In two posts to their Instagram account @spj_westmont launched a dual campaign to gather stories and art from BIPOC Westmont community members. The posts can be seen below:
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On August 31, 2020, a new organization launched an Instagram account @spj_westmont. Their first post encapsulated their vision and can be seen below:
At 9:25pm on August 19th, 2020, Dean of students Stu Cleek sent a letter via email to the second year, third year, fourth year, and fifth year mailing lists. The letter contents are attached below: Dear Returning Students,
As I begin to write these words to you, it is a late summer evening. I am sitting at a desk in my garage, which has become my “office” these last several strange months. I have the garage door up and am trying to take advantage of the relatively cool Carpinteria evening breeze in the midst of a Western heat wave. I can hear the sound of bubbling water coming from the fountain near my front door, and I find myself desperately wishing the water I am hearing was, instead, rushing from Franklin Creek in the High Sierras where I would normally be backpacking with the Residence Life Staff this time of year. I’m desperately longing for “normal.” I miss you. You, after all, are the heartbeat of Westmont. I miss feeling your energy and passion, hearing your questions and dreams, and being inspired by witnessing firsthand your capacity for creativity, and compassion. I look forward to the time (in the not too distant future) when we will be able to be together again, and we will be able to give a proper Westmont welcome in person to all the new students who are starting their Westmont journey on-line. Of course, even as I type these words, I’m mindful that many in our community are actually longing for change at Westmont rather than a return to the status quo when it comes to issues of race, ethnicity, equity and inclusion. With this in mind, I’m writing to share both some general updates as well as my own hopes for the year. Many of you know that, earlier this summer, as the country was grappling with the horrific killing of George Floyd and the open wounds of racism in our systems and communities it displayed, a video posted by a Westmont student earlier in the spring to a social media site was publicly reported to the college. The video was troubling and racist, and caused deep harm to our students of color. Soon after this was brought to the attention of college officials, the college put on its Instagram news feed (which can still be viewed via the website version of Instagram) both a statement condemning the video and an apology by the student who originally posted the video. The statement also communicated, “We’ll take necessary actions through Student Life.” I grieve for the negative impact this incident has had on many of our students, and especially our black students. I also want to state emphatically that racism and race-based bias incidents or behaviors have no place in our community. The students who reported the incident to the college did the right thing and their action allowed the college to take action that is consistent with the college’s values and commitments. Although student privacy and employment laws limit my ability to provide specific information related to an individual student conduct case, I do want to emphasize the college’s commitment to take seriously and effectively respond to all incidents involving racism, racial harassment, or race-based bias incidents. Even though the college responded to address this specific incident, this is also an opportunity for us to reflect on the personal circumstances and institutional systems and structures that contribute to both the occurrence and impact of incidents like this. Therefore, I have viewed this situation as both an opportunity for reflection and a call to action for myself. I realize that many students had already been asking for institutional changes prior to this incident. My intention is to neither diminish or ignore those voices, nor is it to comprehensively address those voices in the limited context of this email. Rather, I simply want to share a few action steps that have been taken as a result of my own reflections. 1. Review of Resident Assistant selection process. I’ve asked Director of Residence Life, Shannon Balram, to work with the RD team to review and modify our hiring and training practices with particular attention toward continuing to improve our processes for evaluating and developing the multicultural competencies of the RAs we select to serve in this important role. Even though Residence Life staff were not aware of the existence of this video at the time of the student’s selection to be a Resident Assistant, it is still concerning that he had been selected to be an RA for this year. The Residence Life staff have a deep commitment to cultivating a diverse community where all students have a high sense of belonging. Beginning in 2013, the department instituted changes in its recruitment and selection of staff with the specific goal of hiring staff that are both reflective of our students and who also demonstrate a commitment to anti-racism with the multicultural skills, attitudes and beliefs that are needed to lead in cultivating this type of community. However, this incident reveals we can and need to do better to achieve these goals. 2. Updated policy with clear and simple reporting process. Under the direction of VP for Student Life, Dr. Edee Schulze, the college’s harassment policy has been updated and is now titled the Bias, Harassment, and Discrimination Policy and Procedures. As part of this update, there is now a simple on-line form that can be used to report any instances of racial harassment, discrimination, or racially-based bias incidents. This incident made clear the college could better serve and support students by updating and simplifying its harassment policy and reporting options. Reporting racial harassment or discrimination incidents is a critical tool in developing a safe environment for all students, and we want to make sure all students who encounter such incidents know how they can respond and get support. The previous reporting options still exist for students who prefer to make a report directly to a report recipient listed in the policy, but this additional option will provide a clear, simple, and timely way for anyone in the community to report incidents so that the college can respond in an appropriate and effective way. The updated policy and the reporting form are currently being put on the college’s website. All students will receive an email from Dr. Schulze when the Bias, Harassment and Discrimination Policies and Procedures and the reporting form are ready for viewing. 3. Fall listening sessions with the Dean of Students. I’m committed to listening well in the year ahead. As a tangible step toward that goal, I’ve decided to host regular listening sessions throughout the school year. You can look for more details to come soon about those events, and I plan to do the first one sometime in September via Zoom. On a more personal note, even before the COVID pandemic shut campus down in mid-March, I had already been on a medical leave of absence from Westmont since mid-December 2019. As a result, I was not on campus during the early spring when a number of incidents occurred that highlighted the racial tension on campus. It wouldn’t be fair for me to speculate on what I may or may not have done had I been on campus, but I do personally mourn my absence as a lost opportunity to listen well and to lead within the scope of my responsibilities. I did read about and see pictures of the protest that occurred just prior to spring break, and I want to be clear that I see no adversaries in the protestors. Rather, I see people I care about, people I pray for and with, people I co-labor with, friends and loved ones. I see people who care so much about Westmont and want us together to do a better job of living into our high ideals and vision for a Christian higher education that is rich in diversity and equity. That is something I too am passionate about. The focus of my doctoral studies was on issues of diversity and equity in higher education. My research specifically focused on the disparity in sense of belonging between white students and students of color on Christian college campuses, and how differences in the perception of the campus racial climate and faith impacted those disparities. It is clear that Westmont, Christian higher education, and higher education in general have much work to do on these issues. I believe part of that work is listening well. While I can certainly read, research, and seek to understand the complexity of issues on my own, I don’t have the lived experience that many of you have that provides deeper, more nuanced, and even more meaningful insight. I recognize many students of color are tired and you shouldn’t have to bear the burden of teaching others. I’m not asking for that. I do hope, though, that you’ll consider participating in conversations that will equip me to better advocate and respond to your concerns. I also recognize that students in general and particularly students of color are not a monolith, and I want to provide opportunities to give voice to and listen to the range of student views and experiences at Westmont. Even though there may be disagreement regarding specific action steps that should be taken, we can all affirm the goal of working to develop a community marked by a high sense of belonging, diversity, equity, and reconciled relationships that more fully represent Kingdom values. If you’ve made it this far in my email, thanks for hanging in there. Hopefully, you’ve found at least some encouragement in what I’ve shared so far. Perhaps you have also found things to critique. You may think I’ve said too much, or not enough, or haven’t used the “right” words to say it. That’s okay. I accept this reality as being part of a community of higher learning and in the public square. In the midst of those thoughts, I also invite you to see a dean of students who cares for you and who is committed to working (admittedly imperfectly) toward a more diverse and equitable experience for all students. I look forward to the time when we will all be together again on campus, and I’m also thankful for the technology that will allow us to connect as a community until that time. You continue to be in my thoughts and prayers as we begin the adventure of this new and unprecedented school year together. In peace and grace, Stu |