I Am a Red Dragon and I Belong
The “I Am a Red Dragon and I Belong” decal initiative invites faculty and staff to use the decal as a conversation starter, a way to encourage connection, and a tool to build a stronger sense of belonging across campus. At SUNY Cortland, everyone is a Red Dragon, and just like students, each faculty and staff member carries a wide range of identities that shape who they are. There is a place here for every one of those identities, and everyone belongs. By sharing aspects of their identity through this decal, faculty and staff create opportunities for students to ask about their passions, education, and professional path. This can encourage connection through shared experiences and affirm that students belong here not just as learners, but as full, complex individuals.
How to Use the "I Am a Red Dragon and I Belong" Decal
This decal is meant to be displayed inside faculty and staff individual workspaces. Due to its easy editability, the decal is not intended for public-facing locations. Having the decal in a personal workspace offers the opportunity for students or colleagues who enter to learn more about the individual and protects the information the faculty or staff member chooses to share.
Using a dry-erase marker, faculty and staff can fill in the blank space on the decal with aspects of their identity or experience they wish to share. How they choose to use the decal and what information they feel comfortable sharing is up to them. Because the decal is easily erasable, the information can be changed or updated as often as desired.
Some Examples of Identities Faculty and Staff May Wish to Share
- First- Generation College Student
- SUNY Cortland Alumni
- Transfer Student
- Member of a Greek Organization
- Athlete
- Student Organization Membership
- Pop Culture Enthusiast
- Community College Graduate
- Person of Color
- Member of the LGBTQIAP+ Community
- Religious Identity
- Non-Traditional Student
- Veteran Status
- International Student