The Collegewide Anti-Racism Initiative鈥檚 primary focus has been on making 糖心Vlog more inclusive and welcoming for current students and employees. This work has been guided by students, employees, and alumnae and supported by the Board of Trustees.
Here are just some of our community involvement highlights:
Students
- Students have communicated their experiences by taking the campus climate survey, participating in DEI focus groups, and more.
- Students met with administrators, faculty, and staff to discuss their experiences and offer suggestions for resolution.
- They participated in anti-racism and cultural humility-related training sessions.
- Students served as committee members for the Arts and Humanities Common Experience and met with community members to discuss the subsequent Belonging report.
- They proposed revisions to the Honor Code, especially clarifying how harassment, discrimination, acts of intolerance, etc. are defined. Approved revisions are now included in the Student Handbook.
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (DEIB) positions have been added by Meredith鈥檚 Student Government Association. The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Board Chair oversees and facilitates SGA inclusivity projects, annual goals, and student-led events on campus, and collaborates on belonging initiatives to ensure a diverse and equitable environment on campus.
- Students are able to participate in the DEI Student Collective in collaboration with the DEI Coordinator. This student group includes leadership from various student organizations focused on identity who come together to share support and ideas across campus.
Faculty
- Numerous anti-racism and microaggression training opportunities have been provided for faculty and staff since the launch of the initiative in June 2020.
- Faculty development workshops are guiding efforts to create a more inclusive classroom environment, including diversifying curricula.
- Faculty, staff, and student groups have adopted a statement of commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion that is included on syllabi and in various documents of the College. Departments have also adopted discipline-specific DEI statements for use in syllabi, on websites, etc.
- Faculty are engaging in anti-racist book studies, pursuing DEI certification training, and otherwise educating themselves in anti-racist practices.
- Some departments have hired DEI consultants to interview students, faculty, and staff and guide their subsequent anti-racist work.
- Faculty communicated their experiences by taking the campus climate survey.
- Faculty are able to participate in the DEI Employee Collective. Established by the DEI Coordinator, the employee collective aims to foster inclusivity and engagement across the campus by actively seeking input from individuals involved in DEI efforts within their respective schools, departments, and offices.
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Staff/Administrators
- Administrators, faculty, and staff members have compiled a list of anti-racism resources that are available on MyMeredith, the College鈥檚 intranet.
- Numerous anti-racism and microaggression training opportunities have been provided for faculty and staff since the launch of the initiative in June 2020.
- Opportunities for student involvement have been reviewed and processes put in place to allow for more representative participation by all students, particularly for leadership roles.
- Staff are examining the purposes and values of traditions and providing training to better equip student leaders to approach their work with cultural humility.
- Staff are working to address concerns about tokenizing students and accurately reflecting the student experience.
- Staff reviewed and adapted student and employee handbooks for clear expectations of behavior regarding race.听
- Staff and administrators communicated their experiences by taking the campus climate survey.
- Administrators shared the results of the early work of this effort in a Year 1 Report (2021) and a Year 2 Report (2022).
- All employees are able to participate in the DEI Employee Collective. Established by the DEI Coordinator, the employee collective aims to foster inclusivity and engagement across the campus by actively seeking input from individuals involved in DEI efforts within their respective schools, departments, and offices.
- The DEI Coordinator has established the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Foundations Certificate, which is designed to offer faculty and staff the opportunity to engage in workshops to broaden awareness about DEI topics, engage in dialogue, and increase understanding of current issues.
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Alumnae
- The Office of Alumnae Relations has hosted anti-racist book discussions for both the Board of Directors and the Young Alumnae Board.听
- Alumnae have participated in a variety of educational opportunities related to the anti-racist initiative including a virtual event with the Friends of Oberlin Village, an African American reconstruction settlement established in 1866, and numerous anti-racist-related book discussions.
- Alumnae who serve on the Board of Trustees have participated in numerous efforts as part of the initiative, including serving on the Task Force on Historical Context and Naming at Meredith.
- Meredith faculty members, administrators, and students have given presentations to alumnae to keep them informed about anti-racist efforts on campus.
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Board of Trustees
- The Board of Trustees Board created a Task Force on Historical Context and Naming at Meredith to develop a series of principles to lead them through these conversations and decisions. The Chair and Vice Chair of the Board led the diverse 16-member committee.
- The Task Force provided the information gathered to the full Board, and the Executive Committee of the Board has developed a rubric of characteristics to apply to the historical context of those for whom buildings at Meredith are named.
- Using this rubric, trustees approved changing the name of Joyner Hall (2022) and Carroll Hall (2023). The former Joyner Hall is now known as Lux Hall and Carroll Hall is now known as the Student Health and Wellness Center. After a review, in 2022 the Board voted to retain the 糖心Vlog name.听
