Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

• Who We Are
• Members
• What We Do
• How to Get Involved
• Photos
• Articles/Resources

Who We Are

In order to create an academic environment that embraces diversity of thought and acceptance of all people, The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication is committed to diversity and inclusivity for all students, faculty, and staff. To this end, it is our mission to nurture a sense of belonging and drive change in the direction of building a culture where inclusiveness is a reflex, not an initiative. We understand that through different ideas, perspectives, and backgrounds we create a stronger and more creative academic and social environment that empowers all of us to move the needle of change, promote equality, foster equal access, and eliminate discrimination.

Follow us on Twitter @LhscDiversity and Instagram @lhscdiversityinclusion.

Join Us

How to Get Involved

Faculty, staff, students, and alumni are welcome to join the LHSC D&I Committee. Here are ways to get involved:

1. Become a standing member – standing members attend the majority of meetings and actively participate in work groups.
2. Become a contributing member – contributing members may participate in special projects or work groups, or attend meetings periodically.
3. Drop-ins welcome – dropping in on D&I Committee meetings are welcomed.

Photo Gallery

Testimonials

“In this constantly developing society, it’s important for us to ensure opportunities exist for all. As a student at Hofstra and a resident of New York, I’m glad that organizations such as this one take charge of diversity and inclusion initiatives on campus and in our community.”

-Nathan Luke, DS
MA Public Relations

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What We Do

2023/2024

• March 2, 2024 - facilitated a student workshop for forty-two of the LHSC’s student media leaders titled “Leading Change for the Future: Cultivating Accountability and Belonging in Student Media”.  This workshop invited current senior E-Board members and leaders, and strongly encouraged underclass students who would be the leaders the next year and beyond to attend.  The four-hour training session was by led by former Hofstra University Dean of Students, Sofia Pertuz, of Mainstream Insight.  Some of the learning objectives included strategies to create a sense of belonging within student media organizations to cultivate inclusive environments that value every member’s contribution; develop skills to promote accountability in media leadership and learn practical tools for ethical decision-making with integrity; understand the principles of leading change effectively and incorporating multiple perspectives in diverse student media settings; explore future trends and challenges in media, focusing on sustainable and equitable leadership approaches and how to lead with a forward-looking approach, ready to adapt to evolving challenges in the media landscape.
• On January 17, 2024 - held a mandatory training lead by ERASE Racism’s president, Laura Harding, to sensitize and inform LHSC Administrative Staff and Student Club Advisors on approaches to situations they may encounter in their work with students.  Part of the four-hour training included presentations from other resource areas around Hofstra’s campus, including Vice President for Human Resources & Chief Human Resources Officer, Denise Cunningham and Aisha Wilson-Carter, Executive Director for Equity and Inclusion from the Office of Equity and Inclusion.
• November 15, 2023 - Held a DE&I Committee Open House for all LHSC faculty, admins, and students to join the conversations, brainstorm and help set committee goals. (Link to flyer)

2022/2023

• April 26, 2023 - Held a 90-minute workshop for LHSC faculty and staff titled “Inclusive Pedagogy” moderated by Cornell Craig and Aisha Wilson-Carter of Hofstra’s Office of Equity and Inclusion. This workshop talked about understanding how certain classroom practices and content can have the effect of either including or excluding voices. The purpose of the workshop was to support faculty in building inclusive teaching and learning practices into their classrooms., exploring practical strategies to enhance inclusive classroom culture and approaches for content integration to represent in their curricula, the work and experiences of diverse scholars and communities. (Link to flyer)
• April 2, 2023 – LHSC in partnership with its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee held a Student Media Organization DEI Workshop moderated by Dr. Meghan Sanders. This half-day Saturday workshop was held for leaders of student organizations and student-run media to engage more deeply in conversations surrounding how their organizations can implement measurable, actionable, and sustainable DEI initiatives. Students were encouraged to address what they know (and don’t) about unconscious and overt biases and examine how their organizational policies and daily practices/traditions may contribute to such biases.

2021/2022

• The LHSC Diversity and Inclusion Committee officially changed its name to the LHSC Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.
• November 2021 - Distributed student Climate Survey to LHSC students to help assess the school as it pertained to diversity, equity and inclusivity.

2020/2021

• Communication sent to the entire LHSC community in response to the mass shooting in Atlanta and rise of anti-Asian violence. (March 20, 2021 Statement)
• March 22, 2021 – Held a two-hour faculty Community Building Workshop: Managing Difficult Classroom Discussions, moderated by Dr. Cornell Craig, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Hofstra University. (Link to flyer)
• Drafted Fall 2021 LHSC Student Climate Survey
• Created three sub-committees: Events and Promotion; Research and Development; Social Media and Outreach.

2019/2020

• November 2, 2019 – Held an LGBTQ+ training titled, Inclusive Q-mmunity: LGBTQ+ Awareness and Advocacy Training. This was a four-hour training led by Amanda DelGaudio from the Student Leadership & Engagement Office and was attended by 22 LHSC faculty and staff. Each attendee received a certificate of completion. (Link to flyer)
• Committee teamed up with Student Access Services and arranged for two informational training sessions, one for each department. Faculty found sessions to be informative and additional training given in the future.
• Committee continued to draft, input, and organize its Inclusive Voice Media List (formerly, Media Resource List). This list is a searchable database of videos, films, text, articles, other and resources, entered by faculty, staff, and students and shared among all. List is currently under review.
• Communication sent to the entire LHSC community after the killing of George Floyd, and in the wake of the many civil rights protests that swept our nation in the summer. (June 3, 2020 Statement)

2018/2019

• The LHSC Diversity Committee officially changed its name to the LHSC Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
• Distributed school-wide Climate Questionnaire to LHSC students, faculty, and staff to “take the temperature” of the school as it pertained to diversity and inclusivity. 
• December 2, 2018 – Held a successful full-day “Understanding Bias” workshop for the Herbert School faculty and staff. Training was led by Elaine Gross and Dr. Sofia Pertuz of ERASE Racism. Thirty-three (33) faculty and staff attended. (Link to flyer)
• April 17, 2019 - Held first-ever student-lead LHSC Town Hall title, “We Hear You. Let’s Talk,” moderated by Dr. Sophia Pertuz of ERASE Racism.  Students were able to provide hand-written recommendations at the end of the town hall, further highlighting the need for actions. (Link to flyer)
• Drafted searchable Media Resource List for faculty to use as a reference for an array of diverse and inclusive to consider for classroom or other use, also a way to create a community discussion. List is currently under review.

2017/2018

• Drafted LHSC Climate Questionnaire.
• The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication’s Diversity Committee formed. The Committee voted to function as a stand-alone committee, spearheaded by the Dean’s Office, and in May 2018, the Herbert School’s full-time faculty voted in favor to add a Diversity Committee report to the agenda of each LHSC full-faculty/staff meeting.