Reflection

The Vermont Connection Volume 46 Coalition and Insurgence: Responding to the Anti-DEI Climate in Higher Education. Article 19 April 2025 Reflection Grace Peterson Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/tvc Part of the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Peterson, G. (2025). Reflection. The Vermont Connection, 46(1). https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/tvc/vol46/ iss1/19 This Reflection is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Education and Social Services at UVM ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Vermont Connection by an authorized editor of UVM ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact . ⅹⅰv • The Vermont Connection • 2025 • Volume 46 Reflection Grace Peterson As we look to champion justice in higher education and beyond amidst increasing opposition, I urge you to make time to check-in with yourself and your communities. It felt fitting to conduct somewhat of my own check-in during this reflection using a classic student affairs ice breaker: rose, bud, thorn. Based on the theme of this year’s journal, the thorn should be obvious. There is so much fear, uncertainty, and division right now as DEI efforts and initiatives are being challenged at all levels and basic human rights are being threatened and stripped away at an even more rapid pace than ever before. The impacts of these decisions are being felt far beyond higher education and so the response must also come from a coalition of people everywhere. However, it’s the coalition and community of people closest to me that give me hope that not everything is bad right now. These individuals are my rose(s). They are the ones I go to for support in good and bad times. They are my co-collaborators, co-conspirators, and the ones that I know will never stop fighting to co-construct a better world. Yet, this continued work is going to require a lot of thoughtful care, persistence, and heart, which leads me to my bud. In this exercise, your bud is meant to represent an opportunity for growth or something that is developing. I truly believe there is a large insurgence coming. However, to be best prepared for even the little moments of uprising, which will still require significant time and energy, we need to also prioritize rest and make space for activities that bring us joy. So, my call to action is to develop or refine your routine to include moments to pause and check-in with yourself and those you hold closest to you, your roses. The Vermont Connection has brought so many roses into my life. The daily opening circles, that encouraged reflection such as this are one of the things I’ve missed most about graduate school in this last year. While it might have felt like a lot at the time, it was a dedicated opportunity to promote community care and check-in with my people. So, send that vibe check text message or schedule that long distance Zoom reunion call. The more connected we can stay with our communities, especially during these trying times, the stronger our coalition will be when it comes time for the next inevitable insurgence.  (...truncated)