President Fowler has announced the formation of three new committees that will focus on the important work related to the College's diversity and inclusion initiatives.
President’s Council for Diversity and Inclusion
The President’s Council for Diversity and Inclusion provides leadership, examines policies, develops strategies, models respect and inclusivity, promotes diversity, and responds to issues of social justice in all areas of the College. These issues include diversity in student populations; curriculum and co-curriculum; recruitment, mentoring and retention of a diverse faculty and staff; creating an inclusive climate; promoting collegial relationships on campus and in the larger Macon community; and other issues as they arise and complement the committee’s charge.
Chair, President Vivia Fowler
Faculty Representatives – Dr. Melanie Doherty (liaison to faculty), Dr. Karen Bray (liaison to Racial Healing Task Force); Dr. Tyler Schwaller (chaplain)
Staff Representatives – Freda Gaines, Chanel Davis, Melise Fathi
Trustees – Bryndis Roberts, Chi Ezekwueche
Alumnae – Eleanor Lane, Andrea Clark, Fran Landsman
Students – First-Year, Tyler Walker; Sophomore, Quenshawn Brandon; Junior, Samantha Camp; Senior, Riya Adhikari
Expectations:
Council meets bi-monthly on the Wesleyan campus; conference calls may be arranged between meetings.
Initial appointments vary from 1-3 years; after the first year, members will serve 3 year terms, with the exception of the senior student. The Council, through the chair, reports regularly to the President’s Cabinet.
The Council, through its representatives, submits written reports in October, February and May to the students, faculty, staff, cabinet, alumnae, and trustees.
The Council evaluates institutional structures, policies, and practices and recommends changes that will lead to a just, inclusive, community at Wesleyan College.
The Council continuously assesses and monitors the campus climate in order to sustain a just, inclusive community.
Student Diversity and Inclusion Board
The Diversity and Inclusion Board (DIB) of Students is a group that will meet once a month for campus awareness of cultural recognitions and celebrations, community forums, trainings, diversity clubs support, and whatever is deemed necessary to ensure that diversity is acknowledged and inclusion is practiced on campus. DIB will begin meeting in September to plan, lay the foundation, and begin the serious work of ensuring that student voices are heard and represented as they intentionally serve as leaders of inclusivity on campus. This board will not focus on creating programs; rather, it will advise and support the programs initiated by the various organizations represented on the board. DIB will also host the Diversity Dialogue this fall.
Chaired by Tonya Parker, Assistant Dean of Students for Diversity and Inclusion, the 2017-2018 DIB(S) includes the following members of the Wesleyan Town hall and the presidents of AXIS, BSA, CRU, GLBAL, and LUC:
Association of eXceptional International Students (AXIS): Ugochi Emerole
Council for Religious Unity (CRU): Sarah Belflower
Black Student Alliance (BSA): Ariel Richardson
Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, ALliance(GLBAL): Labinalis Rodriguez
Latina Unity Club (LUC): Nadia Hernandez Loredo
Wesleyan Town hall: Takiya Brooks, Kennedy Jones, Jazmine Mace, Asia Garmon, Madison Leary, Tia Jackson, Olivia Moore, Madison Valentine, Alexis Golden, Brianna Moore, Jaylyn Dickerson, Grace Stiles Williams
Racial Healing and Transformation Task Force
The Racial Healing and Transformation Task Force is a small group of faculty, staff, and students appointed by the President to lead Wesleyan's effort to address the past, find racial healing in the present, and implement cultural and structural transformation for the future. Following recommendations and findings by the Kellogg Center for Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation and the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice the task force will work to address Wesleyan's specific needs in terms of dismantling white supremacy and working toward a more equitable and inclusive community through a four stage process. The first stage, in which we are already involved, is an assessment stage. During the assessment stage we will collect and analyze information about Wesleyan's history and its present in terms of racial bias and racial equality. The task force will present its findings to the President's Council on Diversity and Inclusion, the Wesleyan community, and Dr. David Hooker of the Kroc Institute, who at our invitation will be doing his own assessment of the Wesleyan community at the end of September. After having consulted with the above groups the task force will then embark on a three stage process of racial healing and transformation. The stages include: Truth, Narrative Change, and Transformation. During the truth stage we will facilitate truth-telling practices and small group healing work, where all members of the community can come together to own our past hurt, our present fears, and our hopes for the future. During the narrative change phase, the task force will lead the effort of rethinking how stories of race and human value have been told at Wesleyan and how they can be told better in our present and for our future. Finally, during the transformation phase the task force will lead efforts for structural and cultural changes at Wesleyan that will make Wesleyan a more equitable and just institution. Task Force members are listed below; however, they will be relying on all members of the community to actively participate in each phase. Any students, faculty, and staff especially interested in helping the task force in its efforts should reach out to Karen Bray at kbray@wesleyancollege.edu.
Chair: Dr. Karen Bray
Student Representatives: Takiya Brooks, Madison Jones, Catherine Tang, and Micah Davidson
Staff Representatives: LaTasha Andre and Alex Kosicki
Faculty Representatives: Brooke Bennett-Day and Matthew Martin