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Thu, 30 Jan 2025 20:59:50 +0000

Penn State Berks expands DEIB efforts with new Office of Inclusive Excellence admin Thu, 01/30/2025 - 15:59
Holi, the Hindu Festival of Colors that celebrates love, spring and inclusiveness, is a well-loved event at Penn State Berks. The celebration occurs in the spring and features Indian food, music, and lots of color.
Credit: Samantha Bower Expand January 30, 2025 Mitchel Nevryanskiy
WYOMISSING, Pa. — Penn State Berks has always provided a welcoming environment for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB), from serving as home to international students from 29 different countries, to numerous clubs and organizations that create a community for students of various backgrounds and identities, to events that celebrate the many cultures of its community. Now the college has announced its newly established Office of Inclusive Excellence (OIE).

TaLisa Ramos, associate director of student affairs, is leading the new office. She stated, “The Office of Inclusive Excellence is open to all students, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, ability, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity. The OIE promotes the recognition, acceptance and appreciation of the differences in our Berks family and creates an environment to explore cultures and enhance our understanding of interconnectedness and collective growth. Together we work towards cultivating our community of belonging and respect at Penn State Berks.”

The OIE was established to encourage the development of cultural identity among students through events and education programming. These events are meant to connect students to their cultures and promote a more diverse and inclusive environment at the college, led by a philosophy of learning. Each of these events intends to explore, celebrate and honor the background and stories of every diverse group on campus.

Last fall, the OIE held its inaugural events, which included Capicú, an event where students explored the history of the game of Dominoes, and "We Don’t Talk About Bruno," where Afro-Latine therapist, Victor Cabral, unpacked generational trauma with students.

“We have heard from students that they want to see more diversity in programming and events and speakers that represents their identities and the various identities of our campus community,” said Ramos. “Our office is a place where all students, especially those coming from marginalized identities, can expect culturally responsive and holistic approaches to current issues.”

Ramos has extensive experience in DEIB initiatives, previously holding the position of director of diversity, equity and inclusion education with the Pennsylvania Office of the Governor. She also served as assistant director of student engagement at Penn State Harrisburg, where she directed the Multicultural Academic Excellence Program.

The OIE is planning to offer co-curricular experiences with faculty on student programming to help build a sense of self-awareness, pride and belonging through community-building at the college.

The OIE is based in the Perkins Student Center, room 14. Ramos can be reached at TMR70@psu.edu.

Penn State Berks is proud to provide a welcoming environment for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB), from serving as home to international students from 29 different countries, to numerous clubs and organizations that create a community for students of various backgrounds and identities, to events that celebrate the many cultures of its community. Now the college is proud to announce the newly established Office of Inclusive Excellence (OIE).

At Penn State Berks, Unity Day is an event that showcases diversity across people, services, majors and organizations from across the college with an emphasis on student clubs, featuring cuisine from various regions around the world.
Credit: Samantha Bower Expand
Each November, Penn State Berks invites international students to a Thanksgiving celebration where they learn about the U.S. holiday and enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal with some global cuisine twists.
Credit: Samantha Bower Expand
The Global Studies program at Penn State Berks hosts various speakers from across the globe at Global Forum events throughout the year. In this image, 2023 Global Studies graduate Jaymi Smith poses with a friend she made while serving in the Peace Corps in Timor-Leste. Speakers' topics bring awareness of global issues to Berks students while introducing them to new cultures and people across the world.
Credit: Courtesy of Jaymi Smith Expand
Penn State Berks held its first-ever QueerCon in fall of 2024, celebrating and standing in solidarity with members of the LGBTQIA+ campus community. The event included special guest Carson Kressley, a judge on RuPaul's Drag Race and a member of Bravo's original Queer Eye Fab Five.
Credit: Jaine DelVecchio Expand
The Thun Library at Penn State Berks proudly features a sensory room. Sensory rooms use specialized equipment, furniture and lighting to generate a controlled sensory-focused environment that calms the nervous system, increases feelings of safety, and lowers stress and anxiety. Also called multi-sensory environments, these spaces offer a form of accommodation that can help meet the needs of a growing population of neurodiverse students, such as those living with autism, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia and PTSD.
Credit: Jaine DelVecchio Expand
At Penn State Berks, Unity Day is an event that showcases diversity across people, services, majors and organizations from across the college with an emphasis on student clubs, featuring cuisine from various regions around the world.
Credit: Samantha Bower Expand
Penn State Berks strives for to create welcoming environment for all cultures

As part of our land-grant mission, Penn State Berks is committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive campus that celebrates the unique strengths of each and every culture. The college strives to create a welcoming environment for its international students from 29 different countries, out-of-state students from across the United States and commuter students from the surrounding area.

The college is home to more than 90 international students from 29. Special events are held to make students feel at home and to educate them on other cultures, including an international Thanksgiving celebration and an annual Unity Day event, the largest diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging event at the college that showcase diversity across people, services, majors and organizations.

Academic and cultural events celebrate diversity

Penn State Berks offers a wide variety of academic and co-curricular programs and events, many of which are free and open to the public.

Academic programs include Global Forums, featuring speakers on international topics that introduce the campus community to a wide variety of perspectives. The most recent forum featured Berks alumna Jaymi Smith who discussed her time working in the Peace Corps in Timor–Leste.

Month-long celebrations, which include a variety of programs and events, are held for Black History Month, Pride Month and Hispanic Heritage Month, as well as special presentations in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and other culturally significant dates throughout the year.

Student clubs and organizations

Penn State Berks has a diverse array of student clubs including African Student Organization, Asian Culture Club, Black Student Union, Latinos United for Change, International Klub, and many more. These organizations host many of the cultural events the campus offers, ranging from its Holi celebration to Lunar New Year to Garba Night just to name a few.

LBGTQIA+ students

The college has sought to create a safe campus for all students that identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning, intersex, and asexual. From Safe Zone, a campus-wide program designed to raise awareness about the resources available to the LBGTQIA+ population, to Rainbow Alliance, a student-led club on campus, to events like the Pride Prom and inaugural Queer Con, the college actively fosters a safe and welcoming campus for all.

Services for student disabilities

The Penn State Berks Student Disability Services Office is an advocate for students and provides a range of services, including services mandated under the Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (ADAAA).

The University Libraries, as part of the LibWell initiative, recently created a sensory room, located within the college’s Thun Library, to assist students with sensory impairments and neurodiversity. Sensory rooms use specialized equipment, furniture and lighting to generate a controlled sensory-focused environment that calms the nervous system, increases feelings of safety and lowers stress and anxiety.

Faculty and staff commitment to DEIB

Faculty and staff members of the college are truly committed to DEIB. They have formed the special groups including the Social Justice Collaborative, which works to further the exploration and engagement of critical social issues through programming, curricula and college involvement, and Anti-Racism across the Curriculum, which spearheads inclusive education initiatives. Faculty and staff regularly also regularly attend retreats and workshops on DEIB topics such microaggressions.

For more information on the Penn State Berks Office of Inclusive Excellence, contact Ramos at TMR70@psu.edu.