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Our Commitment

As a land grant university, we are committed to a foundational principle of inclusive excellence recognizing that our institutional success depends on how well we welcome, value, and affirm all members of the CSU community. Only through the inclusion of the rich diversity of students, staff, faculty, administrators, and alumni can we truly be excellent in our pursuits.

As a department we work with multiple groups on campus and within the community to enhance our understanding and implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.

Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee meets monthly to learn from DEI leaders and initiatives across the university and implement activities and action items for the Department of Design and Merchandising.

Black Lives Matter Mural

Teaching

This is a sampling of Design and Merchandising courses with DEIJ content.

AM 475 Product Development Capstone

Seniors studying product development in the apparel and merchandising major research a specific population or target market in need of adaptable clothing including those with prosthetic limbs, arthritis, relying on a wheelchair for mobility, diabetes in need of injection access, visual impairments, and others. Through research, students create adaptive design solutions to make clothing more accessible.

Kristen Morris, Assistant Professor in Apparel and Merchandising

Students showcase their inclusive innovations design

INTD 476 IAD Capstone

“Students enrolled in INTD 476 IAD Capstone integrate sociocultural issues and needs into their capstone projects, including affordable housing, assistive living, child protective care, support for at-risk populations, and accessibility in local, regional, national, and international contexts. Students apply ADA standards, including digital accessibility, in their design processes.”

Jain Kwon, Assistant Professor in Interior Architecture and Design

Senior Capstone posters hang around the RDC building

AM 450 Social Psychology of Clothing

“In Social Psychology of Clothing, students conduct research projects using qualitative methods to explore why people dress the way they do, how they construct their personal appearances, and what they wish to communicate through appearances. Student topics are inclusive of the lived realities of diverse individuals and have explored issues such as the ways that members of the queer community communicate gender and sexual identity through dress, the meanings of waist beads among US-based (African) makers and wearers, body image among college-aged men, and the beauty- and aging-related attitudes and behaviors of middle-aging women.”

Jennifer Ogle, Professor in Apparel and Merchandising

Students presenting their research for the AM450 course

Outreach

Our outreach programs promote the diversity of backgrounds represented in the apparel and interior architecture and design industries. Service learning is an important aspect of our community engagement.

Research

Our faculty are examining a wide array of social justice issues in their research and scholarship.

Get Involved

We value and encourage participation by students of diverse backgrounds in our school activities. Check out these opportunities for ways you can get involved.

  • 27% First-Generation Students
  • 28% Racially Minoritized Students
  • 20% Pell Grant Eligible Students

Diversity News

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND JUSTICE Upcoming Events