Walton recognized for inclusion work

I think what motivates me most in my dedication to inclusiveness on this campus are the concepts of community and belonging. In my role as advisor to the Lima Campus Pride Club, I’ve listened and talked with many students over the years who have at one time or another felt as though they weren’t part of a community, whether that be in high school, or even when just starting out here. I want everyone that comes to this campus to know that they belong here, that they are a part of a campus community, and that if they don’t feel that, we can have conversations and work harder to foster that sense of community and belonging.

It’s so important to me that Ohio State Lima be a safe and thriving place for diverse students, staff, and faculty for a number of reasons. Again, this kind of goes back to my points on belonging, but specifically how belonging supports success. For some of our students just arriving on our campus, we are the first safe space and community in which they can be fully themselves. If we continue to work to foster a safe community for diverse students, as well as staff and faculty, then we create a space in which everyone can succeed and thrive. If we create a space in which information is open and accessible, in which students can see themselves represented amongst our faculty and staff, and even in the art on our walls, then we create a space that fosters personal growth and encourages better communication of ideas. We all come from varied backgrounds, and our diversity makes us stronger. When our students, staff, and faculty of diverse backgrounds succeed and thrive on the Lima campus, when we challenge stereotypes and systemic barriers, then we foster a safer environment for learning and a better workplace, and that’s one step closer to building a better society.

I’ve worked on a number of things that fall under this award. I’ve been a member of the Lima Campus Diversity Committee since I started here, beginning as a committee member in September of 2017. While serving on this committee, I’ve helped in the planning of numerous events, including many of our film events, the Passover Seder Explained event in March of 2019, Ramadan Explained, and I’ve even led an event on banned books, highlighting the rise of book challenges and bans in United States libraries, and how, oftentimes, these challenges and bans target works by Black and LGBTQIA+ authors.

I participated in a DEI workshop series and book club organized by Robin Bagley and Temple Patton that worked to address the importance of integrating racial justice, equality, and inclusion in our teaching and interactions with students, with the goal of helping participants to develop better strategies for incorporating DEI into the classroom. In my teaching, which is for the most part a roughly one-hour long session in many classes around campus and in many subject areas, I work to highlight diverse voices in scholarly literature. I’ve worked with Robin Bagley and Zac Beres to help their students find accessible information on scientists of diverse backgrounds for their students’ biographical assignments. I also use tools in my teaching that are accessible to all learners to create an engaging and conversational classroom environment for everyone present during my sessions.

In the library, with the encouragement of Tina Schneider, I’ve worked to add art prints to our walls that highlight historically excluded artists so that students can learn more about their stories. I created a website to highlight these artists, and I hope that with access to these artists’ stories and with their artwork hanging on our walls, students will see themselves in these pieces, and feel a sense of belonging here. The goal is to ensure that this space is one in which all feel welcome.

Finally, I’ve been serving as the advisor to our Lima Campus Pride Club since 2019, supporting the LGBTQIA+ students on this campus. In this role, I’ve done my best to support our students in shaping the club into whatever they want it to be. I’ve helped these students plan various events, and worked to foster a safe space in which they can meet. More than anything, I try to listen, and work with club members to foster a sense of community on this campus, whether that be in our normal meeting space over the autumn and spring semesters, or in a series of coffee shop club meetings over the summer.