University certifies students as 'Inclusion Champions'

The University of Central Florida now offers students a “Diversity and Inclusion Certification” as part of its  “Inclusion Champion Program.”

According to an online description for the program, one of its primary goals is to help students “become more inclusive and diverse,” explaining that “diversity” can encompass qualities such as “gender identity and expression, intellectual and physical ability…cognitive style, and communication style.”

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In order to successfully obtain a “Diversity and Inclusion Certification,” students must complete at least nine hours of “core workshops” and another six hours of electives, among which are options such as the “ABCs of Diversity,” “Inclusive Communication,” and “Understanding Power and Privilege.”

The “ABCs of Diversity,” for example, teaches participants how “human diversity impacts each of us on a daily basis” while explaining the ways in which “stereotypes and biases can get in the way when creating a diverse and inclusive space for all employees.”

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The “Inclusive Communication” workshop, on the other hand, aims to “enhance the process of communicating about and across various dimensions of difference [age, class, disabilities, ethnicity, gender, language, looks, race, religion, and sexual orientation].”

Meanwhile, the “Understanding Power and Privilege” course “looks at the concepts of power and privilege in detail and describes actions that can be adopted to mitigate the effects of social injustice.”

Of the elective courses, “Gender Differences in Communication: Theories and Perspectives” acknowledges that while “research looking at differences in brain structure and functioning between males and females indicates that many biological differences exist,” these differences could be “nonexistent for some types of communication.”

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“Race—The Power Of An Illusion,” another elective in the program, asserts that “belief in race is no more sound than believing that the sun revolves around the earth,” but goes on to say that “our social institutions ‘make’ race by disproportionately channeling resources, power, status, and wealth to white people.”

Additionally, students can become a “designated Safe Zone Advocate” if they complete both an LGBTQ+ 101 course and a Safe Zone Advocate training, even being offered a placard for doing so.

Campus Reform reached out to the university for comment, specifically inquiring as to how much money goes toward the program, but did not receive a response in time for publication.

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @KyleOnCampus