A summary of the programs, events, and activities that the JEDI Collective has accomplished over the 2022 - 2024 academic calendar. This report also corresponds to the ADVANCE and TerrapinSTRONG responsibilities.
2023 - 2024 ACADEMIC YEAR
- University-wide: JEDI Officer representation of the MAPP+D School on Diversity Officers and ADVANCE Professors’ university committees and their projects.
- Within MAPP+D: JEDI Officer representing JEDI issues in the crafting of workload policy, job interviews for faculty candidates, promotion and tenure processes, exit interviews, onboarding, recruitment, and retention.
- Mentoring/advising of junior faculty and other colleagues. Creation of the “Fearlessly Forward Writing Group” for five junior faculty.
FALL 2023
- Weekly Newsletter: “Monday’s Care Droplet”
The Monday’s Care Droplet weekly newsletter intends to nurture a culture of care and belonging in the MAPP+D community. It features journalistic articles, webinars, and event announcements covering JEDI issues, mental and emotional health, community well-being, stress management, work-life balance, and self-care tips.
- Community Lunch & Learn: “Building Community & Solidarity Abroad”
An in-person community lunch was hosted at HJ Patterson Atrium, across from the ISSS Office. The event fostered dialogue about the experiences of the international and BBIPOC community at UMD. Dr. Clara Irazabal and Dr. Hiro Iseki from MAPP+D offered testimonies and moderated the conversation. Tacos a La Madre, a small, BBIPOC business establishment in College Park, provided and catered lunch.
- Deep Rest: A Community Practice for Moving Through Grief and Stress
The events took place on a Tuesday and Thursday evening in the last week of November (Nov. 28 and 30) after the Thanksgiving break in the Architecture Great Space. They included a tea ceremony, gentle yoga practice, journaling, Reiki, and community reflection. Hoang Edullantes and Mabelyn Mijangos co-led the practice. Hoang was a JEDI GA, a graduate student in the Master of Community Planning program, and a yoga teacher. Mabelyn was a healing artist and owner of KD Wellness Co.
- Representation and Mentorship for Prospective Students (RAMPS)
Tayo Taiwo and other graduate students in the MCP Program proposed a peer-to-peer mentorship program. The program aims to establish meaningful connections between seasoned graduate students and those considering applying to the master's program at the University of Maryland. Mentors would be available to advise on individual applications, proofread final drafts of essays, and answer questions about the curriculum and the logistics of attending the university.
SPRING 2024
- Weekly Newsletter: “Monday’s Care Droplet”
In addition to articles, the newsletter improved its graphic format and expanded to include upcoming events on and off-campus and accessible self-care resources. See newsletters. JEDI “Rest is Resistance” Practice Circle Based on Tricia Hersey’s Rest is Resistance book, this practice series was a semester-long, four-part series of story-sharing, somatic practice, and group dialogue space using elements from Tricia's book to help guide toward a collective imagining of what a rest culture can look like in our daily lives and our community.
- JEDI Workshop: “Regenerate Inside Out: Designing Places to Foster Wellness Culture”
The Regenerate Inside Out Workshop was a JEDI Collective initiative that aimed to use placemaking and design thinking approaches to foster a wellness culture. The 90-minute workshop was facilitated by Hoang Edullantes (the JEDI GA) and Jenifer Batista (a Young Leaders of America Initiative Fellow interning at MAPP+D from Brazil). The workshop allowed our community to connect and think about solutions to mental and emotional health challenges in our workspace. The goal was to reflect and activate collective intelligence toward solutions that apply to our environment. We also leaned into Tricia Hersey’s Rest is Resistance framework to ground us in the recognition that barriers to rest, wellness, and belonging are linked to the demands of capitalism and white supremacy.
- Truth & Titus Belonging Workshops
Actively participate in Truth & Titus Belonging Workshops in April 2024, including a JEDI Collective debriefing meeting. The Collective worked on feedback to the Dean. Progress Report Update: MAPP+D Anti-racism Action Plan Report (led by the Dean) Dean Jourdan provided a report representing the plan progress from August 2021 through February 2024. It chronicles the efforts by faculty, staff, and students to embed the principles of social justice in all practices in the School. The report includes the initial action goals set by the MAPP+D community, progress on achieving those objectives, and notes where conditions have changed that necessitate the modification of stated goals.
- JEDI Year-End “Pop-up Cafe”
A community care event was held in the Great Space on May 9th, 11am-7pm. The Great Space was reconfigured to have self-serving coffee, tea, and pastry all day. There were stations for different activities and rest. Asian food was offered for lunch, celebrating South East Asian Heritage Month. There were fresh produce, books, and art giveaways in an ambiance of relaxing music. A few members of student organizations co-hosted the program with the JEDI Collective. Many participating students expressed their desire to see the Great Space used in this manner more often, something that we can consider doing starting next academic year in coordination with student organizations.
2022 - 2023 ACADEMIC YEAR
- University-wide: JEDI Officer representation of the MAPP+D School on Diversity Officers, TerrapinSTRONG, and ADVANCE Professors’ university committees and their projects.
- Within MAPP+D: JEDI Officer representing JEDI issues in the crafting of Graduate Mentoring Policy, Workload Policy, COVID Statement Policy, job interviews for faculty candidates, promotion and tenure processes, exit interviews, onboarding, recruitment and retention.
- Mentoring new junior faculty and other colleagues.
FALL 2022
- MAPP+D Community Wellbeing Survey
Anonymous survey was shared out at the beginning of the fall semester to take a pulse on what our students, staff, and faculty were feeling about their wellbeing and stress levels. A total of 72 responses from students, staff, and faculty were collected within one week’s time. While the survey’s rate of response is not representative of MAPP+D’s population, together with conversations we’ve had with community members, it calls attention to the fact that many people report experiencing high levels of stress and burn out. We designed the JEDI Program in response to these findings and the activities that survey respondents reported as wanted. Read the full report here.
- Monday’s Care Droplet Weekly Newsletter
The Monday’s Care Droplet weekly newsletter intents to nurture a culture of care and belonging in the MAPP+D community. It features journalistic articles, webinars, and event announcements covering various topics around mental and emotional health, community wellbeing, stress management, work-life balance, and self-care tips.
- International Student Karaoke Outing
The JEDI GA hosted a karaoke dinner outing for first year international students at one of the restaurants close to campus during the mid-semester after hearing a few students express their struggle adjusting to a new community in the US. Another event reaching out to this community was offered in the Spring.
- Coping with Stress Workshop
An online workshop with Simone Warrick-Bell, the Graduate School Counselor. The workshop featured a stress-test, important information about stressors for graduate students and ample discussion times sharing personal stories. It had low attendance.
- Weekly Online Restorative Yoga
A 30-minutes gentle, slow paced restorative yoga practice that explores different relaxation techniques and mindful movements that can be integrated throughout the day. It was offered several weeks but had low attendance.
- “Poetry, Prose & Communi-Tea”
A creative and healing rest space that featured stories, art, music, and light snacks and tea was offered weekly for 3 weeks towards the end of the semester. The room was reserved for the whole afternoon so that anybody could come and go as they’d like. It had low attendance, mostly Arch undergrad students.
- JEDI Collective Fall Social
A school-wide lunch party that features artwork from The Greats and catered food from Cocineros, a local minority owned business in Hyattsville. The social was an opportunity to introduce students, staff, and faculty to the members of the JEDI Collective and make visible in the community the JEDI programs and initiatives. It had good and diverse attendance.
SPRING 2023
- MAPP+D Bias Incident Support Service (BISS) Liaisons
A new BISS Liaison group was established for the school. Liaisons aids students, faculty, and staff who have experienced or witnessed an incident of hate/bias, harassment, and/or discrimination. The program creates a support system with a clear set of options that empowers the individual experiencing harm to choose his/her own safe path to healing, reconciliation, and reparations. The goal is to integrate with—not duplicate—the resources available at the campus-level Bias Incident Support Services office. The four members are Dawn Jourdan, Ingrid Ferrell, Kristen Stack, and Clara Irazábal. An event announcement was made at a JEDI social event but remains to get further dissemination (in newsletters and on the website). Some liaisons need to complete training.
- Monday’s Care Droplet Weekly Newsletter
In addition to articles, the newsletter improved its graphic format and expanded to include upcoming events on and on-campus as well as accessible self-care resources. See list of newsletters.
- Baltimore Lexington Market Tour
This event was organized by the JEDI GA and MCP student Wendy Nevett Bazil. It was open to all MAPP+D students who were interested in learning more about the intersection of food, culture, and the built environment to attend. Founded in 1782, Lexington Market is one of the oldest continuously operating public markets in the US. This Baltimore icon recently completed a $45 million redevelopment led by Seawall Development and Baltimore Public Markets Corporation. Over half of the businesses are black-owned and over half are women-owned.
- “Coming to the USA”: Lunch and conversations with international/immigrant students, staff, and faculty
This 90-minute luncheon was open to MAPP+D, UMD and non-UMD communities. This was a space intended for international/immigrant students and faculty to share their stories of and tips for navigating life and careers in the US. Good and diverse attendance.
- Planning to film a new video for the school
Preliminary conversations with video company for the planning of a new school video for promotion and onboarding purposes that highlights the school commitment to JEDI and our new Strategic Plan.