Lasell will not be making any major changes following the Executive Order removing all DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs from the federal government on Friday, Jan. 31. Lasell’s Associate Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Jesse Tauriac, shared how Lasell is reacting to these changes.
“Our mission and our values, and how we live them out, those were never about DEI regulations. They’re about our mission and our purpose and what we do, and we can’t achieve that mission if we take those things away,” Tauriac said, emphasizing Lasell’s commitment to maintain a diverse and equal campus. “Those commitments, those priorities, those passions, those aren’t going away, they won’t go away regardless of how people want to characterize them or think about them in different ways.”
Lasell plans to stand by its current method for attracting future students. Dr. Tauriac reiterated how Lasell reaches out to students and shows them what the institution offers, regardless of who they are.
“We reach out to the broader community and let them know, ‘Hey this is who we are as an institution. These are our commitments to you, as students, as people as well as to our colleagues, and this is the kind of educational experience that we will offer. If that is something that will help you to succeed, personally and professionally, please do come here, because we are committed to you.’ That’s just who we are, across the board, and again that’s not going to change,” Tauriac said.
As students enter the workforce without the support of DEI programs, Tauriac suggested reaching out to professors for support and advice.
“There are so many incredible opportunities to learn from people who are here, to tap into the expertise they have as individuals, the expertise of their lived experiences, and the things they are able to bring to this community,” Tauriac said.
Many professors have extensive experience in their fields, and they can act as a resource to learn from them as you move forward in your own career.
Tauriac continued with another piece of advice about the workforce. “If you look at what employers ask for, the top of the list is ‘We want to be able to have people who can be effective at working with teams, and we want to be able to have people who are great communicators; who can communicate with people from different backgrounds, different perspectives,’” Tauriac said.
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