NER Coalition

Who We Are

Officers

Contact Us: NERCoalition@siue.edu

Ezra Temko President

Ash Jenkins VP for Alums

Elizabeth Kamper VP for Faculty

Sherrie Senkfor VP for Staff

Charles Berger UPBC representative

Mission

The NER Coalition is an affinity organization representative of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s goal to be more inclusive, equitable, and diverse. Its mission is to provide support, advance the interests, and promote the welfare of non-religious and religiously diverse faculty and staff at SIUE, and to challenge Christian supremacy through helping strengthen campus community, advocating for an SIUE where secular, religious minority, and ethnoreligious minority staff, faculty, and community members feel a robust sense of belonging and inclusion.

Purpose

The purpose of this coalition is to promote a sense of community and professional welfare amongst nonreligious, religious minority, and ethnoreligious minority faculty and staff at SIUE. The coalition has the following objectives:

• Raise awareness around nonreligious, religious minority, and ethnoreligious minority communities, experiences, and opportunities at SIUE and in the community;
• Create a welcoming environment for prospective, new, and veteran staff, faculty, and students;
• Help strengthen the university’s nonreligious, religious minority, and ethnoreligious minority communities;
• Provide a venue to discuss issues relevant to nonreligious, religious minority, and ethnoreligious minority communities and their allies;
• Help connect new faculty, staff, students, and university guests to resources in the Metro East and greater St. Louis nonreligious, religious minority, and ethnoreligious minority communities;
• Facilitate collaborations in teaching, scholarship, service, and university programs;
• Maintain and ensure positive regard and relationships between the University and its nonreligious, religious minority, and ethnoreligious minority constituencies both on and off all SIUE campuses;
• Ensure inclusivity of the unique perspectives, ideas, experiences, and voices of nonreligious, religious minority, and ethnoreligious minority faculty and staff within and across the University;
• Identify and assiduously respond to issues which affect the welfare of nonreligious, religious minority, and ethnoreligious minority faculty, staff, or students at SIUE, especially at it relates to the mission of the University;
•  Represent the interest of university nonreligious, religious minority, and ethnoreligious minority faculty, staff, and alums in University affairs;
•  Foster relations between and among nonreligious, religious minority, and ethnoreligious minority communities and the University;
•  Provide a social and professional network for nonreligious, religious minority, and ethnoreligious minority faculty, staff, and alums;
•  Facilitate micro-communities for staff, faculty, and alum members of subgroups, known as caucuses, that fall under the nonreligious, religious minority, and ethnoreligious minority umbrella;
•  Bring together nonreligious, religious minority, and ethnoreligious minority communities in common purpose.