O’Neill faculty pivot lesson plans to address real-world conflict in Ukraine

Posted on March 7, 2022 by Leslie Wells

Pierre Atlas lectures students from the front of the classroom with a map of Ukraine behind him — O’Neill Senior Lecturer Pierre Atlas teaches students about the conflict in Ukraine.

Before Russian military forces ever launched attacks in Ukraine, O’Neill Senior Lecturer Pierre Atlas was answering emails from students, eager to know more about what was happening and why. He had been writing about rising tensions between the two nations for weeks.

“Many students were already asking me about the situation in Ukraine in the days prior to the invasion,” he says.

On the morning of February 24, more questions began pouring in from students, including from Kobie Summers, a Criminal Justice major at O’Neill. Summers contacted Atlas that morning about what was going on—and to ask a favor.

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Building allyships and sponsorships

Posted on February 28, 2022 by Leslie Wells

Woman standing in blue shirt and gray blazer. Text says Tenecia Waddell-Pyle

Written by Tenecia Waddell-Pyle (BSCJ’16), Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at MyPath Companies

When I began my journey at O’Neill IUPUI, I was a single mother of three active boys and a full-time police officer with mandatory overtime duties. I already had more than a decade of law enforcement experience under my belt but wanted to expand that knowledge. Now, six years after earning my Criminal Justice degree from O’Neill, I have a new career dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)—that work includes helping people learn to become allies for different identity groups.

The cross-sector education I received at O’Neill has been a great light in my life and has helped me gain opportunities and make an impact in the spaces I have been in—from a 15-year career in law enforcement to nonprofit executive leadership and now to corporate senior leadership.

Throughout my career and life, I have been navigating DEI topics and cultivating DEI initiatives. In June 2021, this work became my primary focus when I was named the first Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for MyPath—a human services organization providing educational, therapeutic, and community supports for children, adolescents, and adults with disabilities, mental health issues, and other significant needs.

Yet before my current role, I was building relationships within the company. I started an initiative that created a safe and belonging space for conversation and education on topics that affected our diverse staff, clients, and communities.

We all can and must work to create those spaces wherever we are. We also should look for opportunities to build allyships and sponsorships. These two relationships are extremely important in supporting and amplifying underrepresented and marginalized populations.

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O’Neill’s plans for diversity, equity, and inclusion

Posted on February 21, 2022 by Leslie Wells

Written by: Ellise Smith, Assistant Director of the O’Neill Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

As a Black woman, I recognize my identities show up before I have the opportunity to speak. Once I step foot into a classroom or log into a Zoom meeting, most can identify I am a fat, Black, woman.

Historically, society has marginalized all three of those identities. Through each of them, I experience life in a different way every time I enter a room. I cannot show up as just a woman, just Black, or just fat—a word I aim to reclaim. I live with these identities daily. I am treated differently depending upon who is in the room and their experience with someone who holds one or all my identities. That is why I have chosen to consistently show up doing DEI work as my authentic self.

That work began in high school when I often asked, “Why are you treating people ‘funny?’” At the time, that was my way of calling out all the -isms and phobias many found permissible. Moving into higher education did not shield me from sexist, racist, fatphobic, or other discriminatory discussions. I chose to take those experiences and engage in work that challenged systems that have discriminated against people based on society’s limited perceptions. I continued this questioning well into my work as a doctoral student and to this day as the assistant director of the O’Neill Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

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Do more for the Black community by expanding education and taking action

Posted on February 14, 2022 by Leslie Wells

Written by: Alyssa Hodges, O’Neill Criminal Justice major and student assistant for the O’Neill Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

On the surface, Black History Month sounds like a great opportunity to celebrate Black history and culture–but why are we limited to one month? Initially, Black History Month was designed to be a week-long celebration of Black culture in public schools but has since been extended to the month of February. Black culture is much too prominent, important, and ever-changing to still be restricted to the shortest month of the year.

It is important to teach the full history of African Americans and to celebrate it throughout the year. Most students in America are taught history through a white European lens from K-12. That was certainly the case for my initial education as a child.

Growing up as a biracial woman, I was surrounded predominantly by white people in an upper-middle-class suburban neighborhood. It was always hard to find where I fit in because I never seemed to be Black enough or white enough–I am quite literally placed right in the middle. I found myself straightening my hair for years trying to resemble more closely what I saw in my community, though it never felt right. Something was still missing. The more I began to learn and dive into Black culture, the more I felt like I was discovering a part of myself that had been neglected for the greater part of my life. Being Black is beautiful and something that deserves to be embraced and celebrated.

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Leaving quiet legacies of meaningful change

Posted on February 7, 2022 by Leslie Wells

Cullen Merritt gesturing while speaking to a class — O’Neill Associate Professor Cullen Merritt speaks to an Honors College class.

Written by: Cullen C. Merritt, Ph.D., O’Neill Associate Professor and Director of the O’Neill Honors Program

Black history is a part of American history. It’s a part of world history. It’s a point of pride, a point of excitement, and a point of reflection for all of us.

When I think of Black History Month, I think about honoring those who came before me who have beaten the odds and overcome obstacles to positively change society.

Growing up, Black History Month often focused more on Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks or George Washington Carver. We would discuss the incredible barriers they overcame, the vast number of people they affected, and the wide-reaching influence they had.

And while what they did is—without question—amazing and impactful, it is difficult to replicate.

As an adult, I have developed a great appreciation for the many people who were just as integral to social and racial justice progress but who may not have made the front page of the paper.

It is critical that we celebrate those people and their experiences during this month and beyond as well.

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