By Jena Emmert
Shaunda Brown-Clopton — Edgewood College
Edgewood College is making important changes to policy and the way students and faculty talk about diversity and inclusion, but these changes have not been effectively communicated to the student body, says new Director of Student Inclusion & Involvement Shaunda Brown-Clopton.
“In general, Edgewood does so much good work,” said Brown-Clopton.
“It’s so rich, and no one knows about it… A lot of changes that happen need to happen on the student timeline instead of institutional timelines. If things are happening over the summer, then how do you communicate that? How can we ensure that students are having these conversations everywhere and not just in the multicultural student orgs?”
The Office of Student Inclusion and Involvement (OSII) has been working towards diversity and inclusion awareness around campus following the #NotOnOurCampus events in spring semester 2018.
These efforts are in response to last year’s hate crimes on campus, in which a poster of Martin Luther King Jr. was defaced on two occasions. Faculty, staff, and students came together to take part in a diversity forum in the Edgedome to create discussion around diversity and inclusion. Following this event, the Student Senate put together a student walk-out to share concerns about both the hate crimes and the forum.
Edgewood College continues discussion around diversity and inclusion this year with policy changes, said Brown-Clopton.
Her role focuses on communicating with students through the OSII. She began her role in the midst of the diversity forum and the student walk-out last year. This timing allowed her to see first-hand the discussions Edgewood was already engaging in.
“I think that Edgewood is actually in a really good space, because people are at least talking about things that need to change,” Brown-Clopton said. “It’s easy to come into a place and say, ‘these are all the things that went wrong; this is what I would like to change.’ A lot of people don’t understand that anywhere you go, they are having the exact same conversations–they just manifest very different depending on your campus.”
In addition to Brown-Clopton, Executive Director of Diversity Tony Garcia communicates the goals and issues of the OSII with other administrators. This is a role new to the 2017-2018 school year.
“My role is not student facing, like Shaunda’s, but I’m definitely not behind the scenes either… I just engage with a different audience than Shaunda,” Garcia said.
Garcia is responsible for the following six areas: Institutional Effectiveness, Human Resource Functions Related to Diversity, Compliance and Policy on Diversity, Strategic Communication on Diversity, External Community Relations, and Advising the President’s Cabinet.
He has recently helped create events around Indigenous Peoples’ Day that replaced Columbus Day while helping to develop a land recognition statement and writing the college’s Annual Inclusion Update.
The 2017-2018 Annual Inclusion Update, titled “Toward a Pathway To Purpose,” is a document that mentions investments towards diversity and inclusion, details of the strategic plan, events and campus engagement, partnerships with the community, campus demographics, and an account of the #NotOnOurCampus events. Anyone can request the document from the OSII, but it is not publicly distributed.
OSII Desk — Jena Emmert
Students and faculty say they want to see more from the administration about changes to policy or shifts in the OSII. “There has been no communication,” one student said. “I’d love to hear an update on updates on [diversity and inclusion], because no one talks about it, even when ICE agents were in Madison.”
To further communication and discussion, Brown-Clopton said students should take part in Student Senate and interact with peer leaders. “Senate speaks for the body,” she said. “If you don’t show up to Senate town hall, if you aren’t engaged in that conversation, you have a whole body speaking for you. If you don’t agree, no one would know.”
Brown-Clopton, Garcia, and other OSII members aim to change the way the college discusses diversity and inclusion. They are continuing to plan events, organize training, and engage in conversations with students to build a comfortable community around marginalized groups on Edgewood’s campus.
“Yes, we still have a way to go, but at least we’re moving,” Brown-Clopton said.
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