CCEI News & Announcements

November News & Updates

We would like this to be a place to keep you informed of all things related to community, equity, and inclusion on campus, including some fun features and highlights. As our college’s Position Statement on Diversity says:

We define diversity as all the ways in which we vary from one another, and we see each individual as contributing unique and valuable perspectives to our organization.

Equity is meeting people where they are while providing resources and supports necessary to ensure each person thrives in their journey.

Inclusion means that we value our uniqueness as strengths. We foster an environment where everyone is seen, their voices are heard, and a sense of belonging is felt.

Upcoming CCEI Events

Throughout the 2025–2026 academic year, the Center for Community, Equity, and Inclusion will be hosting workshops and events designed to support and celebrate our staff. These sessions will provide opportunities for learning, connection, and professional growth, all centered on fostering an inclusive and supportive campus community. Check out what's coming up below!

NCC is committed to fostering an environment where all staff feel supported in contributing your unique and valuable perspectives, as well as your consistent professionalism, to our organization. Please join the Center for Community, Equity, and Inclusion for our series of workshops to presented during the 2025 – 2026 academic year, geared toward YOU, our indispensable staff!

 

FALL 2025 Workshops

 SPRING 2026 Workshops:

  • Coming soon!

Wooden plaques with positive character traits and attributes including "Learner," "Kind," "Self-Aware," "Positive," "Critical Thinker," "Relationship-Builder," and "Confident."

Modeled in part on Safe Space trainings, you will earn certificate/lapel pin/sticker upon completion. The goal is tied to Pillar IV of our Strategic Plan: Healthy NCC Organization, which highlights the importance of healthy community. Using Restorative Practices, healthy communication and conflict resolution techniques, these workshops will be action-based and fun opportunities to celebrate community, including ways to engage with national observances throughout the year, especially as they tie in with Annual Humanities Theme "We the People: Reflecting Back, Building Forward."

 

Upcoming Workshops:

 

 

Logo of Northampton Community College featuring multicolored hands holding puzzle pieces, with the text "Better Together" displayed prominently.

 

Complete five workshops to earn the Equity Certificate!

 

This Fall’s offerings will include:

  • Better Together
  • Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) Suicide Prevention Training
  • White Racial Identity Development
  • Safe Space Training
  • LGBTQ+ History 101: Continued Training for Safe Space
  • Beyond the Scale: Understanding and Addressing Sizeism
  • From the Bag Phone to the NCCGO App

 

 Northampton Community College logo featuring the text "Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion."

Executive Director/DEI Corner with Gina Turner

Gina Turner Headshot

 

What I’m Reading: Orbital by Samantha Harvey – Booker Prize winner 2024

A beautiful (and short!) book!  The story of a (fictional) group of astronauts and cosmonauts from all over the world (Britain, Japan, Italy, Russia, and the United States) on the International Space Station, it takes place during one 24-hour period, which includes, for them, 16 sunrises and sunsets. As they watch the weather patterns over the globe they reflect on their own lives, and existential questions about our home planet, as they also navigate the mundanities of life in zero gravity. If you enjoy putting yourself in others’ perspectives, it’s a beautiful and touching book, and a very meditative read.

 

What I’m Excited About:

The Lenape Conference is on November 7th and 8th at the Pocono Campus! You can still register – come join us!

Meet Your Diversity Committee Student Representatives!

We’re excited to introduce this year’s student representatives on the Diversity Committee—a group dedicated to fostering inclusion and belonging across our campus community. These student leaders bring fresh perspectives, thoughtful ideas, and a shared commitment to making our college a place where everyone feels seen and supported. Stay tuned, you'll be learning more about them and about the work they'll be doing this academic year!

Brianette Ramirez, Pocono Campus
Dante Lorenzo, Bethlehem Campus
Latita Hill, Bethlehem Campus
Remi Procaccini, Bethlehem Campus

CCEI Fellow Spotlight: Mel Sivells

Mel Sivells Headshot

 

A Personal Commitment

As an educator, I have learned that real learning happens when students feelseen, supported, and valued. For me, Community, Equity,and Inclusion are more than concepts; they are everyday practices that shape how I teach, listen, and connect with others.

 

Community is the feeling of belonging that transforms a classroom into a shared space for growth. It is built through kindness, collaboration, and the belief that we are stronger when we learn together.

 

Equity reminds me that fairness does not mean treating everyone the same. It means understanding what each student needs to reach their potential and making sure those supports are in place.

 

Inclusion is about listening deeply and ensuring that every story, perspective, and lived experience has a place in the conversation.

 

As a longtime faculty member in the School of Education, I see these values reflected every day in my students’ empathy, curiosity, and commitment to creating classrooms where all can thrive.

 

I am honored to serve as a Faculty Fellow for the Center for Community, Equity, and Inclusion, and I warmly invite faculty, staff and students to visit the CCEI. Let us connect, share ideas, and explore ways to make our courses and campus spaces truly welcoming for everyone.

 

Dr. Melenese Sivells

Faculty Fellow, Center for Community, Equity, and Inclusion

Have you met BERT?

The Bias Education Response Team (BERT) is a campus initiative dedicated to fostering a more inclusive and respectful community by helping us all Be Educated and Respond Thoughtfully when issues of bias arise. Open to faculty, staff, and students. Learn more about BERT’s mission, values, and reporting process today.

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Newsletter Archive

View previous editions of the Center for Community, Equity, and Inclusion's newsletter.

October 2025 November 2025
Northampton Community College

Northampton Community College
3835 Green Pond Road
Bethlehem PA 18020
610.861.5300

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