The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) office at KSC received a new faculty member to serve as a support role within the office. Taneem Husain, assistant professor of women and gender studies, will be working with the office for the spring 2023 semester in an effort to help find a faculty fellow to fill in the role for the next two years.
The purpose of the faculty fellow would be to work with current faculty to help edit/ create new curriculum and engage with students of all opinions, according to KSC President Melinda Treadwell.
Dottie Morris, associate vice president for diversity and inclusion, said she is also helping “jump start” their vision for the future of the DEI office.
Morris said the position would be hired from within.
Currently, they are looking to expand the DEI office to play a bigger role in the campus. Morris said they originally had someone in the student support role, but that individual resigned.
With the recent $16 million investment from the board of trustees, $500,000 has been allocated to the DEI office. Those funds will primarily be used to hire new faculty for the office, according to Morris.
Treadwell said that another one of the positions, a student support role, would program and find ways to “expand the student experience.”
Also according to Treadwell, a new Human Resources (HR) member would be hired to look at current and future policies. They would look to make sure the policies are without bias and are welcoming to new faculty, staff, and students.
Morris said they also plan to bring on a grad assistant to help with other parts of the strategic plan for KSC, as they will need more people to help with it.
More specifically within the realm of DEI, the summary statement states, “This initiative calls for innovative thinking, responsive processes, high tolerance for ambiguity and flexibility of systems to implement a plan for improving equity of campus resources and support to students, faculty, and staff.”
“The benefits from having those positions in place will definitely serve as a springboard to continue these positions or in some form or another,” said Morris.
Morris noted another mission of the DEI office would be to help with admissions, as well as retention of the school, and work to increase the number of scholarships handed out, something that the grad assistant may help with.
The DEI office is also looking to increase its programming on campus, something that more faculty members involved with DEI can make possible.
Morris said that, so far, there are a “slate” of programs and events planned for the spring semester.
Morris said that she wants to “get our name out there as a place where we not only value diversity, equity, and inclusion, but we try to live it.”
The inclusion of student involvement through student organizations or individual/ group student projects is also being kept in mind for future programs and ideas for the office of DEI.
Another plan DEI has is what is called the “pilot program.” The program will include four students, who are specially selected, that will attend classes with Husain, after which they will embark on a trip throughout the United States, seeing important civil rights sights, which potentially include Stonewall, Memphis, Tenn. and Selma, Ala.
Treadwell said that the college “should be a place of a free-market of information exchange.” The DEI office would help create a space where students could exchange ideas freely, learn from each other and gain new perspectives.
According to Treadwell, within the next eight years, the population that will grow will be traditionally underrepresented groups. She said she wants to make it known what they are doing and that potential students will be welcomed, especially, since over the last several years, the school has seen an increase in traditionally underrepresented students enrolled.
The Equinox reported on Justice, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) investments on Nov. 16, 2022. Morris said they are not at the point of calling themselves JEDI.
She said they are trying to find their own definition of what justice means to them and she explained that justice or social justice is complex in its multiple definitions. “What do we really mean by this?” said Morris.
Morris added, “We have a good path for diversity, equity, and inclusion. I don’t know if we have a good path to that piece [justice] yet.”
For now, DEI is laying the foundation for what could become JEDI.
Timothy Bruns can be contacted at
tbruns@kscequinox.com
