Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Statement
The Blount Scholars Program, as an active Living Learning Community at the University of Alabama, is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in every aspect of its organization. Our mission, as it relates to DEIJ, is as follows:
Living
The Blount Scholars Program views diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice as a given fundamental need for the growth and success of our students, and for all students. From their first year in the Blount LLC to their final capstone projects, students can only achieve at their highest possible level if their holistic needs in terms of community, education, and interaction are supported at the person-to-person level. Blount’s definition of diversity includes (but is not limited to) race, ethnicity, nationality, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, class, religion, ability, age, military status, visa status, class and economic status, geographic location, and language. The Blount Program is committed to supporting all students, regardless of how they identify, and is dedicated to creating, maintaining, and expanding safety and access for all matriculating students. We expect all members of our community to uphold these ideals.
Learning
The Blount Scholars program is dedicated to guiding our students as they learn about the world, their place in it, and how to create the future they envision. In this exploration of ideas through questioning, listening, and discussing, Blount is committed to a diversity of texts from a range of cultural, geographic, historical, and temporal sources. Therefore, Blount is dedicated to an equitable engagement with texts outside of the typical western canonical traditions. In conjunction with our students’ pursuit of learning, our teachers and administrators are also committed to developing and evolving our own learning, and dedicated to reviewing, revising, and revisiting the program curriculum to keep pace with best practices and equitable access in higher education.
Community
The Blount Scholars Program recognizes community as a micro and macro function within the larger campus structure. On a micro-level, we value inclusion of all student voices and feedback in the classroom. Blount is dedicated to an approach to study where faculty and students alike have equitable shares of the learning process. Similarly, on a macro-level, Blount recognizes this program as part of the larger community at the University of Alabama, and the larger community in Tuscaloosa and the state of Alabama. As such, the Blount Scholars Program engages in all activities, from educational to social, with the knowledge and understanding that a larger community will be affected. The actions of the program, both students and faculty, will embrace inclusion in contributing to and being an active part of the greater UA and Tuscaloosa community.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Internship
The Blount Program has partnered with the Intercultural Diversity Center to create an internship for Blount Scholars. The student will chose the project for their internship and create materials, host events, or complete other hands-on projects for UA. The internship will be available every semester. Students will have to apply and should monitor their email for application instructions.
