that
sends for my master's degree. And so I was like, I wonder how this
could pan out as a job in the future. And so slowly but surely
continue to do that work, working with different student groups,
whether they're international, whether they were, like, you know,
minoritized populations, campus.
Shawntal Brown
[00:05:17]:
And then I found myself, like, I think this is, like, the career
path that I wanna go down. And so I was applying for positions that
are specifically working with underrepresented students, especially
women students. I wanted to, you know, continue to do that work.
And after a while, I was able to become a student program
coordinator in an engineering office that supported
underrepresented students, which was an amazing opportunity because
I, like, advise student groups, a lot of professional groups like
the National Society of Black Engineers, Society of Hispanic
Professional Engineers. I was able to put on programs to welcome,
like, prospective students. I did a lot of recruitment work, and
then also did, like, classes, taught, like, research research
course, getting students it really interested in graduate school,
especially underrepresented students because I was just like, you
in this space are so important to have as a potential, like,
faculty member, as a mentor for, like, future students that are
coming behind you. And so I was really passionate about doing that
work. But really in that role is doing, like, a little bit of
everything, becoming like a Swiss army knife, if you will, in, the
space.
Shawntal Brown
[00:06:18]:
So really getting to know different skills that I was building and
helping folks academically, helping folks professionally, you know,
all those different realms for those student groups. And so after a
while, I was like, this has been a really great opportunity just to
really get to know these students, seeing them grow in their
different ways. And so that was, like, my first full time position
to really see, like, this is a really great opportunity to work
with these students. And so now my current role as a senior
outreach program coordinator, I work in a division of the of campus
and community engagement. It's more focused on the broader campus
community as supporting students, staff, and faculty to make sure
they have a welcoming and accessible, like, experience at the
institution. But really, my pathway kind of just helping support
underrepresented groups has been really just like the foundation of
where I found myself at the institution and just really enjoy the
work that I do.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:07:09]:
And I'll give you a shout out for your work for our listeners. As
we mentioned in the bio, Shawntal actually received a NASPA award
region 3 for, the DEI Mosaic award supporting diversity, equity,
and inclusion. So can you tell us about what work led to that
recognition?
Shawntal Brown
[00:07:24]:
Yeah. Oh, goodness. I would just also wanna shout out the folks who
willingly nominated me. I was like, thank you. Thank you. Thank you
so much. The it was really like a lot of the work that I have done
has really been focused on, just supporting the professionals in my
role with the Techs Association of Diversity Officers in Higher
Education. A mouthful I know, but we call it TADAA here, was really
the opportunity for me to really branch out and network with other
DEI professionals rather in the state of Texas.
Shawntal Brown
[00:07:51]:
And so that was kind of, like, one of the many things that folks
saw me doing. I'm currently the co president for that. And so that
has kind of, like, led to to that recementing my foundation within
DEI. I think just also the support of, underrepresented students,
like I've mentioned, has really just been, like, the cracks that
people can see that connection building that I really love to just
put forth with people. And let me see. I think I'm trying to
remember one more. I feel like I'm forgetting one more, but I think
folks see the overall research. And I'm also doing my my doctorate
part time, doing my research focusing on diversity, equity,
inclusion.
Shawntal Brown
[00:08:28]:
And I think people see that that's something that's really just a
core value to my, like, higher ed professional life profile. And so
I think the folks who nominated me really saw and let that shine
through when they wrote those nominations. So I'm really
appreciative for them.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:08:44]:
And the work that you were doing for that recognition, also
extremely important and kind of unique to tie into higher
education. Can you talk a little bit about how you found your
research topic? Because I know that is a major question for almost
every doctoral student on the planet. Everyone's either on this
very big mind space of wanting to study everything, maybe a little
bit lost on not knowing what to study.
Shawntal Brown
[00:09:06]:
Yeah. That's a great question. I think I really started out with,
like, the crux of, like, I'm really interested in DEI in my
research, but where do I go here? And initially, I was trying to
focus more on, like, the staff perspective of, like, flipping it.
Like, what could staff do to make DEI more cemented in their goals
and their, like, you know, opportunities and things like that. But
then I was, like, really sitting with it's bigger than this because
my personal opinion in thinking about the institution, I feel like
DEI should be really just linked up into, like it should be fully
embedded into the infrastructure of the institution. So I was,
like, thinking, how can that happen? What does that look like? And
read through, like, the literature that I have gone through at this
point. They talked about chief diversity officers as, like, really
important people to have in these roles, really important to have
in these spaces to really amplify that voice. But then in the case
of my research specifically, I was like, you know what? Let's shift
it.
Shawntal Brown
[00:10:00]:
Like, what does it mean to have a university president who really
supports this? And so that's kind of the perspective I'm taking up.
Like, what does it mean for your leadership up above to support the
values of diversity and inclusion, whether it be in their state of
union addresses and strategic plans. Like what does that mean for
them to do this work? And so it was something that it took me a
while to get there. I think I kind of, like, was taking the
different angles. I think of it as like a diamond. I was like, I'm
on this face of the diamond, but I I need to just go over to this
face to this face. And now I'm like, oh, I kind of hit where I
wanna be. And it's really interesting.
Shawntal Brown
[00:10:34]:
I might nerd out a little bit on researching because I'm really
excited about it to really look at one specific, president that is
at the University of Texas at Boston who had a really amazing
legacy that I've heard so far, who was William c Powers, who just
really did a lot of great work and really amplified diversity,
equity, inclusion here. And so I'm kind of curious, how did he do
this work? How did he get here? And so I'm very excited to start
get to the process of, like, interviewing, chatting with folks to
kinda hear about the experiences that people may have had with him.
So I'm I'm really excited just to see what does this mean for other
future university presidents? What does it mean for folks who are,
like, aspiring for this role who also love diversity, equity,
inclusion, or value diversity, equity, inclusion too? So I'm really
excited for this.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:11:15]:
I think that's really important work to look at that narrative
perspective on what it actually looks like in practice. I know that
our NASPA colleagues put out a publication not too long ago about
campus statements in response to acts of racial aggression or
ethnic aggression or marginalized identity based aggression and
what they looked like, some of their impact and things like that
that came out, I wanna say, maybe couple of years ago. It was post
the murder of George Floyd, but it was, I think, still during the
pandemic when that came out. So that maybe kind of losing a little
steam in terms of age as we all know research does, but I
appreciate that I think what you're doing is carrying that forward
and looking a little bit deeper at one individual perspective. But
I'm wondering as a professional in the DEI realm, what you're
seeing in terms of transitioning the work that you're doing because
I feel like for a long time, the field was in reactive mode because
there was so much happening. And now maybe we're swinging back to
being more proactive. What do you see?
Shawntal Brown
[00:12:13]:
No. I think that's really important now, especially with, like, the
social political climate happening, you know, states like Texas,
very conservative states with the anti DEI legislature that's going
on. And so I think it's an opportunity for professionals who are
trying to, 1, remain in compliance with, like, you know, the new
law. But then, 2, for folks who are, like, needing to really
resubmit and reaffirm the work that they're doing. And so it's
definitely, like, a difficult balance right now because to think
more broadly about what's going on, folks of the AI professionals
or, you know, the new spaces that folks are in trying to still
support the new type of work that we're doing is a really tough
place. It's definitely like a lot of losses happened, but I think
it's more important now than ever to learn how to be proactive in
the spaces, especially That's a generous word. Yeah. It's a unique
time.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:13:11]:
That's a generous word.
Shawntal Brown
[00:13:13]:
Yeah. It's a unique time. And so I think it I think there is, like,
a future of what we can do to continue to support a version of
diversity work and what it can be. But I think it's definitely like
a we're kinda rolling with the punches. And I think the proactive
piece will definitely it still needs to be there, but I think it'll
just have to be a different way of shaping it for it to be still
present in our values in of itself, if that makes sense.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:13:42]:
So the unique thing always about the US is that depending on which
state you're in, the rules shift drastically. We also have quite a
few national members who are not within the United States. So can
you please elucidate a little bit what's going on in Texas with the
law?
Shawntal Brown
[00:13:56]:
Yes. No. That's important to just kind of get out of my US centric
perspective. So in Texas specifically, there was a bill passed
called 7 senate bill 17. It's more colloquially described as, like,
the anti DEI bill. And so with this, the bill asked for many
different things to be discontinued, such as, like, diversity
trainings, opportunities to have specific affinity groups, ally
trainings, different types of statements made by individuals. So,
like, diversity statements are no longer able to be offered by
faculty who are looking into precisions at their institutions. But
many all of it did really say that is trying to aim towards, like,
a color blind, gender neutral approach to things that happens at
the institution, which is very difficult because a lot of the
current DEI offices in Texas specifically have to go through
undergo a lot of changes.
Shawntal Brown
[00:14:49]:
And some of these changes resulted a lot of them were resolved. And
then an office that, you know, had to come back with something that
was gonna abide by the current law of senate bill 17. And so it's
definitely been a lot of upheaval just like not specifically I
would say upheaval watching it as a professional at my institution,
but also looking at the broader, like, Texas institutions and
seeing how the different changes are happening. And that's
definitely been, like, a really tough time overall just kind of
navigating the the spaces and how everyone's kind of doing things a
little bit differently. So it's been tough in that front.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:15:25]:
I think Texas, Utah, and Florida are all kind of in the same space
right now. How are you transitioning your work on a day to day
basis from what maybe you would have done last year or things like
trainings or just general inclusion in your campus community? And
how do you work towards that now given it feels like it's a little
bit antithesis to the new law?
Shawntal Brown
[00:15:50]:
Yeah. I think I'll I'll highlight Tadee because I think it is a
moment where us as an organization, we really wanna provide
resources to staff in those spaces and really help them kind of
understand the new law and also building community with each other.
Because since we Texas is so big, so spread out, there's so many
institutions here. And so it's really, like, important to have,
like, the community building, like, resource offering to folks
because, like I mentioned, like, everyone's doing things a little
bit differently, understanding the the law a little bit
differently. And so that makes it really tough. I can empathize
and, like, relate to, like, the feeling of, like, isolation in some
ways of, oh my goodness. We're this little hub here, and we're
doing this in this way. And then watching, like, a little hub
there, and they're doing it that way.
Shawntal Brown
[00:16:40]:
And so I think I am fortunate to be in a role with Tati just to
kind of be a support system in this time and just really try to
bring together the conversations with individuals. Like, we're
having our annual summit that's coming up in the summertime, and so
we're really trying to bring people, like, let's chat about this.
Let's understand it. How can we work together in this time? How can
we support each other in this time? And so that's our main push
right now.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:17:04]:
And what are you seeing that's working?
Shawntal Brown
[00:17:06]:
I feel like, you know, in the in the broader sense, I think the
resource sharing has been more, this is our key. We need to chat
about this. We need to talk about these conversations. So resource
sharing has been very helpful. Just to understand what's happening
at other campuses because we're this is still new. We're about,
what, a month in to this new legislature. So it's kind of like, oh,
yeah. We need to chat with each other.
Shawntal Brown
[00:17:27]:
We need to talk to each other. And so definitely, like, receiving
articles, keeping up with the news, reading about what's changing,
what's happening across the country, across the state, it's been
really important during this time.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:17:38]:
And anyone in particular who's been implementing practice
differently now in terms of being able to do the work and stay in
alignment with what the legislature expects?
Shawntal Brown
[00:17:48]:
Yeah. I think that's a really great question. And I think a lot of
the work that we used to do within our spaces cannot continue. And
that's really been tough for us as higher ed professionals to learn
the restrictions and the confines that we have to navigate with
this new law. And so it really hurts because there's great losses
that hasn't been acknowledged enough. I would say just to know that
there are centers that are closed that used to support LGBTQ
students. There are positions that are being let go of at different
institutions. And so there's a lot of grieving that is happening
right now amid these different anti DEI laws.
Shawntal Brown
[00:18:31]:
And so it makes the work that we try to do within the confines of
this law much more difficult because we are trying to make sure
that we are in compliance to new law. So there's a lot of barriers
to us now. And so it does impede a lot of the progress that was
made in prior years that we're trying to, you know, we were trying
to advance towards equity, and now we can't. And so it's definitely
very much antithetical to the work that was previously done, and
it's making it more difficult for higher ed professionals to
continue to do this work. And so, yeah, that's been really tough
and really difficult to just sit with currently.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:19:09]:
Yeah. Let's talk about your students as well or the students in the
state of Texas because, you know, we we think about the impact to
the profession. We think about, you know, the impact to how our
faculty colleagues are also responding. But at the end of the day,
the number one population impacted is probably the students who
will either no longer be receiving this type of education or who
maybe relied on services or communities, that are no longer either
allowed or at least recognizable under this new law. So how is that
playing out?
Shawntal Brown
[00:19:44]:
I think in the sense of this law, the students have really stepped
up in some ways. And I know that's kind of a tricky thing because I
know my personal, like, soap boxes that students came to the
institution to learn and not have to do so much advocacy work. And
so I hold a bit of tension with it in some ways. But I also say
that they have a lot of voice in what they can do and make
institutional leaders know, like, this is a problem. We're missing
this. We're hurting. We want to make sure that you understand this
loud and clear. And I think, like, you know, throughout social
media, throughout, like, my personal experience of, like, what I'm
seeing broadly is, like, I think that student voice is really
important right now.
Shawntal Brown
[00:20:24]:
It's critical right now, and it's so needed because they are being
heard. They are, you know, doing their own organizing. And there
are groups that are even outside of the institution that are doing
their organizing that, you know, are putting their own resources
together to really band with each other, which is really important
too. And so I really admire and appreciate what they're doing
because it's really gonna be something that's, 1, gonna be
important in when we look back at this time to see the work that
they've done and acknowledge that work. But then, 2, it's gonna be
something that we may need to think about in the future sense too
of, like, you know, how can we make sure that students, in a
broader sense, kind of get information that's gonna be helpful for
them prior to, like, the bills coming up. Maybe more of a, how can
we think about legislative, like, education and advocacy for our
students? Like, how can that be built into our to our programming
and our systems, like, in the future too? So it's kind of like a
thought that I hadn't missed about this kind of reflecting the
experiences.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:21:20]:
And you were a student activist before becoming a professional in
the DEI space. How has your take on the work changed from being a
student in the space to being a professional who's leading others
in the space?
Shawntal Brown
[00:21:32]:
I think in my experience, I guess, like for context, I went to the
University of Oklahoma for my alma mater. And so there is a
unfortunately, a racist incident that happened at the institution
that is known as the Sigma Alpha Epsilon, incident. Institution
that is known as the Sigma Alpha Epsilon, incident or SAE. It had a
lot of, like, press CNN, a lot of, like, you know, large global and
local news kind of took over it. And, essentially, it really
alienated black students on campus because the fraternity didn't
want black men to be part of their organization. And so it was
something where in that student activist perspective, I was like,
my voice, I feel like I need to share something. Like, my voice is
needed in this conversation, and I wanna be able to contribute. And
so to really do a lot of work of, like, making your voice known at
that time was really important and also engaging in different
conversations that people were having.
Shawntal Brown
[00:22:24]:
So whether it was me on social media talking about, you know, this
is why this isn't, you know, this is the article, current events.
This is what I think about it. We need to kind of think about how
we can incorporate this at the institution is one way I kinda
contribute my voice in the conversation. And also showing up to,
like, meetings with senior leadership as well as a way to kind of
put the face and name, help them understand how we can better
improve the experiences for black students specifically at the
campus, but also like black faculty to consider them and black
staff to consider them. And I think that was really important
during that time in addition to there's already a, like, a student
activist group called O You and Her that I always tell folks, like,
I feel like I was at the 2nd wave of that organization. And the 1st
wave of folks were really doing the work, and the 2nd wave was kind
of thinking more of, like, how can we make this work be expansive
than just this time frame that we're having now. And so to think
about all those different experience as a student activist that
I've had and coming into this role as, like, being a full time
professional, it was interesting to think about when 2020 did
happen and then the murder of George Floyd did occur, that there
was a lot of student voice that was happening when I was in my
role in the the school of engineering. And I was like, oh,
when I was in my role in the the school of engineering. And I was
like, oh my goodness. This is very reminiscent. This feels
familiar. And it was a moment for me to kind of think about, like,
where do I step in and where do I step back? Because I know as a
professional, there's, like, all the different layers of, like, you
know, you cannot represent, like, the institution. You can't
represent your department, but how else can you support these
students? And so really to be like the the listening ear or the
person who's signing, like the list of demands that they had to
kind of like cosign with them. If I was able to do that with them,
then that was something that I was, like, I feel good about
supporting you in this way or folks that, like, wanting to talk
about advice about navigating the space or what made sense or who
to talk to.
Shawntal Brown
[00:24:13]:
I think that's kind of how it shifted in a way of from the student
perspective, I felt more, I guess, I don't wanna say without
restriction, but I guess, like, there's a freeness around, like,
you know, how I can, like, express my voice and how I can express
my opinion and thoughts and things of that way. But as a staff
member, I had to kinda reflect on my sense of, like, power and
privilege and kind of, like, know when I can, like, step up in that
space and, like, help support or need to step back and let the
students kind of lead that and let me be in the background. And so
I think that perspective overall has really kind of helped better
understand or I guess better empathize really when students do use
their voice or, you know, need support in using their voice and
kinda think about how the greater picture of, like, what can change
at an institution really look like overall with those two
perspectives in mind?
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:25:00]:
That is a really important lesson that I think a lot of us in
campus based higher education need to relearn often, which is in
student affairs, we are more often than not the primary advocate
and voice for student needs within a university's administration.
And that voice has a lot of power, but also it can be marginalized
at an institution in a lot of cases. And so often I I think about
how much power our students really do have compared to staff, and
it is a very different balance. And deciding to sign on to a
position statement with students is an interesting balance of
choice that we all have to make when presented with that choice.
Can you talk a little bit about how you make that choice, to
determine whether you're signing on to something that your students
are advocating for versus not?
Shawntal Brown
[00:25:50]:
I think that's a delicate balance. And truthfully, I think I'm
still learning. I think in that space of thinking about when I was
in engineering, I was appreciative that other staff members were
willing to do that same thing for students. And so I felt that
since the community from trusted folks who were, like, signing on
to their to their positionality statements and speaking up in that
way. And I think it was more of a communal thing of, like, you
know, yes, we agree with you. We see you. We see the work that
you're doing. I think in in now, I think in some ways, I still do
that.
Shawntal Brown
[00:26:22]:
But sometimes I'm used like a personal email, for example, as a way
to still kind of do that work because I feel, you know, there is I
think I've hear this so many times, like, there's power in numbers
and it's really important. And so if I can still provide that
support and maybe it's more of a perfect like a personal like, I
personally feel like this is something critical that the
institution needs to listen to. I will do that work because I want
to see the institution or whatever the department, the office
change for the better. And once it changes for the better, it
changes for everyone. And it's a it's a win for everyone, I feel.
And so I think that's like the subtle way I have done it. There's
probably other ways that folks probably have thought through it,
but I think that's the my catch for all that balancing.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:27:07]:
Especially if you're a public employee choosing to use a personal
email is a big thing. Right? So I think everyone would be smart to
check with their local regulations on what that means for public
records and whole bunch of other things. But, yeah, it's it's
definitely an interesting balance. And then at some point in your
career as you grow, that letter's being sent to you as opposed to
you being asked to sign on to it. And then we're in a position to
decide how we engage in dialogue and actions and how we determine
what's actionable and not actionable. What's usually, everything is
quite reasonable, but what is actionable is a different question
given budget and time and, human resources and all those things. I
absolutely have so much respect for what's going on for DEI
professionals. And as like I said, in Texas, Utah, Florida, you all
are on the forefront of what could be a policy trend.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:28:01]:
And then on the other side, you know, we've got states that are
instituting protective measures for these efforts instead. Do you
have any advice for DEI professionals who are out there navigating
these waters on a daily?
Shawntal Brown
[00:28:14]:
I guess one thing is please take care of yourself during this time
because it's hard. It has definitely been hard. I think that that
has been the biggest thing that I feel like I'm still in some ways
learning of, like, needing to step away for a moment as much as I'm
able to and kind of step back. Because at the end of the day, it's
like it's a very large thing that's happening, like, across the
United States, across specific states. And I think if you have the
support to lean on someone else or to tap in someone else to kind
of be there for you as you kind of, like, take that moment to
yourself is really important. I think it's a tricky thing, but I
think that's something that I wish I kinda had that person, like,
in the midst of things changing or learning about the legislation.
I kinda wish I had a tap and being like, hey, Shawntal, you need to
go sit down for a moment. You need to rest for a moment.
Shawntal Brown
[00:29:04]:
And that has been something that I feel like that is at the core
now. For me, it's just kind of slowing down, taking the step away,
reading a book, meditating, whatever I need to to kind of repour my
cup for myself and to kind of still understand the the current
landscape that we're in.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:29:20]:
It's such simple and beautiful advice, but so hard to actually do.
The delivery of that is really challenging, I think, in the hustle
and bustle of our present day.
Shawntal Brown
[00:29:30]:
Yes. But it's a good like a reminder. So check-in, it's kind of
like check-in like, Hey, how are you doing? And then really kind of
assess like, what makes sense for you to like, continue in the
day.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:29:41]:
It's time to take a quick break and toss it over to producer Chris
to learn what's going on in the NASPA world.
Dr.
Christopher Lewis [00:29:47]:
Thanks, Jill. So excited to be back in the NASPA world and a lot of
things happening. Though we're past the NASPA annual conference,
there's a number of other professional development opportunities
that are coming up. One such event is the 2024 NASPA Mid Level
Administrators Conference. The early registration for this
conference closes on Friday, March 29th. Join us in Indianapolis,
Indiana for a transformative professional development experience
tailored for mid level student affairs professionals like you.
Discover cutting edge strategies for organizational leadership,
master the art of managing from the middle, and unlock your full
potential in influencing change. Connect with peers, exchange
insights, and build a robust network of allies to support your
growth.
Dr.
Christopher Lewis [00:30:32]:
Don't miss out on this opportunity to level up your skills and take
your career to new heights. Register now and embark on a journey of
growth, learning, and connection at mlac 2024. The conference
itself runs from June 13th to June 15th in Indianapolis, Indiana.
If you want more information, go to the NASPA website and find out
more. The 2024 Women's Leadership Institute is running from
December 10th through 13th in San Diego, California. ACUI,
Association of College Unions International, and NASPA are
partnering to bring you an experience focused on women leaders in
higher education. This institute offers strategies for women who
plan to lead with lasting impact. ACUI and NASPA are seeking
programs that will inspire participants to become an inspirational
and effective leader.
Dr.
Christopher Lewis [00:31:23]:
The program is designed by women for women. If you have a program
that you would like to submit, submit it on the NASPA website by
April 26th to be considered for this. Some of the topics that the
Leadership Institute looks to cover include supervision and
performance management, strategic planning, financial well-being,
upskill, reskill the bridge to the future, delegating and giving
away, picking up new skills and putting things down among others.
Again, the deadline to submit your program is April 26, and I
encourage you to go to the NASPA website to find out more. Volume
25 of the Journal of College and Character is out. And as a NASPA
member, you have access to the Journal of College and Character
among a number of other great journals that will help you in your
own professional development. This peer reviewed publication has a
number of amazing articles that are in it. And in this issue, there
are a ton of peer reviewed articles as well as some specific focus
areas on student engagement with spiritual and secular world views,
diversity and social justice and interfaith cooperation.
Dr.
Christopher Lewis [00:32:36]:
I highly encourage you to check out the Journal of College and
Character for yourself. If you've never checked out the journals,
go to the NASPA website, highlight publications, and go down to the
Journal of College and Character. You'll also see the other 3
journals that are available for NASPA members, the Journal of First
Generation Student Success, the Journal of Student Affairs Research
and Practice, and the Journal of Women short course that is
happening between March 25th April 26th on basic counseling skills.
This short course is a primer on the fundamental critical topic of
mental health and how to support students on your campus and beyond
tailored for non clinical professionals. The program will focus on
hands on skills needed for empathetic listening and effective
referral making based on NASBA's book, Basic Counseling Skills for
Higher Education Professionals, topics include anxiety and
depression, sexual assault and violence, well-being and burnout,
current trends in student mental health, making referrals, student
support, and more. You can register for this short course on the
NASPO website. This course is set up as 5 60 minute live sessions
that'll be held every Wednesday at 1 PM EST. They're scheduled for
March 27th, April 3rd, April 10th, April 17th, and April 24th.
Dr.
Christopher Lewis [00:34:02]:
Again, go to the NASPA website and learn more. Every week, we're
going to be sharing some amazing things that are happening within
the association. So we are going to be able to try and keep you up
to date on everything that's happening and allow for you to be able
to get involved in different ways because the association is as
strong as its members. And for all of us, we have to find our place
within the association, whether it be getting involved with a
knowledge community, giving back within one of the the centers or
the divisions of the association. And as you're doing that, it's
important to be able to identify for yourself where do you fit?
Where do you wanna give back? Each week, we're hoping that we will
share some things that might encourage you, might allow for you to
be able to get some ideas that will provide you with an opportunity
to be able to say, Hey, I see myself in that knowledge community. I
see myself doing something like that. Or encourage you in other
ways that allow for you to be able to think beyond what's available
right now, to offer other things to the association, to bring your
gifts, your talents, association and to all of the members within
the association. Because through doing that, all of us are stronger
and the association is better.
Dr.
Christopher Lewis [00:35:25]:
Tune in again next week as we find out more about what is happening
in NASPA.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:35:30]:
Chris, we really appreciate you always updating us on what's going
on in and around NASPA. And, Shawntal, that means we have made it
to our lightning round of our show. I have 7 questions for you in
about 90 seconds. Feeling ready?
Shawntal Brown
[00:35:44]:
I'm ready.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:35:45]:
Alright. Let's roll. Question number 1. If you were a conference
keynote speaker, what would your entrance music be?
Shawntal Brown
[00:35:50]:
Because I'm gonna say Texas Hold. I'm gonna be Beyonce.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:35:52]:
Number 2, when you were 5 years old, what did you wanna be when you
grew up?
Shawntal Brown
[00:35:56]:
An astronaut.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:35:56]:
Number 3, who's your most influential professional mentor?
Shawntal Brown
[00:35:59]:
Oh my goodness. I would say doctor Sophia Morin at the University
of Oklahoma.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:36:05]:
Number 4, your essential student affairs read.
Shawntal Brown
[00:36:08]:
Not necessarily within student affairs, but I would say Set
Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawab.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:36:15]:
Number 5, the best TV show you binged during the pandemic.
Shawntal Brown
[00:36:18]:
Oh, goodness. I watch a lot of true crime, so that's probably what
was something I was watching during that time.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:36:24]:
Number 6, the podcast you spent the most hours listening to in the
last year.
Shawntal Brown
[00:36:28]:
Oh, that is You Need to Hear This by Metro Global Chihuahua.
Wonderful, wonderful podcast.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:36:33]:
And finally, number 7, any shout outs you'd like to give personal
or professional?
Shawntal Brown
[00:36:37]:
Oh, goodness. I like to thank my husband, Cody. He's always there
listening to me, listening ear. I'll shout it out to my family in
Oklahoma and all the folks that I have made friends with and and
who have supported me in the state of Texas. There's a lot of
people, but I hope they all know who they are.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:36:54]:
Well, it's been wonderful to learn from you today, Shawntal, and to
hear your perspective on the evolution of DEI work in these states
that are becoming more challenging to deliver that work in on a
daily. If anyone would like to find community with you after the
show, how can they reach you?
Shawntal Brown
[00:37:09]:
Yes. I'm really active on Twitter. It is @ShawntalBrown, capital s,
capital b. You can find me there. You can also connect with me on
LinkedIn. And then I also have a Instagram, Shawntal_ or
Shawntal_brown_22. So happy to connect with folks on all those
platforms.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:37:27]:
Thank you so much for sharing your voice with us today.
Shawntal Brown
[00:37:29]:
Thank you.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:37:33]:
This has been an episode of Student Affairs Voices from the Field,
a podcast brought to you by NASPA. This show continues to be
possible because you choose to listen to us. We are so grateful for
your subscriptions and your downloads and your engagement with the
content. If you'd like to reach the show, please email us at sa
voices at naspa.org or find me on LinkedIn by searching for doctor
Jill L. Creighton. We always welcome your feedback and your topic
and guest suggestions. We'd love it if you take a moment to tell a
colleague about the show and give us a 5 star rating on Apple
Podcasts or wherever you're listening now. It really does help
other student affairs professionals find the show and helps raise
the show's profile within the larger podcasting community.
Dr. Jill
Creighton [00:38:14]:
This episode was produced and hosted by doctor Jill Creighton,
that's me, produced and audio engineered by Dr.Chris Lewis. Special
thanks to the University of Michigan Flint for your support as we
create this project. Catch you next time.