The St. Olaf Working Group on Equity and Inclusion met for the second time on November 6, and we devoted our time to meeting with members of the Collective and the Task Force. This was our first opportunity to listen, as we as a Working Group attempt to better understand students’ experiences and frustrations so that we can determine how the college can do better.

Working Group members expressed gratitude for the work of the Collective and the Task Force, and we agreed that it will play a significant role in the work of the group moving forward.

After hearing from the Collective and the Task Force, we met as a Working Group and some common themes emerged based on our discussion:

We need to acknowledge that racism is an issue.

• There is not yet widespread understanding and acknowledgement that racism exists on campus. The Working Group will engage with more people on campus about their experiences of racism as well as examine many areas of the college to have a better picture of how racism impacts the whole college experience.

• As part of this process, the Working Group will distribute a campus climate survey this week to all students, faculty, and staff that will assess campus members’ experiences, behaviors, and perceptions regarding inclusiveness. It will serve to inform strategies, next steps, opportunities, and challenges.

We need to focus on broad systematic opportunities to drive impact over time as well as small changes that can make an immediate difference.

• The group discussed how to achieve broader engagement and education, and more work needs to be done to identify effective strategies.

• Current diversity and inclusion programming is fragmented across various departments on campus, so the group talked about the opportunity to proactively communicate the college’s efforts in the short-term and look for broader impact opportunities in the long-term.

We need to address how to improve accountability.

• The group acknowledged that real change doesn’t happen only through policy change or training. Real change happens when each member of the community has empathy for each other’s experiences. The college’s challenge is to create shared accountability and trust between students, parents, alumni, faculty, and staff for an inclusive community.

• The group identified the importance of providing opportunities for public discussion and dialogue as part of the process.

• The Working Group agreed that the next key is to better understand the college’s activity and work in Admissions, Human Resources, the Center for Multicultural and International Engagement, TRIO, Student Support Services, International and Off-Campus Studies, and the GE committee, and to learn from various student organizations, including the Student Government Association; Gay, Lesbian, or Whatever! (GLOW); the Political Awareness Committee; and other student groups.

The Working Group will meet again on December 6, when we will hear from other areas of the college. In the meantime, we will begin researching best practices of other institutions. We encourage anyone with feedback and ideas to submit them via the online form. We also plan to hold a public forum and will communicate that date as soon as it is set.

As we enter this holiday season, we are grateful for the opportunity to come together as a community to reflect, improve, and support each other.

Respectfully submitted,

Glenn Taylor ’73 and Phil Milne ’81

Chairs, Working Group on Equity and Inclusion