Noor Mushtaq
Contributing Writer
There is an overarching issue with the College’s retention rates of POC and international faculty, which is a broader issue that shapes and affects the larger campus community. This is definitely part of the larger political state of the country, as well as that of Ohio.
Moreover, there is a disproportionate amount of work that POC faculty does to create safe spaces for Black and brown students on campus, as well as to cater to their needs and to listen to their concerns. A lot of the work done by POC and international faculty is done through creating close relationships with students and actively making decisions to protect them, especially in the current political state of America. This is the kind of work that is the College’s responsibility; instead there is a division of labor which is not equitable as faculty members end up doing this work instead, which requires extensive emotional and mental capacity and takes out of their personal time and resources.
One example of this is Dr. Beatrice Adams’ recent departure from the College. She did a lot of work outside of the classroom for Black and brown students, such as engaging with students, listening to their concerns and finding ways within the College to build solutions. She also served a lot in community building for students as well, and her leaving has definitely impacted the college community a lot, especially the marginalized students whom she mentored, empowered and taught. There are many professors across departments who develop close relationships with students to give them extended support because of there not being multiple avenues of support within the College.
Another example is Dr. Amyaz Moledina, who often mentors and talks to students to build support systems and discusses various issues within the campus community, as well as students’ personal issues. He met me once, eight months ago after an event and had one conversation with me, and somehow remembered all these details about me and who I was and what I did on campus across time. When he saw me again later this year, he immediately made the effort to have a meeting and discuss issues on campus, and have discourse about complex problems me and other students face on campus, which is a kind of support I really appreciate, especially because I’m not even a student in his department.
Another example is Dr. Daimys Garcia in the English department. Her office is always packed with students, including countless non-majors who find her to be incredibly supportive and understanding towards them. Many POC students, especially those who are non-majors, see her as a friendly face and know her to be a source of welcoming support before they even have a class with her. Students of all backgrounds and identities, marginalized or not, often go to her office to talk about the various issues they face on campus, or in their personal lives, and find a mentor in her. I find both a source of academic and personal support in her despite not being an English major. Many students go to her to find a safe space where they can be seen for the full depth of who they are and to discuss issues they may face. Her door has always been open to all students as she finds ways to support them and make them feel seen.
There is a nationwide attack on minorities in the United States as well as on academia, which has become a dangerous combination that The College of Wooster is not immune to. The increasingly alarming issue of enrollment and retention rates, especially with faculty of color, international students and POC students. There was a time in The College of Wooster where a substantial amount of the student population was international students and this is no longer the case with the percentage dropping every year, and the retention rate of students dropping overall. Moreover, there used to be a time when there used to be a faculty member representative in what used to be the Centre of Diversity and Inclusion which was really conducive to facilitating multiple avenues of support for students through the Centre, but this is no longer the case. The issue of faculty retention rates is incredibly important and must be addressed, as faculty are vital to the campus community, student wellness and to student retention rates.