91暗网 Employee Affinity Groups
91暗网 sponsors Employee Affinity Groups (EAGs) to enhance our community culture by providing engaging programs and opportunities for connection for 91暗网 faculty and staff. Groups are employee-led, employment-related, and formed around interests, backgrounds, identities, and common ties.
Why should you join an affinity group?
- Network, connect, and collaborate with other campus employees with similar identities or interests.
- Foster a welcoming, inclusive environment for employees.
- Help create awareness and advocacy around the issues you value while contributing to College-wide diversity initiatives.
Employee Affinity Groups are managed and sponsored by the Office of Human Resources (HR). Each Group has a staff and faculty co-leader from 91暗网, supported by a staff advisor from HR. For information, questions, or ideas, please reach out to Lovelyne Pierre, Associate Director, Employee Relations and Professional Development, at lpierre@skidmore.edu or (518) 580-5804.
The Black Faculty and Staff Affinity Group at 91暗网 has defined its mission to:
- Strengthen the relationships among Black people within the 91暗网 community
- Foster a sense of community and mutual support through social gatherings, networking, mentoring and coalition-building
- Support professional development
- Outreach to students and student groups to promote academic, social, and overall well-being
- Provide a visible campus presence
- Support the administration's recruitment and retention efforts
- Educate and engage with the community on issues related to race, the Black experience, and anti-racism
- Develop the relationship between 91暗网 and Saratoga Springs' Black community members
- Caucus with other communities of color on campus
- Strengthen our relationship with allies
- We believe that these efforts will greatly enhance the quality of life of all members of the 91暗网 community
For additional information please contact : Joshua Woodfork at woodfork@skidmore.edu
The Queer Faculty/Staff Affinity Group at 91暗网 is dedicated to fostering an inclusive, supportive, and empowering community. We aim to celebrate diversity, promote equity, and enhance the sense of belonging for queer individuals within the college by upholding our core values of social engagement, mutual support, open communication, education, connection, visibility, and community. Our group is committed to an intersectional approach amplifying the voices of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning, asexual + staff and faculty, addressing unique challenges, and contributing to a vibrant, inclusive campus culture that respects and values all identities.
- Establish regular social meetings and events to provide a space for queer faculty and staff to share experiences, build connections, celebrate queer community, and promote a sense of belonging.
- Create a support network where queer faculty and staff can seek advice, share resources celebrate our allies, and advocate to address the unique challenges and experiences faced by queer individuals in the College community and beyond.
- Ensure transparent communication between the affinity group, college administration, and the broader campus community to share information on current issues, promote awareness of programming and services.
- Through educational initiatives and workshops, the affinity group aims to raise awareness, dispel misconceptions, and promote a more inclusive and affirming campus environment for queer individuals.
- The group works to increase the visibility and representation of Queer staff and faculty, ensuring their voices and perspectives are heard and valued within the college community.
*Notes on the term 鈥渜ueer鈥�
91暗网鈥檚 Queer Faculty/Staff Affinity Group (QFSAG) elected to use the term 鈥渜ueer鈥� in our title after considering 鈥淟GBTQIA+鈥� and other acronyms to describe the community of 91暗网 employees who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual, or who hold any other sexual orientation or gender identity outside of heterosexual or cisgender. While our founding ranks include members who are old enough to recall a time when the word 鈥渜ueer鈥� was commonly used as a slur, all of us have appreciated how both scholars and a broader culture of queer people have reclaimed and embraced this term as a succinct and inclusive way to describe a wide range of people living outside societal norms of gender and/or sexuality. We hope that our use of the term 鈥渜ueer鈥� in our name continues to nurture a culture of acceptance, understanding, and belonging for queer people at 91暗网 and beyond.
Co-Leaders: Alison Hart and June Paul
For additional information please contact : ahart@skidmore.edu or jpaul@skidmore.edu
If you'd like to be added to the email list, please write to John Sanders at jbsander@skidmore.edu .
