Issues of inclusion
“Just because I am a Black student from NYC does not mean I have seen a drive- by.” “No, you cannot pet my hair.” “Just because I am Latina doesn’t mean I’m an immigrant.”
These cite just a few of the small acts of disrespect and objectification—some of them merely ignorant faux-pas, others more deliberately unkind—faced regular- ly by Skidmore students of color. But lately, instead of being overlooked, such “micro-aggressions” are being chal- lenged, scrutinized, and used as “teach- able moments.” Their eventual extinc- tion is one goal of several student, facul- ty, and administrative efforts under way to improve the spirit of inclusion and pluralism all across campus. Skidmore’s Committee on Intercultural and Global Understand- ing conducted surveys in 2013 to assess the campus climate, and then spent much of 2014 analyzing the re-
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“OUR WORK IS NOT PULLING AWAY FROM
SKIDMORE BUT EMBRACING IT. IT’S A MATTER OF SCHOOL PRIDE.”
sults and drafting recommendations. At the same time, several students were banding together to launch I, Too, Am Skidmore (ITAS), based on the I, Too, Am Harvard campaign that has now spread to dozens of colleges around the country. Meanwhile, the Student Government As- sociation (SGA) assembled its own task force on diversity and inclusion. And em- anating from the president’s office and cabinet, the 2014–15 action agenda, called “In It Together,” particularly focus- es on the Strategic Plan’s goals for inter- cultural understanding. ITAS leaders Kiara Boone ’15 and Tobi Ewing ’15 say it’s a big advantage to have so many groups working toward similar goals. For ITAS, the goals include “provid- ing more visibility for the community of color and the issues they face here on Skidmore’s campus.” Hence the student photo gallery of messages about micro-ag- gressions at
itooamskidmore.tumblr.com. Other goals: an ethnic studies depart- ment, with courses taught by faculty of color; required courses and community dialogue about micro-aggressions and in-
clusion; a multicultural center with meet- ing spaces and academic advising; a pre- orientation option addressing race rela- tions; and more explicit discussion of campus climate during the Discovery Tour program for accepted candidates of color. When ITAS got started—by Ewing and Boone as well as the recently graduated Sofia Naqvi ’14, Kimberly Caceres ’14, and Jasmin Suarez ’14—it used meetings and forums “to reach out and educate other students,” Boone explains, “helping them realize, ‘You know, that wasn’t just nothing—it did feel really uncomfort- able,’ or ‘Oh, now I see how my comment was kind of racist.’” Ewing says, “Feeling unwelcome or exclud- ed at Skidmore is more than just uncomfort- able. It affects our de-
velopment as students and adults and cit- izens.” An education studies major and sociology minor, Boone came to see a few incidents as “part of a bigger system that needed to change. I got more confident about being able to help improve the community climate, and now I’m very in- vested in that spirit. I even started wear- ing more Skidmore gear!” Gender studies major and arts administration minor Ewing agrees, “Our work is not pulling away from Skidmore but embracing it as our community. It’s a matter of school pride—which I have now.”
Ewing and Boone are well aware that changing an institution from the inside out takes time. They say, “We had some really great faculty and staff mentors, and we hope other students and committees, and the president’s office, will carry on this work after we graduate.” The Student Government Association’s president Addison Bennett ’16 and diver- sity VP Sibo Gama ’15 may help. SGA has a diversity task force, and “we have tried to support ITAS informally,” Bennett says. “I’m happy to see students and faculty
and staff of all races engaging with its messages. As a white male, I think it’s good to challenge the campus to confront these issues.” Meanwhile, as director of student diver-
sity programs, Mariel Martin has been conversing with Kristie Ford, a sociology professor who directs the intergroup rela- tions program; Herb Crossman, who coor- dinates equal employment opportunity and workforce diversity; and Paty Rubio, associate dean of the faculty for person- nel, development, and diversity. Martin has also been co-chair of CIGU for the past three years. In ITAS, she says, “it’s great to have a group that’s realistic, un- derstands the institution, and is willing to work together with other campus groups. That’s how progress gets made.” An ad hoc task force of faculty, stu- dents, and staff has been exploring the possibility of an ethnic studies program. The Institutional Policy and Planning Committee has reviewed the recommen- dations submitted by CIGU. And Presi- dent Philip Glotzbach has been men- tioning these issues in speeches, email messages, and talks with alumni and par- ents. He has said, “This is one area where we have fallen short of our ideals. We can and must do better.” Problems of racism or exclusion “diminish not only people of color—who are, of course, most directly affected—but all of us.” He has pledged “to pursue the goal of creat- ing a more inclusive Skidmore until we are the community we all imagine we can be.”
From formal committee work to casual dining-hall discussion, the subject seems to be on everyone’s agenda. As the “Di- versity at Skidmore” webpage declares, all members of the College community should be able “to participate to their full capacity in the spirited, and some- times challenging, conversations that are at the center of the College’s educational mission.” —SR
SPRING 2015 SCOPE 9
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