Established in 2007, the RISD Diversity Awards program recognizes the contributions of members of the RISD community whose work strengthens that community by increasing its capacity for understanding and valuing the total human experience. Such differences include ability, age, belief systems, culture, ethnicity, gender, gender expression/identity, nationality, race, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status. In particular, the program seeks to acknowledge the important and often behind-the-scenes work done by members of the community that affirms RISD’s commitment to building a culturally diverse institution at all levels.
The RISD Diversity Awards Committee and the offices of Academic Affairs, Human Resources and Multicultural Affairs presented the 2008 Diversity Award for Excellence in Service to Larry Carney, Faculty Excellence; Ginnie Dunleavy, Staff/Administrator Excellence; Ana Chavez [RISD ’08, Furniture Design], Student Excellence; and Margaret Middleton [RISD ’08, Industrial Design], Student Excellence (see below for awardees’ bios). “These individuals, along with their tremendous work and undeniable passion, showcase the unique, creative and intentional ways that campus members value diversity,” notes Tony Johnson [RISD ’93, Sculpture], director of Multicultural Affairs. Many other students, faculty and staff who are making positive inroads in this area were also nominated for the awards, which made the committee’s work that much more difficult during the selection process (see below for a full listing of 2008 nominees).
Larry Carney Faculty Diversity Award for Excellence in Service
As a Senior Lecturer in RISD’s Department of History, Philosophy and the Social Sciences, Larry Carney has developed curricula that expand the college’s relationship with multiculturalism. Carney’s courses include The Power of Whiteness, Asians in America, Latin American Societies and The Politics of Globalization. He challenges his students to question the dynamics between diversity and privilege, especially the privilege of being artists here at RISD. Carney believes that diversity is more than a set of social programs - that it is at the core of our human condition, and that we must always acknowledge, and more importantly live our diversity, in order to build strong communities. Carney works to turn the complex conversation of diversity into a means by which students recognize their relationships to "the ’other’, across the divisions of class, race, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion and nationality." Within that intellectual space, students learn how they can empower themselves and their communities.
Ginnie Dunleavy Staff/Administrator Diversity Award for Excellence in Service
Ginnie Dunleavy’s extraordinary dedication to improving the operations of Dining and Catering Services at RISD extends to the areas of multiculturalism and diversity. Since her arrival as director of Dining and Retail, she has made a commitment to coordinating two food drives a year to support the Rhode Island food Bank and also initiated the C.A.R.E.S. program (Community, Action, Recycling, Environment, Sustainability), which has increased the RISD’s green rating by 80% while establishing a commitment to purchasing local goods. Her staff continuously increases its efforts to honor RISD’s multicultural student communities through open forums for feedback, sensitivity to significant cultural/international holidays and the creative combination of food and art. Dunleavy encourages her staff to collaborate with student groups and community organizations to produce functions reflective of RISD’s diversity, such as the 2007 Project Apron fundraiser, which raised $5,600 for Farm Fresh’s Fresh Food Drive and the Rhode Island Food Bank. Dunleavy and her team make diversity a priority by building relationships across cultural distinctions — with customers, vendors and with each other.
Ana Chavez [RISD ’08, Furniture Design] Student Diversity Award for Excellence in Service
Ana Chavez has been vital in the creation of the Office of Multicultural Affairs position of Student Cultural Programmer. In this new position, she is part of a team that engages the RISD community through provocative and insightful events. Chavez has spearheaded more than 15 programs, including a Native American Heritage Week, Civil and Human Rights Week, and many Hip Hop music and dance celebrations, such as the campus-wide Hip Hop Showdown. She has also worked to organize RISD’s Annual Unity/Soul Food Celebration and its accompanying student mural. Consistently looking for ways to empower youth, Chavez has reached beyond campus to partner with the Rhode Island Indian Council as project leader to design a month-long program that connected RISD students and native youth. As a Resident Assistant, she has also helped guide freshmen and upperclassmen through their socio-cultural transitions to RISD. In addition, as a founding member of RISD’s Diversity Awards program, her contributions have been essential. Chavez believes that diversity is not simply about tolerant inclusion: it is about acknowledging the value in the diverse range of lived experiences.
Margaret Middleton [RISD ’08, Industrial Design] Student Diversity Award for Excellence in Service
Margaret Middleton, a senior in Industrial Design, has been a champion of sexual expression and education at RISD. She is co-founder of the Sex Club, “a forum for open dialogue about sex, sexuality and gender so that students find support, information, an outlet, entertainment and community.” Middleton and the Sex Club organized the wildly popular annual RISD/Brown Drag Show, which invites students to share the stage with professional Kings and Queens, and invites the audience to “try on a new gender for the evening.” As the organization’s RISD’s Queer Week committee representative, she collaborated on programming that promotes awareness of diverse sexualities, identities and gender expressions, and she contributed to the creation of RISD’s World AIDS Day awareness initiative. In addition, her efforts to connect RISD students to outside resources have led to relationships with many local support groups and retail venues. Middleton believes in and works tirelessly to promote the unfettered expression of all gender and sexual identities — on campus and in the larger world.
NOMINEES FOR 2008 RISD DIVERSITY AWARDS
Faculty Excellence in Service
Hansy Luz-Better, Assistant Professor, Architecture
Larry Carney, Senior Lecturer, History, Philosophy and the Social Sciences
Michael Fink, Professor, English
Joon Lee, Assistant Professor, English
Paul Sproll, Department Head/ Professor, Art + Design Education
Staff/Administrator Excellence in Service
Dean Abanilla, Technology Specialist, Continuing Education
Ginnie Dunleavy, Director, Dining and Retail
Tony Johnson, Director, Multicultural Affairs
Michael Loeffelman, Area Coordinator, Residence Life
Phillip Oliveira, Assistant Director, Residence Life
Antonio Peters, Admissions Officer, Admissions
Marianne Ruggiero, Coordinator of Family Programs, Museum Education
Student Excellence in Service
Angela Bronza [BFA ’08, Apparel Design]
Ana Chavez [BFA ’08, Furniture Design]
Rosalinda Gonzalez [MFA ’09, Digital + Media]
Halima Johnson [BFA ’08, Industrial Design]
Jennifer King [BFA ’08, Illustration]
Margaret Middleton [BFA ’08, Industrial Design]
Maria (Gaby) Mollinedo [BFA ’09, Graphic Design]
Stephanie Rudig [BFA ’10, Graphic Design]
