REHS, 2023-24 Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Awards recipient [Video]

MSU’s Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Awards recognize Residence Education and Housing Services, Student Life and Engagement, for their exceptional and innovative contributions to advancing DEI in teaching, research, programming, service, community outreach and organizational change.

Residence Education and Housing Services, or REHS, a department in the Division of Student Life and Engagement, focuses on various areas impacting students’ living experiences on campus. REHS provides many services, including residence education, housing assignments, housing operations, conference services, facilities and maintenance. Throughout their work, REHS aspires to be an anti-racist and anti-oppressive department by setting educational goals, responding to student concerns and proactively engaging in individual and collective self-work.

In the spring of 2022, REHS started its Racial Equity Impact Analysis Team to critically evaluate policy and practice from an anti-racist lens to create change at the structural level. The team has evaluated key administrative processes and updated the housing contract, assignments policy and student conduct process. In response to student requests to transparently track progress, REHS created a DEI Dashboard, which is used as a tool for accountability and allows students to see progress made from their concerns. Since the fall of 2019, REHS has offered a dialogue series as the standard pedagogical approach for expanding DEI capacity across all staff levels. Most recently, REHS, in partnership with The Gender and Sexuality Campus Center and student organizations transcend and TransAction, sought to improve the system to secure safe and consistent housing for transgender and nonbinary students. After building the Gender-Inclusive Housing program, the team found that it was not fully meeting the needs of students, leading to the launch of the Transgender Residential Experience, which will include a full-time student coordinator position in fall 2024.

To learn about all 2024 recipients, visit:
https://inclusion.msu.edu/awards/excellence-in-diversity/ceremony.html