Promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion among students

Diversity and inclusion have always been hallmarks of the Yale-NUS experience. Indeed, they are woven into the very “DNA” of the College. Since the inaugural class, students have hailed from over 70 countries, and each new class brought with them diverse community members.

With the Student Affairs Office (SAO) and its Intercultural Engagement (IE) team at the forefront of the efforts to cultivate a diverse and inclusive environment for students, the College has an ongoing range of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives such as the provision of wellness resources (including mental health and survivor support) and accessibility support.

Diversity Week is held every year to celebrate the College’s diverse community and promote learning and understanding among different groups. Image of Associate Dean of Students Cory Owen sharing about South Korea’s wedding tradition at this year’s Heritage & Community Night Market, taken by JX Soo for Yale-NUS College.

Various events and initiatives are organised to engage students and promote DEI attitudes and practices throughout the academic year. These include shorter-term events such as the annual flagship Diversity Week, which spotlights and draws more focused attention from the student population across a five-day programme, as well as longer-term, community building initiatives such as the establishment and support of Identity Collectives and Intergroup Dialogues.

Intergroup Dialogues (IGDs) are six to eight week courses that involve face-to-face, curriculum-based, and facilitated conversations revolving around a specific identity or topic. Annette Wu, who leads the Intercultural Engagement team, is presently co-facilitating an IGD on Race, Ethnicity, and Nationality with the Associate Dean of Students, Cory Owen. Annette describes them as programmes that are “intentionally designed to build trust and deepen dialogue about difference within the group”, and are as much a group learning journey as well as a personal journey of reflection.

Yeo Jing Ying (Class of 2022) was a participant of prior IGDs on Gender, Sexuality & Sexual Orientation (AY2018/19) and Socioeconomic Status (AY2021/22). Reflecting on her experiences, she shared that she appreciated that the group met consistently in small groups, and established ground rules and guidelines of the IGD sessions from the start. “This allowed us to deepen our trust with each other, and to be brave, vulnerable, open, and active listeners.”

“There were also memorable moments where individuals respectfully disagreed on something that was said and offered their own viewpoints, and I found that incredibly courageous and inspirational. We don’t all have to agree; what’s most important is having a safe space to learn from one another and self-reflect in the process.”

The College has consistently worked closely with the students themselves to nurture an ecosystem of support, inclusivity and equity.

The recent DEI study commissioned by Executive Vice President (Academic Affairs) Joanne Roberts to study the College’s progress in DEI also acknowledged the invaluable contribution of student groups like The G Spot, which it was identified as a “leader” in initiatives that raise awareness on issues of gender, gender identity and sexuality. Over the years, The G Spot has organised events and provided valuable support for a diverse group of people on campus, such as running campaigns to promote community awareness of different identity groups, wellness and health.

The College has also been working with students to improve accessibility support for students.

A sign for gender neutral bathrooms, showing the College’s continued commitment to gender inclusive policy. Image by Rachel Tey for Yale-NUS College.

Joshua Choo (Class of 2024) appreciated the latest initiatives like the launch of the new accessibility maps and all-gender accessible bathrooms. “I am also grateful that the IE office encourages students to reach out with their concerns and start conversations within the community.” Recently, the College has supported Joshua and his friends Zahra Lalani (Class of 2025) and Xie Yihui (Class of 2023) in their efforts to engage the students during Diversity Week, where they raised awareness about deafness, and issues surrounding accessibility for people who are D/deaf and hard of hearing.

Clear masks were distributed to all first-year students to facilitate lip-reading for those who have hearing impairments. Image by Rachel Tey for Yale-NUS College.

Yihui echoed similar sentiments. “I think the College has done a good job in reaching out to students who have accommodation needs and in trying to work out arrangements on an individual basis. The newly designated Student Accessibility Support* unit in SAO has also been able to customise solutions to different accommodation needs.”

Both students are heartened that important steps have been made to improve accessibility for students with disabilities, and they are hopeful that the College will continue to support efforts in creating a more inclusive community. Joshua also hopes to advocate for more support to students with mental health issues, to augment the existing resources such as services provided by the Counselling Centre and PS. We Care peer counsellors.

Yihui added, “I hope that the DEI practices developed within the College will be left as a legacy and continue to thrive in communities beyond Yale-NUS after year 2025.”

The College also encourages DEI learning and practices among our faculty and staff members. Read more about it here.

*Student Accessibility Support was overseen by then Centre for Teaching and Learning before its transfer to the Student Affairs Office in July 2021.