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three people standing on equal sized boxes to show equality and next to it three people with different size boxes to show equity

Interaction Institute for Social Change

The Big Bend Committee on Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity (CEID) is composed of representatives from stakeholder groups across the college.  The team exists to promote equity and inclusion through education, leadership, collaboration, and advocating social justice.  Within the areas they represent and  the college community, members of the Committee on Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity will fulfill the following roles:

Purpose/Objectives:

The CEID takes a lead role and serves as an advisory group to BBCC senior leadership to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice for the BBCC campus community. The CEID works collaboratively with BBCC leadership and stakeholders including, but not limited to, in the following capacities:

  • Serve as a resource for the BBCC community on matters relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion;
  • Encourage and support programs, pedagogy, and activities to develop a campus climate of diversity, equity, and inclusion;
  • Identify barriers and support the development of policies and practices to attract, recruit, retain, advance, and promote a diverse student body and college workforce;
  • Recommend strategies to encourage interaction among the college’s diverse populations;
  • Recommend how to enrich the educational experience to prepare members of BBCC to live and work in diverse workplaces and communities.
Statement on Equity, Inclusion, & Diversity (EID)

Big Bend Community College believes that every person’s background, which includes identifiers such as ethnicity, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and ability, helps enrich our campus community when an environment is conducive to the expression of that identity. We commit to providing a campus climate where equity, inclusion, and diversity thrives and leads to individuals pursuing their educational, personal, and professional goals.

These definitions reflect Big Bend’s understanding that in order to intentionally apply our commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity, we must challenge social, political, and cultural norms and policies that perpetuate inequality and exclusion or underrepresented groups.

  • Equity: full and fair access to resources, opportunities, and services.
  • Inclusion: the creation and maintenance of an accepting environment where all have equitable opportunities and support.
  • Diversity: individual, group, and social differences in cultures, exceptions, backgrounds, opinions, and values, all of which enrich our shared community.
Resources

  • Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond

  • Labor-Based Grading Contracts: Building Equity and Inclusion in the Compassionate Writing Classroom by Asao B. Inoue

  • Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire 

  • Reaffirming Racism: The faulty logic of Colorblindness, Remedy and DiversitySeeing Race Again: Countering Colorblindness across the Disciplines by Kimberlé Crenshaw

  • Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks

  • Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum

  • Negotiating Opportunities: How the Middle Class Secures Advantages in School by Jessica McCrory Calarco

Coming Soon!

 

 

CEID Excellence in Diversity Award

This award recognizes a department, division, or student group at BBCC that has made a significant impact in advancing equity, inclusion, and belonging within the college community. This award is designed to promote equity and inclusion through education, leadership, collaboration, and advocacy for social justice. Recipients demonstrate a commitment to inclusive practices by implementing new initiatives, policies, or practices that remove barriers, support underrepresented communities, and foster a culture where all members of BBCC feel valued, represented, and empowered to succeed.

2027 nominations will open Winter 2027

2026 Winners

Workforce Education Services (WES)

WES implemented a comprehensive initiative to increase equitable access by securing grant funding for bilingual support and translating materials into Spanish and Ukrainian. These efforts expanded access to resources and services, resulting in increased enrollment, improved retention and completion rates, and the ability to significantly broaden student support programs.

Basic Education for Adults (BEdA) Faculty

BEdA Faculty across campus and at our off-site locations provide inclusive, flexible instruction that meets students where they are, adapting to diverse goals, backgrounds, and open-entry learning environments. In addition, through strong community partnerships—including collaborations with local libraries to expand technology literacy—our faculty at off-sites continue to grow access, strengthen engagement, and support student success across our service district.

American Sign Language (ASL) Student Club

The ASL Club was established last year to create a welcoming space that centers Deaf culture and ensures Deaf and hard-of-hearing students feel seen, heard, and connected on campus. In its second year, the club has increased cultural awareness, strengthened participation in learning ASL, and fostered a growing sense of belonging and inclusion within the campus community.

Committee on Equity, Inclusion, & Diversity Members

Salah Abed, Math Associate Professor
Elijah Bozin, Data Consultant 3
Amber Emerson, Student Member
Dawnne Ernette, Developmental English Sr. Associate Professor
*Tiffany Fondren, Communications Coordinator
Allyssa Martinez, TRIO SSS Program Specialist 2
Rosemary Parsons, BEdA Associate Professor
*Tahlia Perez, Director of HR and Equity
Larry Rimple, JATP Director
Chloe Schroeder, Student Member
Ruth Stoddard, Residence Halls and Residence Life Director
Rafelita Tijerina, BEdA Program Assistant
Angela Waites, Foreign Language Associate Professor
MariAnne Zavala- Lopez, Counselor

*2025-2026 CEID Co-Chairs