Inclusion

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When you have a staff that trusts you and is able to share things about their lives  

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that they maybe wouldn't um, share otherwise, by being inclusive you foster that safety  

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that allows people to share that experience with you.

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Jeff Dahlander, Assistant Director of Housing Contracts and Operations for 
Housing and Residential Life, Student and Campus Life.

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It's important for me uh, because a lot 
of the students that we work with are looking  

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for uh, somebody um... that they can identify with or that can understand their experience when they're  

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navigating either the housing assignment process or trying to figure out how to get  

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assistance on campus. And having someone on my staff is open about having their disability, it  

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creates a more inclusive environment where students and staff feel more comfortable uh... 

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coming to us and allowing us to assist them. And accessing um... services on campus and by  

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you know creating an environment where people feel safe and they feel like they can share  

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who they are and bring their entire self um into the work experience it's an invaluable perspective.  

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It takes a lot of work on a supervisory level. It takes a willingness  

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to have conversations that are difficult um, at times... but it's about treating your, your  

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employees, your supervisees, as human beings and looking at them as a complete and whole person.

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So, if I know that somebody in my office um, has difficulty hearing, when we're having a large  

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group event um, always having a microphone and encouraging everyone to use that microphone uh,  

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not only helps that individual but all the other individuals that may have difficulty hearing that  

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don't feel like... or, don't feel comfortable yet to uh, self-disclose. It helps everyone hear  

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and understand better. For my own team, my small team um, you know, what we're doing day in and day  

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out is housing assignments, room changes but it also requires a lot of accuracy and we're using  

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multiple systems and student information and one of the things that I noticed uh, was that one of  

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my team members was making a lot of errors. And in talking to them, they explained that they were just  

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trying to to go as fast as the other staff member and it was because of her disability. So having  

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that conversation with her and saying you know what's more important about getting this task done  

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is that it's accurate not necessarily important that it's quick. But it also has me thinking what  

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is it, what more can I provide. Are there ways that we could have some kind of adaptive keyboard or is  

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there something that we could modify as far as how to make assignments within the system that  

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would not only work better for her but maybe will improve the processes overall for all  

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people having to work within that system. When you've got employees that feel seen and they  

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feel valued they're more likely to speak highly about their experience working at 
Cornell.

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[Michelle] I do a lot of things to care for 
myself but I think the first thing  

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that comes to mind for me as being the 
most important is the friendships that I have.

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Connectedness is so very important. We are 
seeing in national data that people are reporting  

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a greater sense of loneliness. And in Human 
Resources and the Department of Inclusion and  

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Belonging we've been having a lot of conversation 
about how we can enhance connectedness for our  

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faculty and staff. 
[Avery] I'm also a Presidential Adviser in Diversity and Equity, uh... where working with two  

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of my other colleagues we think a lot about 
how do we... how do we ensure that everyone who  

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is here at Cornell feel... feels like they belong. So, Belonging at Cornell initiative. [Kathryn] I think one  

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of the most important things for our students to 
realize is that, with... among the community that they  

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have here at Cornell University is an incredible 
network that can stay with them for life. And so  

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to really enjoy and embrace and develop those 
personal relationships while they are here  

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on this campus. Certainly with their faculty and 
with staff but but absolutely with their fellow  

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students.  [Michelle] Being a Higher Ed institution we have 
a lot of people who are here for a short period  

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of time. And that can be really difficult if they 
don't have um... family and friends nearby. And so we  

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want to provide them with opportunities to build 
those connections and to really feel a part of our  

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community. [Cortney] Even though Cornell can feel like a big 
place, if you can make one connection with someone  

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um... that connection could be your path to finding 
the answer that you need to get the support you  

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need. [Ten] Meeting people across departments, and meeting 
people across colleges, and just setting up casual  

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meetings. Go out and say hi to somebody. Touch grass. 
Get a coffee. [Aaron] I've been able to do that through a  

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few different opportunities here on campus as 
well. There's a kind of an informal basketball  

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group they... they play basketball on a couple days 
a week. Um... I've connected with them some. There's  

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many people who are interested just... just kind 
of... reach out. And even if you can't find anyone  

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there... there's entire departments that are looking 
to connect people to do those things together.

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[Cortney] And I found that when I was new to campus or coming 
here um... even just a quick Google search of all  

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the options and opportunities that were here 
and available to staff or students. And of course, I  

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will always plug that the LGBT Resource Center is 
here to support the health and wellbeing of all  

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students, especially LGBTQ+ students. We offer 
programs that support community building, building  

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your social network, connecting with others. 
[Ten] And so find the people that you do fit with, that you  

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vibe with. [Cortney] We can find a way to find a space for 
everyone to feel welcome and affirmed. [Ten] I think that  

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a lot of people um... can be intimidated by the size 
and the uh... separation of the Cornell community.

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And it can be easy to think I'm alone and this 
doesn't work for me but it really, really can.  

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And there are resources to help you get to a 
place where you do fit in and you do work perfectly.