DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
The Alpha Mu Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
Our chapter prides itself on our commitment to learning more about the topics of diversity and inclusion, and we are constantly seeking out ways to improve the inclusivity of our rush practices and chapter programming. Our members come from a variety of backgrounds and we honor the diverse backgrounds that students bring to the rush and pledging processes.
The chapter shall honor and abide by the university’s institutional statement on diversity, which reads as follows:
“Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach and diversity as inextricably linked goals.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background -- people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.”
DEFINING DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
We define diversity as a blend of our overt differences in appearance, thought, and background as well as the beneath-the-surface unique aspects that make every one of us who we are.
Yet, our diversity is meaningless if we do not foster a culture of inclusion. All people, regardless of ability, identity, or needs have a right to be respected and appreciated as valuable members of their communities. In Alpha Mu, we come from a multitude of backgrounds and every member brings a valuable asset unique to themselves. We listen, respect, and keep an open mind.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Furthermore, the Alpha Mu chapter acknowledges that our university resides on land once taken from the Ho-Chunk Nation. Though the statement shared by the university does not make up for the history of Wisconsin, we find it important to acknowledge as a chapter. The following words are inscribed on a plaque on Bascom Hill:
The University of Wisconsin–Madison occupies ancestral Ho-Chunk land, a place their nation has called Teejop (day-JOPE) since time immemorial.
In an 1832 treaty, the Ho-Chunk were forced to cede this territory.
Decades of ethnic cleansing followed when both the federal and state government repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, sought to forcibly remove the Ho-Chunk from Wisconsin.
This history of colonization informs our shared future of collaboration and innovation.
Today, UW–Madison respects the inherent sovereignty of the Ho-Chunk Nation, along with the eleven other First Nations of Wisconsin.