When Shelley Arroyo spearheaded an immersion trip for IUPUC students, faculty, and staff to the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, she knew it was something special. “It was a really powerful, impactful event,” she said.

Arroyo, IUPUC’s Assistant Director of Student Affairs, brought that experience to the 35th Annual National Conference on Race & Ethnicity (NCORE) in Higher Education where she presented in an open forum. She said the questions and reactions from participants from across the country helped her reflect on the immersion experience, which took place over the Martin Luther King Day weekend. It also helped her commit to doing it again.

“We’d like to make our MLK immersion trip an annual event, and our experience at NCORE really helped solidify those plans,” Arroyo said. She attended the conference in early June in New Orleans with Joan Poulsen, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Student Affairs.

“It was really helpful to see what other campuses in other states are doing,” Poulsen added. Poulsen said she especially enjoyed a session on how to support Latinx students’ success, including strategies implemented at other colleges and universities. She added that it was interesting to see how different political climates across the United States affect the policies, practices and supports offered to students.

Arroyo said she was most inspired during a keynote speech by Paula Ramos, a journalist and subject matter expert on Latino issues.

As a result of their experience at NCORE, IUPUC is discussing a land acknowledgement statement, which would show recognition and respect for Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of this land.

In addition, they are hoping to bring a larger contingent of IUPUC representatives to the upcoming NCORE regional conference in Indianapolis.

To learn more about diversity, equity, and inclusion at IUPUC, visit the Diversity Council webpage.