Event Notice: BVU to Announce Center for Diversity and Inclusion

STORM LAKE, IA (02/04/2019) (readMedia)-- On Monday, Feb. 11, BVU will celebrate the official opening of the new Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) on campus with a 12-5 p.m. open house in the Harold Walter Siebens School of Business/Siebens Forum.

At noon, President Joshua D. Merchant will be revealing the five-year plan for the Center including five promising, future-focused goals. Ebony King, director of multicultural engagement, and Ken Meissner, director of spiritual life, will be available for conversation and questions throughout the afternoon. Refreshments and light hors d'oeuvres will be available, courtesy of the new Center.

"We are excited to have a hub on campus which will provide a place for conversations and programming pertaining to diversity and inclusion, and the development of the Center will allow us to further examine strategic efforts to invite people in the progression of cultural competency, civility, inclusiveness, and identity development," says King. Rev. Meissner added, "We are continuously looking for new ways to provide an increased number of resources to our students and the entire community, and the creation of a place solely dedicated to those efforts is a great direction for the University to be heading."

February also brings many public events hosted by the CDI and student organizations in honor of Black History Month:

• Daily Black History Month facts - Posted at the Center for Diversity and Inclusion

• February 6 - "African Diaspora" Lunch and Learn* presented by Portia Gresham, 12 p.m. in the CDI

• Feb. 11-17 - Black Student Union Events: Black history educational lunch tables on Black culture topics including: music, hair, inventions, and trivia.

• February 11 - "Surviving R. Kelly: Music vs. Morals" a Couch Conversation with the Multicultural Engagement Leadership Team (MELT) & Black Student Union, 7 p.m. in the Skybox

• February 12 - "Black Panther: The Things You Didn't See" hosted by the Black Student Union 7 p.m. in Forum 101

• February 13 - Community service event in collaboration with the Office of Civic Engagement & Black Student Union, TBD

• February 14 - Trap Karaoke hosted by the Black Student Union, 8 p.m. in the Underground

• February 15-17 - Tri-BSU Weekend: Black Student Union Conference

• February 19 - "African American Poetry of Struggle and Identity" Lunch and Learn* presented by Dr. Merrin Guice, 12 p.m. in the CDI

• February 21 - True Black History Museum, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room. Fred Saffold III is the CEO and Founder of The True Black History Museum–A traveling Black History exhibit with artifacts dating from the late 1700s to the 21st century. The museum will start at 9 a.m. Saffold will give a presentation at 1 p.m., hosted by the CDI

• February 26 - "African Cultural Day Open House", 12-5 p.m., hosted by the CDI

• February 28 - "Colorism: Chains of Complexion" Lunch and Learn* presented by Ebony King, 12 p.m. in the CDI

*There will be a light hors d'oeuvres at each "Lunch & Learn". Feel free to bring your own lunch as well.

About Buena Vista University

Since 1891, Buena Vista University has prepared students for lifelong success and blends liberal arts with real-world applications. Our traditional campus on the shores of Storm Lake hosts students in a variety of majors and pre-professional programs, including elementary, secondary, and special education; business and accounting; and biological and chemical sciences. Our 16 degree-completion locations, online, and graduate programs expand student potential with a pace and academic rigor designed for working adults and a variety of class formats that make scheduling even more convenient. With an average scholarship of more than 50 percent off of tuition, BVU is an affordable option for all students. Visit www.bvu.edu.

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