Office of Diversity and Inclusion reflects on a successful year 

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion has put on a full year of programming in tandem with Greek Life as well as various student organizations. Demario Watts says that the work that has been done by ODI and its partners has been “amazing,” and also that, coming into the year, the goal that the Office had in mind was to “continue with robust programming and provide new ideas to be explored.” 

To Watts, this year has been especially notable compared to years past because of students’ determination and willingness to be intentional about what they wanted to accomplish. According to him, ODI seeks to always be an available resource for organizations with diversity, inclusion or social justice goals in mind, and Watts says that some things that he would like to see next year are “more diversity education programs such as unconscious bias, ally trainings, workshops on inclusive leadership, organizational sustainability.” The purpose of this, he says, is for the Office to do as much as it possibly can to tap into students’ potential to be not only nonbiased, capable leaders, but also people. 

Aside from ODI’s own involvement, it has also encouraged student-run organizations to collaborate with one another, and that is another thing that Watts was very impressed with this year. 

Watts: “[The students] have contributed in many ways by leading, implementing and collaborating with others to accomplish their goals with programs as well as assisting ODI with its programming goals. I am so grateful to have the students’ voices, support and dedication to ODI to have made it such a successful year.” 

Within the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Dean Watts states that he and his colleagues hope to build on the collaborative efforts and programming that was done this year to make Wofford a better, more inclusive environment for everyone who decides to spend their four college years here.