Social Justice Advisory Group

Student Life is committed to ensuring our University serves as a model for diversity, equity, and inclusion. All of us firmly believe in the power of higher education to change lives and build a better, more equitable society. Together, we must work to ensure that all students from richly diverse racial and cultural backgrounds feel at home on our campus, and are provided with the support they need to succeed.

Student Life is dedicated to both our students and the divisional staff. To that end we will create a team to advise on policy, practice, programs and traditions that promote/facilitate intercultural learning on different levels. This team shall foster collaboration with faculty experts. These opportunities can be used to further an individual's understanding of diversity and social justice and can also help to facilitate improved group dynamics. Several areas of focus will include:

• Increasing racial diversity throughout the division.
• Creating opportunities for the entire division to contribute to change.
• Enhancing and developing support systems for people of color.
• Removing systemic barriers to success.

The SLSJAG is comprised of leadership and representation from numerous Student Life units. The group was formed under the leadership of the Interim Vice President for Student Life. Through multiple meetings and soliciting individual member’s thoughts and concerns on priorities and potential areas of focus, the work of the Advisory Group was originally organized into four committees. During the spring semester, we agreed that the scope of the cultural competency group was too large, and we established a group to examine recruitment and selection practices. Membership of the committees, along with their focus, is offered below.

• Brian Haggerty, Co-Convener (Campus Living)
  
• Amani Johnson, Co-Convener (Counseling Services)

To understand how systems, practices, policies, and procedures support racial equity or inequity among students and Student Life staff and provide actionable recommendations that are grounded in antiracism.

• Ben Fabian, Chair (Student Conduct & Advocacy)
• Matt Ardila-Weigand (Orientation, Transition and Parent Programs)
• Jude Butch (Student Engagement)
• Allen Williams (Intercultural and Diversity Center)

Conduct necessary research to determinebest practices, frameworks and/or models that are utilized at benchmark schools. The research focus should be on a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in an effort to affirm the dignity, value and worth of Student Life staff. Make recommendations to assess the staff experience on an on-going basis.

• Mary Clare Fahey
• Aaron Maracle
• Sheila Thomas

To understand the student experience without further taxing our students for their labor and to provide student-centered, actionable recommendations to Student Life units to improve accessibility, equity, and inclusion in their spaces and programs.

• Thomas Vane, Co-Chair (Student Engagement)
  
• Kevin Ahuna (Intercultural and Diversity Center)
• Kristina Collier (Campus Living)
• Rachel DiDomizio (Student Engagement)

Identify an agreed upon set of multicultural competencies for use in developing and assessing staff onboarding, training, and staff development initiatives.

• Mary Clare Fahey, Chair (Campus Living)
• Lauren Brantley (Campus Dining & Shops)
• Chrissy Daniel (Orientation, Transition and Parent Programs)
• Larissa Kowalczyk (Campus Living)

Examine recruitment and selection processes within Student Life with the goal of attracting, hiring and retaining a diverse group of individuals to work for Student Life. Implementation group membership:

• Kevin Ahuna 
• Jillian Battaglia
• Jude Butch 
• Kristina Collier 

Propose a structure for the Division of Student Life to respond internally and to students when social injustices occur either on-campus, locally, or nationally, in order to communicate to students in a timely manner with a message of support and resources. Additionally, that structure should be tasked with maintaining awareness of social injustices that impact students, making recommendations for restorative practices and adjustment to social media and other communications to reflect awareness and a plan of action. The goal of this team would be to ensure that we are a proactive partner in the institutional response.

• Melissa Boes Kirk
• Ben Fabian
• Meegan Hunt
• Larissa Kowalczyk
• Allen Williams