State Treasurer Erick Russell to kick off Diversity Week at Eastern CT State University
Week begins April 17 with Russell, ends April 20 with Take Back the Night
Willimantic, CT (04/13/2023) — Diversity Week kicks off on April 17 at Eastern Connecticut State University with state Treasurer Erick Russell's keynote speech on what diversity, equity and inclusion have meant in his personal and professional life. Russell will speak at noon in the Student Center Theatre, followed by a reception in the Student Center Cafe at 1 p.m.
The week will draw attention to diversity and inclusion issues and is hosted by Eastern's Office of Equity and Diversity and the Intercultural Center.
On April 18, an "Around the World with Eastern" event starting at 1:30 p.m. for the Eastern community at the Student Center Cafe will showcase foods and music from 10 countries, including India, Spain, Jamaica, Poland and more. Students and faculty will speak about their cultures.
Take Back the Night on April 20 will conclude the week's events, starting at 6 p.m. in the Betty R. Tipton Room in the Student Center. Dedicated to empowering survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, it will feature keynote speaker Gina Roch, a wellness facilitator and founder of Written Purpose Wellness, a trauma-based yoga and meditation practice. A rally, candlelight vigil and march will honor Alyssiah Wiley, an Eastern student who was murdered in 2013.
"Eastern has always been a place that appreciates and embraces diversity and the uniqueness of people within our community," said LaMar Coleman, vice president for equity and diversity. "It is important that we highlight and showcase diversity even beyond our campus so that students maintain that appreciation throughout their lives after Eastern."
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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving upwards of 4,100 students annually on its Willimantic campus. In addition to attracting students from 160 of Connecticut's 169 towns, Eastern also draws students from 32 states and eight countries. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 68 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal arts foundation grounded in a variety of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 20 public institutions in the North by U.S. News & World Report in its 2022-23 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review 13 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.
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Diversity Week keynote, Erick Russell