Supporting Our Students
February 24, 2021
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to announce more progress from the Implementation Team for Racial Justice. This progress report provides an update on our efforts to better support students. As a reminder, in the fall, we hosted two listening sessions focused on racial justice for students. At the listening sessions and via our Community Feedback Form, students expressed concerns about the lack of diversity on the faculty and in the curriculum, and they wanted faculty to undergo training on how to handle discussions about race and racism in the classroom. They wanted access to more mental health support, and they wanted each school at the college to enhance student input on the curriculum. Finally, they requested additional forums to share about these issues going forward.
Recommendation on Student Forums to Discuss Racial Issues
We recommended that the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) and the Graduate Student Organization (GSO) host forums to provide a safe space for their constituents to dialog on issues related to race and racism. In response, the USG and GSO hosted a number of these forums in the fall. Additionally, the USG will host similar forums on March 26 and April 22, and the GSO will host forums on February 25 and March 4. Please look for their announcements.
Recommendation of Student Advocates
We recommended that the college better disseminate information about the student ombudsperson as well as those who can assist students with issues related to Title IX, harassment, and discrimination. In response, the Department of Student Affairs developed Bulldog Basics for BC Students, Your Guide to Remote Student Support Services, posted it to the website, and distributed it to all students and to faculty who advise students.
Recommendation on Faculty Discipline
We recommended that Policy Council revise the policy regarding Student Complaints About Faculty Conduct in Academic Settings to better support students. If a student has a complaint about a faculty member, the policy directs them to speak with their faculty member for informal resolution, when sometimes the complaint concerns possible discrimination or harassment on the part of that faculty member. In response, the Office of Diversity and Equity Programs has developed a proposed change to the policy and has sent it to Policy Council for adoption.
Recommendation on Mental Health Support
We recommended that the college hire additional mental health counselors to provide more assistance to students during the pandemic and remote learning. In response, with the support of CARES funding, Personal Counseling launched searches for four diverse mental health counselors focused on trauma, bereavement, oppression, harm reduction, and risk management.
Recommendation on Student Representation on Departmental Curriculum Committees
We recommended that each academic department comply with the requirement to have student representation on its curriculum committee. We also recommended that the departments strive to ensure diversity of student representation and publicize committee rosters. In response, all but three departments have implemented these recommendations. As a follow-up, we further recommend that a process for publicizing the student representatives and committee rosters be standardized across the college to ensure ongoing compliance.
Recommendation on Faculty Training
We recommended that the Office of Diversity and Equity Programs enhance its implicit bias training for faculty and explore the development of additional training, in collaboration with others, that will focus on how to manage discussions of race and racism in the classroom. In response, the office enhanced its implicit bias training and offered it in the fall, with additional training scheduled throughout the spring.
Recommendation on Student Advisory Councils
We recommended that the dean of each school at the college develop a Student Advisory Council to enhance student representation in the curriculum and operation of the schools. In response, four of the five schools have established a Student Advisory Council, and the final school’s work to develop a council is in progress.
Recommendation on Diversity of Students Appointed to Faculty Council Committees
We recommended that USG and GSO enhance their processes for appointing students to serve on the committees of Faculty Council to ensure that positions are filled in a timely fashion, student representatives can fulfill their committee obligations, and student representatives reflect the diversity of the student body. We also recommended that Faculty Council make every effort to schedule committee meetings at a time appropriate for student participation. In response, Student Affairs developed a Student Governance and Committee Appointment Reference Book to document the committees that need to be filled annually by student representatives. USG and GSO will implement a committee interest form and offer interest sessions on becoming a student representative on a Faculty Council committee. USG will host an interest session on March 2, and GSO will host town halls on February 25 and March 4.
Finally, we would also like to update you on the BC Cares Survey, launched on October 29, 2020, which asks students about academic, administrative, and educational support; campus culture; barriers to success; and prejudice. The college has added demographic information, such as race/ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and ability, to the survey, which will help the college identify and address disparities. The survey relaunched this week. We encourage students to participate.
We will continue to update you on the college’s progress in implementing our recommendations, and we welcome your questions and comments via e-mail or through our anonymous Community Feedback Form.
Yours sincerely,
Anthony Brown, Ron Jackson, and James Lynch
Co-chairs of the Implementation Team for Racial Justice
