Rising to the Challenges of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Work

MLK memorial wall with quote

The last few years have brought many challenges to the work of diversity, equity and inclusion. We’ve always had challenges — policies change slowly, climates vary and budgets are often tenuous. Anyone working in DEI must be committed, persistent and in it for the long haul.

We’ve worked through the contentious 2016 election, changes to Title IX, the travel ban, North Carolina’s HB2, increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity, threats to DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and the unjust killings of Black citizen that have left us questioning the progress we thought we’d made to dismantle systemic racism.

These events brought uncertainty into the lives of marginalized groups that the Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity works daily to assist, support and empower.

Yet these events also motivated us to strengthen our efforts to enable every student, faculty member and staff member to work, learn and live in an environment of fairness and respect, and where no one experiences discrimination. With perseverance, resilience and commitment, we continue to work to ensure the welcoming environment everyone deserves.

The last few years have brought many challenges to the work of diversity, equity and inclusion.

The silver lining of the difficulties we’ve witnessed the past few years is that we now have more people joining this journey. With more support, we can do more to help others. You can read about some of our new initiatives on NC State’s diversity portal.

DEI practitioners and proponents are here to include everyone. We are thankful for the support of our own institution’s leadership, that of our peer institutions and educators across the nation and around the world as we strive to provide a high-quality academic experience for deserving students without regard to their race, class, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, national origin or other protected class membership.

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Support OIED

Help the Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity work toward creating a fair and equitable university.

  • If you would like more information about what we do, subscribe to our newsletter, attend a (virtual) event, or read about our many programs and services on our website.
  • If you have been or are being discriminated or harassed because of a protected status, you can file a report with Equal Opportunity and Equity.
  • If you have experienced bias, you can file a report with the Bias Impact Response Team.
  • If you or someone you know is experiencing relationship violence, sexual violence or stalking and are in need of advocacy services, you can call the 24/7 Sexual Assault Helpline at 919.515.4444 to be connected with an advocate. For more information, please see go.ncsu.edu/supportsurvivors.

Elizabeth Snively (she/her) is director of communications in the Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity.