An image of red and clear geometric shapes.

Li Han, DeBach–the Visualization of Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavichord," 2016–2017

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Resources & Events

Academic and Faculty Resources

  • Compiled by the Faculty Senate Diversity Committee, the research guide contains important writings on diversity issues. Use this resource to broaden your understanding and research of historically underrepresented ideas and communities. If you do not find a resource in our library's collection, request it to help create a more inclusive collection.

  • To promote inclusiveness in the classroom, SAIC faculty have submitted some suggestions for first day of class activities. The goal is to establish a respectful classroom community from the initial class meeting onward that promotes discussion of identity, difference, and diversity in our school community.

  • The Diversity Infusion Grant awards eligible faculty $1,000 to modify an existing course syllabus to include more diverse reading selections, a greater variety of global images, guest speakers on the topic, and diversity related project assignments. Grantees will be asked to participate in a public discussion about the modifications and syllabi will be posted publicly for the benefit of the whole SAIC community.

Health and Community Care

  • Howard Brown Health was founded in 1974 and is now one of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) organizations. With an annual budget of over $59 million, the agency serves more than 27,000 adults and youth each year in its diverse health and social service delivery system focused around seven major programmatic divisions: primary medical care, behavioral health, research, HIV/STI prevention, youth services, elder services, and community initiatives. Howard Brown serves men, women, trans and gender non-conforming folks, infants, youth, and children through a multi-site operation based in Chicago that includes a main health and research center.

  • Chicago Women’s Health Center facilitates the empowerment of women and trans people by providing access to health care and health education in a respectful environment where people pay what they can afford. CWHC provides care and services that people in Chicago need, but often cannot find anywhere else. Since we opened our doors in 1975, CWHC’s programs have been shaped by our clients’ needs for accessible, high-quality health care. We provide services to more than 6,000 clients through our programs annually.

  • Established in 1953, the American Indian Center of Chicago is one of the oldest Native centers in the United States. Its mission is to promote fellowship among Native people of all Tribes living in metropolitan Chicago and to create bonds of understanding and communication between Natives and non-Natives in the city through its workshops, programs, and services. 

Non-Binary and Transgender Support

SAIC is committed to transgender inclusivity. Specifically, our campus currently has gender-neutral restrooms in all of our buildings, numbering 27 in total. Gender-neutral restrooms are just one of the Transgender Resources offered at SAIC, which also include the ability to declare a preferred name, health benefits, and TransLife Center training for faculty and staff.

Undocumented Student Support

SAIC supports the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides certain protections for eligible undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children. President Elissa Tenny joined more than 575 other college and university presidents as a signatory of a petition calling for DACA’s continuation and for leaders in other sectors to show their support for the vulnerable among us. As part of the School’s commitment to Undocumented Students, SAIC:

  • Does not and will not voluntarily provide information regarding citizenship status to federal authorities
  • Does not allow immigration enforcement activities on our campus unless compelled to do so by law

Know Your Rights-English: This document shares recommendations on what to do should you or your family have an encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. These resources are written and provided by CASA of Maryland, Detention Watch Network, National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild. Other resources include Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, National Immigrant Justice Center and the Resurrection Project. SAIC is not providing legal advice and the contents of this booklet do not constitute as legal advice. Readers are highly encouraged to consult an immigration attorney for legal support.

Policies and Procedures

The Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation Policy can be found on pages 17–22 of the Student Handbook. This section outlines the definitions and procedures for resolution of any student claim.

  • Restroom Inclusion Policy
    SAIC recognizes the human dignity of all its students, faculty, staff, and visitors and is committed to providing equitable access to campus restrooms. SAIC values gender as being broader than a female/male binary and is inclusive of multiple gender identities. Individuals are allowed to access restrooms in alignment with their gender identity. In addition, gender-neutral restrooms are open for people of all identities and expressions, as well as people who have ability, sensory, and privacy needs.

    Human Resources
    Employees seeking assistance with claims or harassment, discrimination, or retaliation are encouraged to contact Human Resources at 312.629.9420 to speak to the Director of Employee Relations.

    Non-Discrimination Statement
    The Art Institute of Chicago, including both the School and the Museum, is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for its students, visitors, faculty, and staff, and to ensuring that educational and employment decisions are based on an individual's abilities and qualifications. The Art Institute of Chicago does not tolerate unlawful discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, military or former military status, or any other status protected by federal, state or local law, in its programs and activities, public accommodations or employment practices.

Events

Upcoming

Previous

'Silence Sam'
November 21, 3:30–5:30 p.m.
Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St.

A screening of the short film Silence Sam, which traces University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill students’ 2017 protest to remove a monument known as Silent Sam, one of many statues on campus commemorating the confederacy. Combining traditional documentary elements with powerful spoken-word performances, this student-led film traces their fight against administrative, legal, political, and personal obstacles and speaks directly to the benefits of collective action in both art and politics. Several individuals who worked on this collaboratively produced film will be present for a post-screening discussion.

Artist Talk — Mithu Sen
November 16, 3:30–5:00 p.m.
Sharp 327

Sen works fundamentally as a performer, tangling with the politics of language, disciplining of bodies, conventions of society, and polite impositions of the art world. Known for her provocative, alluring, and playful examination of these hierarchies, Sen is committed to perpetual unbecoming through performative interventions, symbolic and linguistic counter narratives and intricate territorial tracings.

Roundtable Discussion — Mithu Sen and Samit Das
November 15, 11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Cultural Oasis

This roundtable discussion will be moderated by two eminent artists from India, Mithu Sen and Samit Das. In this open dialogue session, they will share their own career trajectories, and also discuss opportunities and challenges facing South Asian artists exhibiting and performing on a global platform.

Artist Talk — Samit Das 
November 14, 3:30–5:00 p.m.
1st Floor Neiman Center

Index of Untold Stories: Bibliography in progress 
Samit has a broad interest in archiving and documentation and took the task of weaving history and archives with practice-based art and sustainable technology. He has developed a studio space as a living installation, using recycled and urban waste. It is not just a concrete structure but more an autobiographical space.

Trauma Informed Leadership Training with Dr. Jan Collins-Eaglin
October 27, 3:00–5:00 p.m.
Sharp building, Room 327
Refreshments will be provided

As part of the Steve Fund Mental Health Equity Initiative and supported by our Garrett Lee Smith Campus Suicide Prevention grant, The SAIC Wellness Center is hosting the following training:

Since COVID, more and more BIPOC college students are experiencing mental health crises. Both faculty and staff are on the front lines in responding to students. This interactive workshop will equip faculty and staff with the tools and knowledge to recognize and support students as they experience mental health concerns. We will explore the impact of racial trauma on BIPOC students, faculty, and staff along with experiencing self care healing practices to counteract the trauma.

Global Protests: The Power of Action and Visuality
October 19, 3:30–5:30 p.m.
SAIC Ballroom, 112 S. Michigan Ave.
Refreshments will be provided

Global Protest: The Power of Action and Visuality brings the University of Illinois Chicago scholar Atef Said into conversation with SAIC’s own Jenny Lee (Art History, Theory, and Criticism) and Aram Han Sifuentes (Liberal Arts) to talk about the power of visual activism in ongoing fights for social justice and human rights around the globe.

Moderated by Nicole Archer (Montclair State University), this event will commence with a performance by the percussion group Woori Sori (meaning Our Voice) before panelists introduce their own research and work within the field of visual activism before collectively discussing how the dynamics of networked technology, state surveillance, and ongoing “culture wars” are reshaping how we envision justice today.

Artful Protest and Creative Iranian Women
October 17, 11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
LeRoy Neiman Center, 37 S. Wabash Ave., first floor
Lunch will be provided

In partnership with the South Asia Institute (SAI), SAIC is delighted to welcome six Iranian women artists currently exhibiting work at SAI. This interdisciplinary suite of artists will present their work through a conversation moderated by Narimon Safavi, Chicago-based entrepreneur and analyst for WBEZ radio’s Worldview. Presenting artists include designer, preservationist, and performance artist Shaghayegh Mohajery, painter Alemeh Bagherian, illustrator Hedie Javani, designer of wearable art Pouyeh Peyman Farrokh, sculptor Sara Rahanjam, and painter Zeynab Movahed.

Toward an Anti-Racist Art Ecosystem in Chicago  
Wednesday, April 28, 12:00 p.m. CT  
Click here to watch.