Dear St. Olaf Community,

On September 25, President Anderson announced the college’s next step in its continuing efforts to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone on the Hill.

We are humbled to chair the Working Group on Equity and Inclusion, and we are eager to begin the large and important task in front of us. On behalf of the Board of Regents, we care deeply about creating a college where everyone not only feels welcome, but also truly included.

We are proud of our St. Olaf community. We are not afraid to talk about difficult issues and address them in thoughtful, comprehensive, and transparent ways. It is in this spirit that the Working Group will approach our charge.

During this school year, we will seek out and listen to the community’s concerns, opinions, and ideas; ask for help from experts; and conduct a comprehensive climate survey. Our goal is to identify barriers that exist for underrepresented groups and recommend ways to remove those barriers. President Anderson has asked for our comprehensive report and recommendations by May 1, 2018, or sooner.

Although we are eager to find solutions, we know that an issue this complex necessitates a thoughtful and comprehensive approach. We are not looking for quick and easy solutions, we are looking for long-term, effective ones. Rest assured, if we identify areas that can be addressed before the full report is finished, we will do so in real time. And we understand that St. Olaf is already taking steps to create a more inclusive community, including diversity training for all students, faculty, and staff.

The Working Group’s first official meeting is scheduled for the end of this month. We will undergo diversity training so that each member of the group starts with a consistent foundation. Soon after, we will do a full campus climate survey and meet with the members of the two groups who began this dialogue: the Collective and the summer Task Force.

The Working Group is independent from the administration, and we have been granted full authority to conduct this process as we see appropriate. We will have regular and ongoing meetings to chart our progress and hold each other accountable. We will provide updates on our progress after each meeting. If you are interested in receiving our updates, please sign up here. Updates on the Working Group will also be available on the college’s website here.

We are grateful to the St. Olaf community for placing its trust in us to lead this Working Group.

Sincerely,

Glenn Taylor ’73 and Phil Milne ’81
Chairs, Working Group on Equity and Inclusion