After one year and ten months, I am still challenged with a response to the question, “What is the ICI?” As Vennie often shares, when the ICI was originally created, he was uncertain of what it would become. Now, after ten virtual community forums, the creation of four task forces, two staff summits, four ICI Campus Community lunches, one student summit, an inaugural Food for Thought: Cultural Community Dinner series, a solid social media presence and an ICI Student Advisory Committee, we are only beginning to find our groove.

Our first year was spent identifying gaps in our support services for marginalized students and a lot of listening; really listening. The challenge, I have discovered, is an inability to snap my fingers and make things happen. What I can do is continue to spotlight student concerns and continue to create awareness with the larger campus about our marginalized student needs as we collectively make things happen.

Our second year has been spent on implementing opportunities to close these gaps by intentionally creating ways to increase DEI communications campus-wide, intentionally creating community rebuilding spaces for students and staff while intentionally removing barriers for students to communicate their needs with staff and administration.

For year three, as we continue to provide ongoing support for marginalized students, we will spend time developing the significance of our ICI inclusive campus ecosystem at MSU. One need that clearly reveals itself through the ICI programming efforts is the number of students who are disconnected from campus resources.

What is the ICI? Consistently, the ICI has been a problem-solving ground-up approach to supporting the ongoing needs of marginalized students. The need for support is greater than ever. The need for outreach is greater than ever. The need to rebuild the community is greater than ever. The needs keep piling up. Yet, with the outstanding DEI efforts across MSU, I am not overwhelmed. I am inspired. The building of our inclusive campus ecosystem across this campus recognizes that we are all needed. We are all stakeholders.

What’s New to the ICI?

Inclusive Campus Initiative (ICI) Student Advisory Committee: Creating leadership opportunities that center student voices is key to the success of the Inclusive Campus Initiative. Many of these students have been actively involved in the ICI in various capacities, some since the ICI began in May 2021. As a result of their leadership and advocacy at MSU along with their commitment to the ICI, these students were invited to serve on this committee. We look forward to continuing our relationship with them to create a more inclusive campus at MSU. Learn more about each student here.