Staff of Color Association

Welcome!

Our Mission

The Staff of Color Association (SOCA) is committed to promoting the interests and advocating for staff at the University of Denver from historically unrepresented races and ethnicities. We honor and celebrate the diversity of our cultures and actively contribute to the University by:

  • Providing members with a supportive community and brave spaces,
  • Fostering belonging for all intersecting experiences,
  • Sharing knowledge about the campus climate,
  • Providing support for the recruitment of diverse candidates throughout the University, and
  • Establishing meaningful connections between staff, students, and faculty of color.

Our Vision

To establish a culture of acceptance of others free of biases based on differences of any kind through a commitment to individual and organizational efforts to build respect, dignity, fairness, caring, equality, and self-efficacy.

On this page:

Upcoming Meetings

Join SOCA Today! Our lunch meetings are open to all staff members at DU. Email us at soca@sydotnet.net to join our amazing group. Upon receiving your email, we will add you to our SOCA family Teams group.


When: 12:00 – 1:00 p.m
Where: Most of our in-person meetings are at the Burwell Center for Career Achievement at
 2190 E. Asbury Avenue, Denver, CO 80210
Lunch: Please RSVP to all our events because we want to make sure we have enough food

2024-2025 meeting dates

  • Tuesday, September 17th at Burwell Center 340  
  • Thursday, October 3rd at Burwell Center 340 [Quarterly Meeting with Chancellor and Provost]
  • Wednesday, October 16th at Burwell Center 340
  • Thursday, November 14th at Burwell Center 340
  • Tuesday, December 3rd at Burwell Center 340
  • Wednesday, January 15th at Burwell Center 340
  • Monday, February 10th at Burwell Center 340 [Quarterly Meeting with Chancellor and Provost]
  • Tuesday, March 18th at Burwell Center 340
  • Wednesday, April 16th at Burwell Center 340
  • Wednesday, May 7th at Burwell Center 340  [Quarterly Meeting with Chancellor and Provost]
  • Thursday, May 22nd at Burwell Center 340
  • Tuesday, June 3rd at Burwell Center 340
    • End of year social event

Meeting Minutes

SOCA has moved to http://denveru.sharepoint.com/sites/DUStaffofColorAssociation, you will need to register as a member for access.

Past Meeting Topics & Activities

  • Advocacy
  • Meet with Dean candidates
  • LinkedIn profile workshop
  • Tuition Waiver usage
  • Resume Services
  • Managing Up training
  • Social Mixers
  • Support DU Affinity Groups
  • Advancing Diversity and Inclusive Excellence
  • Performance reviews
  • Professional Development

View and download photos from our first in-person meeting of 2021.

SOCA Officers

Elections for new officers are held annually during the April meeting. See our bylaws for more information.

  • Co-Chair: Marissa Ronquillo, marissa.ronquillo@sydotnet.net
  • Co-Chair: Fatima Rezaie, fatima.rezaie@sydotnet.net
  • Secretary: Katia Miller, katia.miller@sydotnet.net
  • Treasurer: Kathy Aliaga, Kathy.Aliaga@sydotnet.net
  • Social & Recruitment Chair: Claudia Vega Norell claudia.veganorell@sydotnet.net
  • Senate Liaison: Waltrina DeFrantz-Dufor waltrina.defrantz@sydotnet.net
  • Web and Tech: Alex Martinez, alex.martinez@sydotnet.net

SOCA Bylaws

Bylaws of the Staff of Color Association (SOCA), a staff organization of the University of Denver, approved in June 2011.

Contact Us

Email us your interest to join, comments, concerns, questions or meeting suggestions for the Staff of Color Association at:
soca@sydotnet.net

SOCA History

SOCA began in early 2011 with support from the Center for Multicultural Excellence, and worked closely with Human Resources to promote and provide joint programming for staff development.  SOCA is now an organization within the University that focuses on issues that are critically important to the retention and promotion, networking, community building, and professional development of staff of color.

SOCA has a long-term goal of supporting any staff member desiring support.  We focus on the following initiatives:

  • Collaborate with appropriate department to offer resources for finding qualified diverse employees
  • Provide a support system for staff of color once on campus
  • Encourage retention of staff of color
  • Promote Inclusive Excellence with staff of color