Mackenzie Clark
News Editor
On Tuesday, Dec. 6, The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategic Planning Group (DEISPG) met to begin work on their multi-year strategic plan to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the campus community.
In an email sent to the campus community on Nov. 17, Shadra Smith, co-chair of DEISPG and assistant dean of students/director of multicultural student affairs, said, “Many of you know diversity and inclusivity is one of our institution’s Core Values. Yet, we’ve found through various listening tours, research groups and task forces that it takes more than just merely saying that this is an important part of The College of Wooster. There has to be active, continuous and collaborative efforts of change. President Sarah Bolton recognizes this need and we as a community can see that the need is probably greater than it has been in the last decade.”
DEISPG’s current assignment from President Bolton is to create a multi-year Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) strategic plan, which is scheduled to be completed by April, 2017.
The group consists of faculty, students and staff who have been divided into focused working groups that are looking at issues such as creating, retaining and improving the experience of a more diverse faculty, staff and student community, as well as creating a campus culture of diversity, equity and inclusion.
“These working groups have been meeting with students, staff, and faculty this semester, and will continue to do so during MLK Day and the first few weeks of the Spring semester,” said Dr. Christa Craven, co-chair of DEISPG and chair of the women’s, gender and sexuality studies (WGSS) program/associate professor of anthropology and WGSS. “The DEISPG will then organize and consolidate the goals and strategic action ideas that come out of those discussions. We will then be reaching out to students, staff and faculty again to clarify and prioritize the strategic actions towards DEI at a series of open meetings.”
Scott Brown, vice president for student affairs/dean of students and member of DEISPG, said, “I am grateful we are looking at this as a campus effort, congruent with our mission in timely ways- a shared responsibility for creating a climate of high achievement for all”.
“We are excited about this process,” said Dr. Craven, “particularly the ability to contribute to strategic actions that will work to create a campus culture which values and promotes diversity, equity and inclusion.”