Greetings Juniatians,

I hope you are enjoying this small glimpse of spring that is on the way before we return to the cold for a few days. While the changing of the season feels like a new beginning, for those of us that are allergy sufferers, it can feel like something altogether different.

Spring Break is upon us which means it is time to gear up for the full finish to the semester and for some of you, your time here at Juniata. It’s hard to believe how quickly this year has gone by, at least for me. It has been a full 6 ½ months, not all easy, but necessary. We are adjusting to this time of reemergence from life in isolation and behind masks. A new Spring of sorts. While it may take us a while to feel comfortable coming out of what has been normal for almost 2 years now, we must all appreciate and respect that it will take some longer than others to feel confident in their reemergence. Patience and grace should be extended to ALL as they make their own decision in this time.

Updates/Coming Events:

• The Office of EDI has been working diligently to collaborate with other offices and groups on campus to bring Celebrate EDI Week 2022 to fruition. Special thanks to the marketing team and Lorri Shideler who have taken a lot of time and effort to coordinate the logistics of all of the events. Special thanks to Sarah Worley and the Office of Community Engaged Learning for helping to coordinate with our Scholar-in-Residence for the week Dr. Timothy K. Eatman. Click here for more information about our scholar - http://timothykeatman.com/
• For a list of all EDI Week events click here: www.juniata.edu/celebrateEDI
• Black Excellence Dinner Tickets & Volunteers: For the first time in 2 years, we are able to celebrate the Black Excellence Dinner on campus on Sunday, March 27, 2022 in Baker Refectory. Join us for an evening of great food and a celebration of African-American culture! Tickets are $10 per person and are available for sale (cash only) in the lobby of Ellis Hall from 11-1 every day this week.
• Community Fair: As a part of EDI week (Thursday, March 31st) local businesses will have display tables in the 1st and 2ndfloor areas of VLB while the members of SLT serve ice cream sundaes to those in attendance. Be sure to stop by to meet our local businesses and get some ice cream!
• Cultural Celebration: Come, see and hear the hard work that many have put together to celebrate culture on our campus on Friday, April 1st in A100 at 7 pm. It will be a wonderful celebration of Juniata! If you are interested in participating, volunteering or performing on this event, contact edi@juniata.edu to let us know.
• Additional EDI Week events: If there are events in your area happening during EDI week that you would like to have advertised with the weekly schedule, feel free to email me at battlec@juniata.edu to get your event added to the schedule.

Careful Decisions!

As we all move into this time of break, let us not forget about care and concern for each other. We are all in this boat of uncertainty together. There are decisions that have to be made that seem insincere but are for the betterment of us all. Know that a decision will invariably hurt someone along the way. To make decisions without that thought in mind is careless. What I do not believe is that people are making decisions carelessly. Tremendous amounts of time considering possibilities while remaining thoughtful and caring can be exhausting but is necessary for the greater good. I pray that as we return from Spring break and embark on the end of the semester that we can see the good in those that make decisions and while not always agreeing with the decision, that we respect the decision that was made – both individually and collectively!

We are all in this together!

Dr. Crystal Sellers Battle
Dean of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion