The Diversity and Education Series, sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Center for Teaching and Learning, hosted the CRLT Players from the University of Michigan on Thursday for a 90-minute interactive theatre and workshop experience that ended with crowd-sourced poetry.

The professional theatre company is based in the University of Michigan’s Center for Research on Learning and Teaching and they focus on creating inclusive learning environments in academia. The company performed five sketches from their 7 into 15 repertoire, including: The Phenomenology of Academic Time, In Between, Sticks and Stones, Ass Out of U and Me, and Silent Jazz.

Contact Nancy Niemi, Director of Faculty Teaching Initiatives at Yale’s CTL for more information about the event or to schedule an inclusive teaching consultation.  

Poem One: Don’t assume, “My” experience is the norm. Small things add up. It’s easy to miss something (or someone). Fear of assuming… Fear of playing the wrong note… I relate and don’t want to perpetuate.

Poem Two: Moving too fast notice, High speed, Not observing, Not paying enough attention to others, Blindness, Overwhelmed, “This is just how it is.”

Poem Three: You have probably heard of the term… Microaggressions. Wondering! How to Change? How to cultivate a culture of allyship? RELAX. Give everyone a voice. Greater empathy, Intentionality, RESPECT.

Poem Four: How? Do we fix this? Engage, Empathy, Mindfulness, Resolving to be more vigilant in the future.