By Vicka Bell-Robinson, Office of Residence Life
Vicka Bell-Robinson
In reflecting on receiving the Jennie Elder Suel Woman of Color Award, I think it is important to understand the context of why the award exists and its namesake, so that is where I will begin. The Jennie Elder Suel Woman of Color Award was first awarded in 1994. It was established to recognize the significant contributions of Women of Color at Miami University. The award is named for Jennie Elder Suel for her consistent ability and desire to create a warm and welcoming environment for Miami students through providing housing, meals, and entertainment. Jennie Elder Suel died in 1999, but the spirit of the life she lived continues to impact students and staff at Miami University as well as the surrounding communities to this day.
When I learned that I was nominated for this award, I was truly honored. A colleague in the Office of Residence Life, Phillip Campbell, took the time not only to think of me for this award, but also to write out the nomination and find quotes about me from others in our area. Phillip wrote about how I had demonstrated commitment to the growth and development of others and the support of their learning. He went on to discuss my involvements within Miami, including advising to the Alpha Lambda Delta student honorary organization, chairing the Student Affairs Professional Development Committee, and serving on the Black History Month Committee. The nomination also discussed my involvement with Fairfield South Elementary School as the yearbook co-editor and a member of the Diversity Committee, as well as my involvement in the Vineyard Community Church as a small-group host and job coach. My nomination also discussed some of my teaching experiences at Miami as well as my involvement in GLACUHO (Great Lakes Association of College and University Housing Officers) as the Ohio Delegate.
The mention of my formal accomplishments in my nomination was not surprising, but I was surprised by the observations that others had made of my behavior. Elizabeth Gordon, a colleague, for example, said,
“[Vicka and I] shared a hotel room at a recent conference, and I was able to hear her morning conversations with her family, as her husband prepared their children for school and day care. While common acts of everyday life, like packing a lunch and making a bottle, may become repetitive to any parent, it was a small glimpse for me to see the life of a woman who has been able to achieve it all. As Vicka traded her morning check-in with her family to a phone call into the office to verify the administrative tasks she had left behind at Miami University, I saw how easily she traded off one of her ‘hats’ for another. All of these things to me depicted a professional who is able to balance her different roles in life.”
I remembered sharing that hotel room and making those phone calls, but I had not considered the impact those actions would have on a young professional. As a mother of three and a working woman, I was doing what needed to be done in order to make sure I wasn’t too missed while I was gone.
Upon learning that I had been chosen for the Jennie Elder Suel Award, I was humbled. I was humbled because I have had the privilege to work with a variety of talented women of color during my time at Miami, including Yvette Simpson (Arts & Science), Valerie Robinson (OARS), Linda Dixon (Learning Assistance), Juanita Tate (Diversity Affairs), and Jacqueline Rioja Velarde (American & World Cultures), to name a few. I know that they work very hard to create an environment at Miami where students and staff members thrive. My humbleness only increased as I learned more about the previous winners, winners who have been at Miami far longer than I and have impacted me personally in positive way, including Susan Mosley-Howard (Student Affairs) and Ruchelle Dunwoody (Recreational Sports Center). I was happy to be able to share this experience with them and the others who had come before me. I was also excited to be receiving the award along with two other outstanding women, Jacky Johnson (University Libraries) and Denise Taliaferro Baszile (Educational Leadership). I have had wonderful interactions with each of these women and was privileged to share the stage with them that evening.
The Jennie Elder Suel award is presented at Miami’s Women of Color Celebration, and I was fortunate to be able to have my husband and parents attend. I was also fortunate that my brother and sister-in-law volunteered to babysit my young children so that I wouldn’t have to wear multiple hats that evening as well. The presence of my family at that event was significant, because there is no way that I would be able to be involved in so many things and do them relatively well without the support of my family, especially my husband, Frank. Having a supportive home environment allows me to get continually personally recharged so that I can go back out into the world each day and serve others.
That evening, my award co-recipient Denise Baszile said it well when she said, “I do it, because it is what I am called to do.” I completely agree. I recognize that I live a blessed life and have been given very much, so I am willing and charged to give back. Helping others doesn’t feel like a drag or a drain; it feels like a privilege. I look forward to continuing to impact students, staff, and the community in a positive way.
Volume 23, number 1 (2012) focuses on Defining and Assessing College Teaching—Diagnosis and Prognosis. The issue’s articles offer evidence-based practices to engage readers in the dialogue about evaluating the effectiveness of instruction. It is guest edited by Mike Theall, Director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning and Professor of Education at Youngstown State University.
