{"id":8196,"date":"2019-05-06T18:12:58","date_gmt":"2019-05-06T18:12:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/2019\/05\/16\/furman-names-recipients-of-diversity-and-inclusion-awards\/"},"modified":"2022-09-07T15:21:10","modified_gmt":"2022-09-07T19:21:10","slug":"furman-names-recipients-of-diversity-and-inclusion-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/furman-names-recipients-of-diversity-and-inclusion-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"Furman names recipients of Diversity and Inclusion Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"

Furman University\u2019s Diversity and Inclusion Committee has announced the recipients of its Meritorious Diversity and Inclusion Awards. The awards are given to a current Furman faculty member, staff member and student. The recipients have demonstrated an emerging or sustained commitment to advance Furman\u2019s value of diversity, inclusion and multiculturalism on campus.<\/p>\n

The honorees are Assistant Professor of Sociology Claire Whitlinger; Post-Baccalaureate Fellow of Social Justice and Community-Engaged Learning Emilee O\u2019Brien; and Furman junior Erik Ortiz of Greenville. In addition to receiving an honorarium, the winners will be formally recognized during Furman\u2019s Fall Convocation, which takes place in late August.<\/p>\n

\"diversity\"

Claire Whitlinger, Department of Sociology<\/p><\/div>\n

Claire Whitlinger
\n<\/strong>Whitlinger joined the Furman faculty in 2015. Furman\u2019s Diversity and Inclusion Committee looked at Whitlinger\u2019s efforts related to two major campus initiatives\u2014Intergroup Dialogue and the Task Force on Slavery and Justice. In her Intergroup Dialogue class, Whitlinger led semi-structured meetings between individuals from diverse social identity groups to explore personal and group commonalities and differences; locate these different identities and experiences within societal systems of power, privilege and oppression; and find ways to work collaboratively to build more inclusive communities.<\/p>\n

Whitlinger\u2019s research focuses on collective memory, social movements and the legacy of racial inequity in the United States. Her forthcoming book, \u201cBetween Remembrance and Repair: Commemorating Racial Violence in Mississippi’s Philadelphia,\u201d examines these issues in the context of Philadelphia, Mississippi \u2013 the town known for its silence and denial surrounding the 1964 \u201cMississippi Burning\u201d murders. Her work has appeared in Sociological Forum, Sociological Perspectives, Race and Justice, and the Annual Review of Law and Social Science.<\/p>\n

Whitlinger holds a bachelor\u2019s from George Washington University and a master’s and doctorate in sociology from the University of Michigan.<\/p>\n

\"Diversity\"

Emilee O’Brien ’17, Post Baccalaureate Fellow for Social Justice and Community-Engaged Learning<\/p><\/div>\n

Emilee O\u2019Brien
\n<\/strong>O\u2019Brien, a 2017 politics and international affairs graduate, is the Post Baccalaureate Fellow for Social Justice and Community-Engaged Learning at Furman where she minored in poverty studies.<\/p>\n

The committee examined O\u2019Brien\u2019s role in effecting positive change on campus via Dins Dialogue, Sexual Harassment and Rape Prevention (SHARP), and advocacy regarding LGBT+, migrant and women\u2019s issues.<\/p>\n

Originally from New England, O\u2019Brien put down roots in Greenville after graduation to serve a two-year stint as a post baccalaureate fellow through the Center for Inclusive Communities. Her interests in social justice are found at the intersection of education, advocacy and community development.<\/p>\n

During spring 2019, O\u2019Brien and Communication Studies Professor Brandon Inabinet organized alternative spring break \u201cSeeking Abraham: Slavery and Public Memory\u201d in which 11 Furman students participated in service learning and examined the history of social justice in Greenville and Charleston.<\/p>\n

In July, she will pursue a master\u2019s in educational transformation at Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.). O\u2019Brien serves as a victims advocate for the Julie Valentine Center. She describes herself as a \u201cdecent golfer and an avid cook.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"diversity\"

Erik Ortiz ’20 is president of Hispanic Outreach & Latinx Awareness (HOLA).<\/p><\/div>\n

Erik Ortiz
\n<\/strong>Furman junior Erik Ortiz of Greenville is the recipient of the Rosa Mary Bodkin Award. Named for the late Bodkin, the award is presented to the student who has encouraged meaningful dialogue among diverse groups and provided leadership in activities and programs which promote understanding, awareness, and appreciation of the many dimensions of diversity.<\/p>\n

A psychology major who is minoring in Latin American studies, Ortiz was born in Lincoln Heights, California, but has spent more than half his life in Greenville. He is an intern and counselor for Furman educational success outreach program Bridges to a Brighter Future and is president of student organization Hispanic Outreach & Latinx Awareness (HOLA). Through these groups and through Dins Dialogue and Furman\u2019s Student Diversity Council (SDC), Ortiz has helped shore up advocacy and awareness for his fellow Hispanic and Latinx community in Greenville and beyond. \u201cI have been able to build a platform for individuals to rise above their circumstances and gain momentum in creating their voices and leaving a lasting impact,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

After graduating Furman next year, Ortiz plans to pursue a career in clinical neuropsychology to work with trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) survivors to help them develop resilience and coping skills.<\/p>\n

For more information about the Diversity and Inclusion Awards, contact the Diversity & Inclusion Committee\u2019s co-chairs, Assistant Vice President for Student Development Neil E. Jamerson at 864-294-2202, and neil.jamerson@furman.edu<\/a>, or Professor of Philosophy Sarah Worth at 864-294-3140, and sarah.worth@furman.edu<\/a>. Or contact Furman\u2019s News and Media Relations office at 864-294-3107.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Furman University\u2019s Diversity and Inclusion Committee has announced the recipients of its Meritorious Diversity and Inclusion Awards. The awards are given to a current Furman faculty member, staff member and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":257,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,26,51,36,32,48,22,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-academic-department-page","category-administrative","category-communication-studies","category-philosophy","category-politics-and-international-affairs","category-psychology","category-sociology","category-student-life"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/257"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8196"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8196\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}