Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington returned to campus Monday and Tuesday to meet with the Working Group and speak to the broader campus community.

On Monday, Dr. Washington spoke at chapel in the morning and as the 2018 James Reeb Memorial Speaker in the afternoon. His lecture “Social Justice 2018: The Work Continues …” centered on the idea of building an institution’s capacity to engage injustice and create more inclusive, equitable communities. We encourage you to watch the lectures linked above.

Dr. Washington then facilitated a second conversation with members of the Working Group, the Collective, the Task Force, and President Anderson. The goal of the conversation was to continue to have authentic, open conversations with the students and faculty/staff members who initially brought these issues forward. We are grateful for their leadership in elevating issues of racism, diversity, and inclusion to the highest level at the college.

On Tuesday, the Working Group met to discuss our initial recommendations for our report. Our recommendations are focused on providing greater accountability, intentionality, alignment, and sustainability for work in equity and inclusion across the college. We began considering recommendations in the areas of access and inclusion, climate and community, scholarship and learning, institutional commitment, and sustainability.

We look forward to further engaging with the community on recommendations in these strategy areas, including participating in a student forum the first week in April. Details will be shared as soon as they are available.

Respectfully submitted,

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