GUIDE | Tier I

The GUIDE (Tier I) workshop is intended to generate inclusive community among SMC faculty and staff.

Background

The GUIDE Tier I program at Saint Mary’s College is an introductory learning experience required for all employees.  Its primary intent is to support common understanding, language, and awareness of expectations related to employee Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. GUIDE is the result of student activism and demands for faculty and staff to have training that promoted a diverse, equitable, and inclusive campus for all identities. Thank you for stepping into this experience and joining with other employees in this educational process.

What is The Intention of GUIDE?

GUIDE – Gaels Uniting for Inclusion and Diversity through Education (Tier 1) – is SMC’s campus-wide workshop for all employees. The program title and acronym symbolize our belief that we have the capacity to teach and learn from each other; to guide and be guided toward a deeper understanding of and respect for our intersecting differences and similarities. It also represents our conviction that shared intention combined with collective action will guide our College on the journey toward a respectful, inclusive, and safe environment for all members of our campus community 

The GUIDE (Tier I) workshop is intended to generate an inclusive community among SMC faculty and staff. GUIDE Tier I is a required training for all employees.

Who needs to participate in GUIDE Tier I workshops?

This workshop is required for all full-time faculty and staff at least once every three years. Per-course adjuncts are strongly encouraged but not required, to participate in GUIDE.

How is Completion of Tier I Workshops Accomplished?

The GUIDE program involves three sessions, each 1.5 hours long (4.5 hours total) with some homework and reflection assignments between them. Given that GUIDE is a cohort model, is it important that a participant attend all the sessions for the cohort for which they signed up. Reminders in the form of multiple emails are sent to participants. This may mean that if a participant misses one session, they will need to sign up for another cohort in a later semester.

Topics

GUIDE Tier I focuses on community building and working with its participants to develop a basic understanding of power, privilege, and systems of oppression; adjusts its pedagogical approach to be sensitive to the power dynamics among its attendees and minimize the risk of burdening those from marginalized groups.

When are GUIDE Tier I workshops offered?

GUIDE (Tier I) workshops will be offered in October and March. They will be held during Flextimes on Mondays and Wednesdays (1:30-3:00 pm).  An online option may be offered as well.  Faculty and staff will be notified of specific dates and a form for confirmation of attendance will be provided. 

How Many people are in a cohort?

Each cohort is made up of 20-25 employees.

If someone doesn’t complete GUIDE?

Without Guide certification, faculty are ineligible to apply for sabbatical funding, internal awards and grants, and conference funding.

Learning Objectives for the GUIDE Tier I:

1. Build community across the diverse individuals within our campus community.
2. Introduce and explore a range of words and concepts related to diversity, equity and inclusion. 
3. Expose participants to stories of how oppression, racism, and exclusion impact members of our community and influence people and things on a system-wide level.                                                                                              
4. Expose participants to basic expectations of workplace behavior in relation to diversity, equity, and inclusion at Saint Mary’s.                                                   
5. Inspire a next-step commitment, and inform people of relevant resources they can access.

FAQs

Can I take a training elsewhere and have it count for GUIDE? No. No, the expectation is that employees take GUIDE Tier 1 every three years, preferably within six months of joining Saint Mary’s.

Completing a GUIDE Tier 2 training that meets the 4.5-hour requirement of GUIDE Tier 1 can fulfill the GUIDE requirement.

You can also meet the GUIDE expectation by facilitating GUIDE Tier 1 or Tier 2 sessions that meet the 4.5-hour requirement. To be eligible as a GUIDE facilitator, you must have completed GUIDE Tier 1 within the three-year timeframe.

Can a cohort participant go to another cohort’s session? No. A participant is supposed to attend all three sessions of the cohort they committed to. GUIDE is designed to be a learning community among cohort members.