Barnard Council on
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
A Note from the EditorsAs the academic year draws to a close, we are pleased to share the third edition of the Barnard Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion newsletter. In each edition, we share the Council’s new and ongoing initiatives, introduce some of the people working on diversity, equity, and inclusion, showcase campus events relevant to the Council’s mission, and feature resources available to the Barnard community.
On May 2 you received news of the appointment of the inaugural Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We are thrilled to welcome Ariana González Stokas to the Barnard community. As President Beilock stated in her announcement, this role was one of the recommendations that emerged from the President’s Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion. These recommendations were reinforced by campuswide feedback. Vice President González Stokas’ leadership will help Barnard coordinate and amplify diversity efforts across campus and assist us in becoming the inclusive community we aspire to be. We want to express our appreciation again for the thoughtful input across campus in this
critical search. Vice President González Stokas will work closely with constituencies across campus promoting diversity, establishing accountability, and supporting inclusivity among Barnard’s community. She will chair the Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and you will hear much more directly from her in the fall.
We want to take this opportunity to say something about the process that resulted in Vice President González Stokas’ appointment because it reflects Barnard’s commitment to inclusion. President Beilock worked with Faculty Diversity and Development, Human Resources, and student groups to form the Advisory Search Committee. The result was a committee that included members of the Barnard community who might never have otherwise worked with one another. For our small group of students, administrative staff, and faculty, working together was a chance to learn from one another, and to see and hear how we each approached the same commitment from our particular place within Barnard. Certainly, as members of the Faculty, and in our respective roles as a Dean and a (now outgoing) Chair involved in that search, we both came away
with a sense of what is possible when we step outside of our “silos.” We were a committee whose members each brought insight, knowledge, and expertise to frame questions and to deliberate, all with one end in mind: to bring to Barnard someone who would understand what it means for us to be an urban-based, women’s and gender-expansive liberal arts college making every effort to align our systemic and structural foundations with our everyday interactions and vision of diversity, equity, and inclusion. During these deliberations and even during conversations with candidates, it was evident that Barnard has already worked hard to honor its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. At the same time, our conversations highlighted the fact that we are not isolated from the world. And, indeed, this was made distressingly clear recently when a black male Columbia student was physically restrained by Barnard Public Safety officers in The Milstein Center. What happened was painfully familiar — and unacceptable, no matter how anyone parses it. Regardless of any individual perspective, what we saw falls within the broader structures, narratives, discourses, and frameworks of over-policing and racial bias within our society. A black student bore the brunt of the confrontation, in the presence of other students and Milstein staff. And we have a responsibility to enact remedial actions and policies to prevent future repetitions. It is important to remember that all forms of bias, including racial bias, are grounded in history, which does not change the fact that we are dismayed to the point of despair and anger.
One reason for this despair is that a fault line opens: On one hand, there is the promise of our mission statement and of what we imagine and hope ourselves to be as a liberal arts college that orients itself toward social justice; on the other hand, we are each individuals who bring to campus our histories, our faults, and, yes, our biases, whether we are aware of them or not. Our hope is that we learn to unlearn those untruths about difference that are sedimented in us and that become the foundation for bias. We have an urgent obligation to ensure justice on our campus and, as we participate in our wider community, to remain alert to such questions and to search for such answers together.
Sincerely,
Yvette Christiansë
Ann Whitney Olin Chair & Chair of Africana Studies Department
Professor, Africana Studies & English Literature
Interim Chair, Barnard College Council for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Monica L. Miller
Associate Professor of English and Africana Studies
Dean for Faculty Diversity and Development
Faculty Coordinator, Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program (MMUF)
On the CouncilOn Bold, Beautiful, Black @ Barnard
with Organizer Phanesia Pharel ’21
Tell us about Bold, Beautiful, Black at Barnard? Bold, Beautiful, Black at Barnard is a yearly event on Barnard’s campus through collaborations with student government, historic affinity groups, and other organizations in our community. We strive to unite all Barnard students in celebrating the vast, intersectional history and presence of blackness on campus. How did you come up with the idea for the conference? When working with the SGA committee for inclusion and equity, I decided I wanted to create an event that made black students feel celebrated. It was then that the idea came to me. What went
into organizing a community-wide initiative like this? How did other campus groups support the work? SGA, Student Life, and affinity groups helped with funding. We’ve worked with the Asian American Association specifically on a partnership. What is your advice for other members of the community looking to help create a more diverse and inclusive campus? Never be afraid to ask for resources! There’s always someone willing to help. What’s next for Bold, Beautiful, Black at Barnard? Our art exhibit, “Redefining the Center,” will be closing today, and we are in the process of
planning next year. Stay tuned, and keep an eye on our website.
Center for Engaged Pedagogy Hosts Workshops on Impact of the “N-Word” in Learning EnvironmentsBy Miriam Neptune, Director of Teaching, Learning, and Digital Scholarship
The Center for Engaged Pedagogy hosted two workshop days with Liz Pryor, Smith College professor of History and Africana Studies, to discuss the impact of the “n-word” when it is brought into learning environments as a part of course content. The workshops were co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost, the Committee on Faculty Diversity and Development, and the Barnard Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Pryor’s research examines the historical use of this word as a way to limit the social mobility of black citizens. As the daughter of iconic comedian Richard Pryor, exploring how this word has been resisted,
reappropriated, and negotiated by generations of African Americans has special resonance for her. She has also spent the past year working with middle and high school teachers, examining how students and teachers often experience classroom conversations about race and racism for the first time through commonly taught texts like Huckleberry Finn. Several faculty participated in a two-hour workshop and discussion on March 14 and joined students and staff for a webinar on April 26 at the Digital Humanities Center, in which Professor Pryor facilitated a discussion about why the experience of reading, hearing, or speaking the n-word is painful and even traumatic for many students and teachers. She also addressed how instructors can employ strategies to begin honest and transparent conversations about racism before an encounter with this word through text. Several faculty wrote that they
appreciated the opportunity to explore what it means to be vulnerable alongside students in the classroom. One participant wrote to Pryor after the last session, “We can’t ignore the things that make us uncomfortable; you’re teaching us how to lean into the discomfort and showing us that we will be okay in it.”
Introducing the Barnard Community Safety GroupThe Barnard Community Safety Group was formed this spring to ensure an ongoing and productive dialogue between members of the Barnard community and the Department of Public Safety and to create a forum in which honest feedback and experiences could be shared, policies and procedures could be reviewed, and solutions for systemic change could be incubated.
The Group, composed of faculty, students, and staff, is working in an advisory capacity to President Beilock, providing recommendations directly to her. They have already met twice, and subgroups will continue research work over the summer. If you are interested in providing feedback, please email CommunitySafetyGroup@barnard.edu, and your name will be added to a roster of volunteers to whom the Group will reach out so that they can hear from additional voices and perspectives. You can also find more information at Community Safety Group.
Meet the StaffMeet Jemima Gedeon
As Associate Dean of Studies for Student Success, Jemima Gedeon is responsible for providing support, training, and programming to the College’s highly diverse student body. She works closely with students, faculty, and other campus offices to create a positive and inclusive experience for underrepresented students. In addition to advising and mentoring the College’s first-generation students, low-income students, and other underrepresented groups, Dean Gedeon works closely with the Dean of Studies office and other campus stakeholders to develop effective programs to support and enhance every student’s academic experience.
As a first-generation college graduate herself, it is particularly important to Jemima for students to know that “being the first in your family to attend college is a major accomplishment. I also know that at times it can feel a bit daunting and overwhelming.” First-generation and/or low-income college students may experience homesickness, feelings of not being understood, guilt, or even imposter syndrome, as well as challenges with expenses and money. Her job is to support and help students work through these and other difficulties: “The most rewarding part of my work is being able to make a difference in the lives of young woman who are doing something brave and challenging.
Meet Ingrid WiltshireBy Vanessa Alvarez ’22
For the past nine years (10 in September), Facilities Custodian Ingrid Wiltshire has worked hard to ensure students have one less thing to worry about during their time at Barnard: the cleanliness of their bathrooms and other common areas. Originally from Trinidad, Ingrid now lives on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. Before Barnard, she worked as an assistant teacher in a private school in Queens, but she made the switch after she learned of a contract benefit that helped employees pay for continuing education credits. Soon after accepting a role with the Facilities Department, Ingrid enrolled at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, where she received her B.A. in Special Education. Today Ingrid oversees bathroom operations in The Milstein Center and serves on Barnard’s Staff Advisory Council
(BSAC). She feels the most important aspect of her job is “making it easy so that when [students] come in, [they] can feel comfortable, and staff can feel comfortable. We all work together.” Ingrid notes that over the past decade Barnard has become a more inclusive environment, and she was particularly inspired when the college began to incorporate gender-neutral bathrooms before New York State passed the “bathroom bill,” making it a requirement for public institutions to allow persons to use whichever restroom best corresponds to their gender identity. In her free time, Ingrid loves to dance, go for walks, and watch television (“Young Sheldon” is currently one of her favorite shows). She is also in charge of directing and producing programs for her church. Ingrid is currently studying for her final
exam to become a board-certified teacher in New York State.
Resourcesby Vanessa Alvarez ’22Beyond Barnard supports students and alumnae as they define, pursue, and achieve success in their careers and communities. Beyond Barnard provides resources on careers, experiential education, competitive fellowships, and research, as well as
applications to graduate and professional school. The office, located on the second floor of Elliot Hall, is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mon - Fri, and has dedicated student drop-in hours from noon to 2 p.m., Mon - Fri. Beyond Barnard is also committed to helping first-generation and low-income students, students of color, and disabled students find success in whatever career paths they choose. For our May newsletter, Beyond Barnard has compiled a list of employers that strive for inclusion. If you are still curious about summer internship and employment opportunities, read more about the companies below: Arts
Design Intern 2019
Locus Analytics
*Locus Analytics is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and will evaluate and make hiring decisions concerning all applicants based on qualifications regardless of presumed or actual color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital or family status, disability, gender identity or expression, veteran status, belonging to an ethnic group, or any other legally protected status. Education
Public Education Summer Intern
Root & Rebound
*Root & Rebound is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including women, people of color, people with arrest and conviction histories, persons with disabilities, ethnic and religious minorities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender-variant and nonconforming individuals. Finance
Investment Banking Summer Analyst
BMO Financial Group
*BMO Harris Bank is committed to an inclusive, equitable, and accessible workplace.
Morgan Stanley Freshman Enhancement Program
*For rising sophomores that identify as Black, Hispanic, Native American, and/or LGBTQ
*More requirements listed on event page Health
Mental Health Department Intern
Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC)
Research Intern
Rutgers University - Center for Health, Identity, Behavior & Prevention Studies Law
Outreach Paralegal-Immigrant Justice Department
Southern Poverty Law Center
*An Equal Opportunity Employer with a Commitment to Diversity Technology
Technology Associate
Accenture
*Accenture is an EEO and Affirmative Action Employer of Females/Minorities/Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities.
2019 Software Development Engineer
Amazon
*Amazon is an Equal Opportunity-Affirmative Action Employer – Minority / Female / Disability / Veteran / Gender Identity / Sexual Orientation
You AskedWe want to hear from you! In an effort to foster and strengthen dialogue surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus, we have created a space for Barnard community members to submit their questions, thoughts, and ideas for the Council. We hope this space will support the Council’s effort to be more responsive to the Barnard community.
Newsletter edited by Monica Miller, Yvette Christiansë, and Noa Shapiro ’19
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