DEI Case Study

By Tiana Flake, Morgan Anderson, Olivia Smith, Sarah Edwards

 Scenario 4: Culture Week
The Event
- Heavy media coverage
- Significant financial investment
- Four day event in Utah
celebrating different cultures
(Asian, African, Hispanic,
Pacific Islander).
- Have classes and activities all
day that represent each culture
The Task
- Think about all possible
individuals and marginalized
groups that you want to make
sure feel comfortable attending
and participating.
- What are some proactive
strategies you could take to
address potential problems?
 Define The minorities in Utah county need
to feel represented, loved, and
Need/Problem included because there is a lack of
awareness and appreciation for
POV Statement those groups.
 ● My friend Karen talked about how events
happen at BYU for black people but they
sometimes aren’t very well advertised.
● 4 highest populations are: White, Black,
Hispanic, and Asian. But we will do
polynesians because we are doing a culture
week

Race
● “So how do we move forward from here? Let’s
start with respect. Respect for one another’s
humanity, ethnicity, hue. Please do not tell me
you don’t see color. We all do. Let’s embrace it
and encourage others to do so.”
Empathy Data ● “Living in Utah, it’s like being in a fishbowl. I
feel like I’m on display because there aren’t
many African-American people here. I may be
one of the few interactions people have with
an African-American, so I feel like I always
have to be tip-top; there is no room for failure;
there’s no room for me to be human.”
 Recommendations From People Within the LGBTQ+
Community to Include at Events:

● Train the speakers to understand the fluidity of

gender, remove gendered language from greetings
● Include pronoun identification as part of the event
registration process and show pronouns on name

LGBTQ+
badges
● Promote your destination, property, and/or event
as an LGBTQ-welcoming space by including the
community in marketing images, and using inclusive
language
Empathy Data ●
●
Gender neutral bathrooms
Provide general dress guidance without the
male/female binary descriptors and let attendees
decide for themselves. People feel comfortable
when they can wear the clothes they prefer and
aren’t forced into traditional gender models.
● Zero tolerance policy when it comes to homophobic
or transphobic language or behavior
 Demographics: 1 in 5 Utah adults (22.3%) have a disability (1.
Cognitive disability, 2. Physical disability, 3. Hearing disability, 4.
Independent living disability, 5. Vision disability)

● Not all disabilities are visible: some get brushed aside or

easily forgotten

Recommendations from People with Disabilities

Disabilities
● Have a class to show resources for people with a variety of
disabilities
● Provide a variety of options in registration process
(learning disabilities, wheelchair access, ASL, hearing
disabilities, allergies)
Empathy Data ●
●
Keep key speakers in same building for easier access
Provide signs for elevators
● Have vehicles (cars, bus system) to take people to and from
event
● Provide translators, sign language, microphones, close
captions, brail
● Provide transcripts/recordings of speakers and
performances afterward for attendees’ easy access
● Train event staff on accessibility of resources so they can
point people in the right direction
Ideation
Prototype
Test

Send a survey to the different Send a survey to a randomized group

communities from BYU campus that of students and families around Utah.
represent the cultures we want to
Explain a little bit about the idea of
target.
the event
Explain what we want to do for their
Ask if people would have interest in
culture’s day.
coming to something like this.
Ask if there is anything offensive or
anything that is not true to the
culture

Race
Solutions & Recommendations
● Different cultures represented
each day (Asian, African,
Hispanic, Pacific Islander)
● Menu with authentic food
●
representing the culture
Have art rooms and events that
you can attend that teach you
how to create the art.
● Cultural performances at night
● Class options to learn about
various topics about the culture
 ● Train the speakers to
understand the fluidity of
gender and remove gendered
language from greetings

LGBTQ+ ● Include pronoun identification

as part of the event
registration process and show
Solutions & Recommendations
pronouns on name badges
● Provide gender neutral
bathrooms
 ● Schedule time between major
events to get around
● Put speakers in accessible
Disabilities buildings
● Provide a zoom link with closed
Solutions & Recommendations captions
● Provide sign language/language
translators
 ● (https://www.populationu.com/us/utah-population
● https://www.eventmobi.com/blog/lgbt-friendly-event/
● https://www.smartmeetings.com/meeting-planning/9981
7/plan-lgbt-friendly-meeting

References ●

●
https://adata.org/guide/planning-guide-making-temporar
y-events-accessible-people-disabilities
https://accessibility.cornell.edu/event-planning/accessibl
e-meeting-and-event-checklist/
● https://www.deseret.com/indepth/2020/6/22/21284419
/black-white-state-african-americans-racism-black-lives-
matter-george-floyd