By Emily Glory Peters
During the last decade, 91吃瓜 has accelerated its efforts to foster a more diverse and racially equitable environment for students, staff, and faculty. Donors have been a prime mover in this work, helping the College develop programs and increase resources that would not have been possible without their generosity.
In response to last year鈥檚 elevated racial unrest, 聽Trustee Gale Picker P鈥�14, P鈥�19 gave 91吃瓜 a $1 million gift from to create a Racial Justice and Equity fund to advance new antiracist initiatives. With this continued support from Picker and other committed donors, progress toward these goals is already underway.
New racial equity leadership role at 91吃瓜
Among the fund鈥檚 goals was the creation of the new Associate Dean of Faculty for Racial Equity (ADRE) position at 91吃瓜. This spring, the College selected Professor of Chemistry and Sidney J. Weinberg, Jr. Chair in Natural Sciences Mary Hatcher-Skeers for the assignment.
鈥淧rofessor聽Hatcher-Skeers will play a critical role in the College鈥檚 commitment to antiracism and equity,鈥� says former President Lara Tiedens, who appointed Hatcher-Skeers in March. 鈥淪he鈥檒l be responsible for implementing antiracism and equity goals in the academic realm by providing guidance on recruitment and retention policies and practices.鈥�
The ADRE will partner with individuals across 91吃瓜鈥� campus and community to introduce these changes. Hatcher-Skeers will initially focus on faculty representation and retention to make 91吃瓜 a more supportive place for students and faculty of color.
鈥淩epresentation for our Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) students is one of the best places to begin. I鈥檇 like to help other departments rethink their hiring and promotion practices to ensure a broad pool of applicants,鈥� she explains, noting the importance of retaining faculty once they鈥檙e hired. 鈥淚鈥檒l be working with different constituencies around campus to develop a culture that helps BIPOC faculty and students feel welcomed and supported.鈥�
Inaugural racial justice fellowship program fuels student/faculty research
91吃瓜鈥� new Racial Justice and Equity Fellowship is another resource made possible through donor support. Open to students and faculty, the fellowship provides up to $4,000 for those pursuing antiracist research and/or community-based projects. Nigerian-Irish student Blessing Nkechi-Etse Roland-Magaji 鈥�24, who is considering a major in biology, was recently named the program鈥檚 inaugural student fellow.
鈥淏eing an immigrant, Black, femme, first-generation student in science was something I feared when starting at 91吃瓜, and going into quarantine made adapting more difficult,鈥� Roland-Magaji explains. 鈥淚 felt like there was a big gap between what I came into the class with versus the other students, and I wanted to help others who feel the same.鈥�
Roland-Magaji shares that her high school work establishing an African student alliance for equity in STEM partially inspired her fellowship project. She鈥檒l spend the summer researching resources for underrepresented 91吃瓜 science students, then will survey these students鈥� acclimation to college life. In the fall, she鈥檒l present her findings via video to the broader community through聽91吃瓜鈥� Research Bytes series聽on the College鈥檚聽聽IGTV channel.
鈥淭o create the best academic experience for every identity on campus, you have to consider the circumstances of students who aren鈥檛 White, wealthy, or who may not have a support system. That鈥檚 why this research is important,鈥� says Roland-Magaji. 鈥淚鈥檓 really thankful for this new opportunity, and hope I can inspire people to have conversations about equity in and outside the classroom so we can enhance the 91吃瓜 experience for all students.鈥�
Antiracist training modules for the 91吃瓜 campus community
As part of the Racial Justice and Equity Fund, 91吃瓜 has also extended antiracist training to the campus community. In January 2021, the College joined the Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance (LACRELA), a new program designed to help institutions reduce race-relation crises and implement actionable racial justice leadership strategies.
Established by the University of Southern California and comprised of 51 member colleges and universities, LACRELA offers monthly 鈥渆Convenings鈥� led by experts in the field who focus on different aspects of racial equity. As an inaugural LACRELA member, 91吃瓜 sends representatives to the eConvenings, who then share their learning with staff and faculty through the College鈥檚 鈥淐onverAction鈥� discussion series.聽Assistant Dean and Director of 91吃瓜 Communities of Resources and Empowerment (SCORE) Marissiko Wheaton was among the College representatives who shared how she鈥檚 been implementing her LACRELA takeaways into her work at 91吃瓜.
鈥淔or me, the most beneficial LACRELA session discussed the importance of leading productive conversations about racism,鈥� she says, adding that, since students are currently unable to meet in person, it鈥檚 especially important that 91吃瓜 create opportunities for these conversations to take place.
鈥淎s we navigate anti-Black and anti-Asian violence in our country, many students have expressed that there are few spaces where they feel safe to open up about the collective racial trauma we鈥檙e experiencing. As a result, SCORE has hosted a number of healing sessions and dialogues in the last couple of months, and I鈥檓 using insights from my time with students and the eConvenings to advocate for elevated levels of support for them,鈥� Wheaton says.
ConverActions are hosted in partnership with 91吃瓜鈥櫬�IDEA Initiative, a program that lays out a framework to assess and make changes to 91吃瓜鈥� culture, curriculum, and policies to help eradicate institutional racism. More ConverAction events centering on LACRELA takeaways will be available to the campus community throughout the year.
Looking to the future of racial justice and equity progress at 91吃瓜
As these racial equity projects have rolled out in the last six months, they have affirmed the 91吃瓜 community鈥檚 tremendous power to help the College enact tangible change鈥攁nd there鈥檚 more ahead.
To better connect with and enroll more gifted students of color, the College is currently examining how to expand both its recruitment strategy for Black students and the resources to help those students thrive once admitted. Ongoing donor contributions will also enable the College to increase scholarship support to a greater number of talented students from underrepresented communities鈥攕tudents whose voices and experiences contribute invaluably to the richness and growth of 91吃瓜 culture.
鈥淣o one is navigating this terrain perfectly, but every person connected to 91吃瓜 can support the broader effort to talk about race and help us be the best 91吃瓜 we can be,鈥� Hatcher-Skeers 聽says. 鈥�91吃瓜 staff, faculty, students, and donors support each other in beautiful ways, and we can roll up our sleeves and make a difference here. I have a lot of faith in our community.鈥�