1. Kansas State University
  2. »Division of Communications and Marketing
  3. »K-State Today
  4. »Call for applications: DEIB Student Advisory Board 2022-2023

K-State Today

September 6, 2022

Call for applications: DEIB Student Advisory Board 2022-2023

Submitted by Be Stoney

Students are invited to apply to serve on the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Student Advisory Board for the 2022-2023 academic year.

The purpose of the DEIB Student Advisory Board is to provide student-centric perspectives and advice to the Office of Diversity and the vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Student involvement helps ensure that the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are translated into meaningful action representative of undergraduate, graduate and professional student experiences. All K-State students are eligible to apply. We seek to fill eight members for the board and appoint a diverse group representative of the K-State community we serve.

Board member expectations

DEIB Student Advisory Board members serve a two-year term commencing in September and agree to follow and work in support of:

Responsibilities

Advise the vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging  and the Office of Diversity on issues of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging that directly impact students. Students will draw upon their experiences and insights and fill gaps in DEIB knowledge about student matters at K-State. The team will meet with the the vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging monthly for one hour.

General expectations: Members should plan to spend, on average, two to three hours per week on the responsibilities. At least one hour every other week will be devoted to mandatory monthly board meetings. The remainder of your duties will involve working group engagements across campus. Additional involvement is welcomed but not required and will occur at the discretion of each student.

Liaisons to campus community: Members will assist the vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging by sharing essential information and receiving feedback from various organizations. Board members may need to participate in community outreach and programming efforts to collaborate and engage with K-State campus constituents. In this role, board members will also communicate to the vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging the full scope of student concerns and perspectives on any given issue.

Confidentiality: Given the nature of DEIB work, members will inevitably encounter sensitive and controversial subjects. To promote an environment that supports robust discussion, members agree to keep confidential internal deliberations during the meetings. Confidentiality obligation extends beyond your time on the board.

Who should apply:

  • Sophomores, juniors, seniors — who plan to extend their graduate career at K-State — and graduate students.
  • Problem-solvers to successfully approach issues of DEIB requires a problem-solving mindset.
  • Members must be interested, invested and committed to DEIB challenges.
  • Have good time management skills.
  • Collaborate and work well with others.
  • The promoter of equity and empathy.
  • Solution-oriented.
  • Passion for K-State.
  • A willingness to express your voice, thoughts and opinions, respectively.
  • Transparency/responsible.

Application process 

Applications will be accepted from Sept. 6-30. All applications should include the following components:

  1. A personal statement of interest — required.
  2. A letter of reference — required. 

The personal statement of interest is limited to two single-spaced pages. It must explain:

  • Why is the student interested in joining the board?
  • Why is the student qualified to serve on the board, include one example in which the student has promoted social justice and DEIB and engaged with people from different groups.
  • A project idea incorporates a DEIB topic relevant to the K-State student body and its community.

The letter of reference should speak to the student's qualifications to serve on the board. The letter may come from a K-State faculty member, staff member, advisor, alumni, or community member. Students are welcome to submit no more than two letters of reference.

Contact Stefan Yates at syates@k-state.edu for application materials. 

Please direct any questions to Be Stoney, interim chief diversity and inclusion officer, at bstoney@k-state.edu.

At K-State, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging are everyone's responsibility. Thank you for considering this opportunity and being a part of what makes K-State an inclusive university and community.

In this issue

From the administration
News and research
Shared governance
Events
Human resources, benefits and training
Personnel changes
Kudos, publications and presentations
University life