Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Who we are
The Language Center is guided by its mission to support, elevate and celebrate diversity in language and culture. The commitment to value inclusion, belonging, and equity for all – instructors, students and the broader community – drives the Center’s activities and programs.
Our commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
As a support unit for all language programs in CLA, the Language Center is committed to advance the university and college’s commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion by:
- celebrating language diversity and language identity
- advancing cross-cultural understanding
- recognizing the academic value of all languages and cultures
- supporting heritage students of all backgrounds
- foregrounding and bringing visibility to the importance of language diversity
- advocating for language recognition and representation
What you can expect
The Language Center is dedicated to creating and promoting a culture that respects everyone equally. To achieve this goal, the center has developed programs and policies that provide equal opportunities for access to resources for language teaching and learning, as well as support to leverage accessibility to these resources. As part of its commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, the Language Center offers the following programs:
The TandemPlus Program: Affords access to language and cultural partnerships among native speakers of diverse languages and backgrounds at the university, in the greater community, and abroad. Brings together students who speak and study diverse languages in partnership, and builds community among international and domestic students that connect on campus and virtually.
The Language Testing Program: Provides equal opportunities for all students to demonstrate proficiency in a second language, including students whose language is not taught on campus, and students with documented disabilities.
The BTAA CourseShare Program: Provides academic opportunities for all students to develop their heritage language or language of choice. Creates an opportunity for less commonly taught languages to be accessible to students.
The Professional Development Program: Supports language teaching innovations and professionalization of language faculty of all ranks. Promotes accessible resources that integrate Universal Design principles
The Speakeasy Lounge & Event Space: Offers a safe and welcoming hub for international and domestic students to meet and form networks.
Learning Spaces and Technology: Facilitates equal access to technologies for language learning. Leverages opportunities for academic innovations for language learning,