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HSCommunity: Service

HSCommunity is a newsletter from the Health Sciences Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Subcommittee on Communications.

January 2023: Service

/ Court Side

Welcome back – here’s to a new semester!

It’s been great to have students back on campus after the winter break. We missed you!

Last week, after moving into the new year and following special celebrations with our loved ones, we were given another opportunity to celebrate and reflect. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, observed annually on the third Monday of January, is not only a time to honor the civil rights leader’s life and legacy. It is the only federal holiday also designated as a National Day of Service – a “day on, not a day off” to provide meaningful change in our communities.

This semester, and always, I encourage you to embrace service, which is one of our Mountaineer Values, and seek opportunities to give back to a fellow human. Whether it’s volunteering at a blood drive, making care packages for underserved children or donating to a food pantry, performing acts of kindness through service to others strengthens our communities and helps us realize King’s dream.

Rabbi Zalman Gurevitz and Court Lanham pose for a photo in the Health Sciences Center.Photo: Rabbi Zalman Gurevitz of the Rohr Chabad Jewish Center visited Pylons last week to share knowledge and extend an invitation to Shabbat dinner every Friday night at 7:15 p.m. Visit them on social media for more info.

/ Courtney Lanham, MSW
They/Them
Director of Diversity, WVU Health Sciences
Chancellor and Executive Dean's Office


/ Share Your Thoughts

All students, faculty and staff are invited to share their opinions and suggestions for diversity, equity and inclusion at WVU Health Sciences. Your participation will help develop strategic initiatives and plan future efforts.

Fill out the online survey.


/ Upcoming Events

Support Groups
Every semester the Carruth Center for Counseling and Psychological Services offers a variety of support groups, including TRANScend, Qmmunity and ADHD Support Group. Groups give you contact with peers as well as a therapist in a safe and confidential environment. The groups meet one time a week and vary in time.

Graduate Student Game Night
Get your game on at Maple House on Thursday, Jan. 26, from 6-8 p.m. Enjoy board games and cards, or feel free to bring your favorite game to play with others. Bring your friends and meet some new ones. Register in advance.

Club Unity
Stop by the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’s Club Unity for food, dancing, music and games Thursday, Jan. 26 from 6-9 p.m. in the Mountainlair games area.

German Stammtisch
The German Stammtisch events on Jan. 26 and Feb. 16 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Morgantown Brewing Company are open to members of the WVU and Morgantown communities interested in learning about German culture, conversing in German or meeting other people who have a similar interest. Learn more.

Trans in Trumpland Movie Night Series
Organized in collaboration with the Honors College LGBTQ+ & Allies Affinity Group and the WVU LGBTQ+ Center to explore the topic of transgender people's experiences from a personal profile perspective. Trans filmmaker Tony Zosherafatain examines the wide-ranging impact of policies and administrative governmental practices on the trans community. Events will take place Jan. 26, Feb. 16, March 9 and March 30 from 7-9 p.m. in the Honors College Media Room (room 102). Learn more.

Indigenous Appalachia Artist Panel
In conjunction with its Indigenous Appalachia exhibit, WVU Libraries welcomes everyone to attend a virtual panel with five artists featured in the exhibit Friday, Jan. 27, at noon.

Safe Zone Training
During these interactive sessions, participants are provided with information regarding definitions and preferred usage, how to be an active ally, and campus and community climate issues and resources. Safe Zone Training will take place throughout the semester, including Jan. 27, Feb. 6 and Feb. 13. Registration required.

Honoring Diversity Series: Place & Power – Examining the Notion of Privilege in Appalachia
Presented by the Honors College, this virtual session on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 6 p.m. will dive into the power and privilege in Appalachia.

LGBTQ+ Workshop: Coming Out to My Christian Family
Workshop available Feb. 2 and March 2 from 1-2:30 p.m. at Maple House. Participants must be 18 years or older, identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and looking for help figuring out how to come out to Christian family members. Register online.

Accessibility in Business Panel Discussion
This panel on Tuesday, Feb. 7 from 8:30-9:45 a.m. in Reynolds Hall room 2001 will discuss the importance of accessibility in business, and items for future and current business leaders to consider. Learn more.

GladRags Presentation and Discussion
The WVU Women’s Resource Center is excited to partner with GladRags to offer students, staff and faculty the opportunity to learn more about non-disposable menstrual products during a discussion on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. via Zoom. Learn more.

Graduate Student Ice Skating
All WVU graduate students are invited to enjoy some winter fun with the LGBTQ+ Center on Friday, Feb. 10 from 7-9 p.m. with ice skating at Morgantown's BOPARC Ice Rink. Registration required.

Black Film Festival
The WVU Center for Black Culture and Research’s Black Film Festival will take place March 31 and April 1 in the Mountainlair Ballroom. Submit your film, short film or documentary to eric.jordan@mail.wvu.edu by Feb. 10.

Student National Medical Association Black History Month Lecture Series
Join Dr. Sarah Dotson, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at WVU, for a presentation titled “Racial Disparities in Maternal Health and Childhood” on Monday, Feb. 13 at 12 noon via Zoom. Registration TBA.

Join Olihe Okoro, associate professor at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, for a presentation titled “Increasing Diversity in the Healthcare Workforce” on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 12 noon via Zoom. Registration TBA.

ACE/Aromantic Social
The LGBTQ+ Center ACE/Aromantic Social is a space where folks who identify as asexual or aromantic can meet, engage and celebrate community. Celebrate yourself along with your LGBTQ+ community and friends on Tuesday, Feb. 14 from 4-5:30 p.m. at Maple House. Register online.

Black Activism in Health and Social Services
Co-sponsored by the WVU School of Social Work, the virtual “Black Activism in Health and Social Services” presentation on Wednesday, Feb. 15 from 6-8 p.m. will include a discussion with panelists from across the U.S. Register online.

Indigenous Appalachia Exhibit
Through visuals and educational content, the Indigenous Appalachia exhibit will explore themes of people, lands and waters, and will provide significant opportunity for campus and community involvement, and encourage informed, enhanced perspectives. On display in the WVU Downtown Library through the Spring 2023 semester.

Silent Witness Exhibit
The WVU Women’s Resource Center Silent Witness exhibit honors West Virginians killed in acts of domestic violence. The collection of life-sized silhouettes is on display at the WVU Downtown Library through the Spring 2023 semester.


/ News

WVU unveils new nursing pod for Coliseum, Milan Puskar Stadium to support on-the-go parents
The WVU Nursing Pod, currently located at the Coliseum's Mountaineer Gate, is the first Mamava pod to be installed in West Virginia. The pod provides a comfortable, private space to parents for nursing or pumping.

Alum’s $50K scholarship gift aids women pursuing STEM degrees at WVU
A new scholarship, created through a gift to the WVU Foundation, aims to increase the number of women pursuing STEM degrees on campus.

WVU scholarship gift aims to boost diversity among West Virginia nurses
West Virginia University School of Nursing students will benefit from an alumna’s scholarship gift to help boost diversity within the Mountain State’s nursing workforce.