The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office gained a new member over the summer as 24 year old Darrien Waugh was hired as Coordinator of Student Diversity, Belonging, and Equity — a new position.
The announcement was made on a Jun. 19 Reels post on Keene State’s Instagram page. The announcement also coincided with the federal holiday Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
Waugh said his interest in DEI work began during his freshman year of college at Nichols College in Dudley, Mass.
“What really drove me was just being able to be that person that I needed growing up to fight these barriers, but also to deal with the things that come with being a part of a marginalized community,” Waugh said.
Waugh earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration at Nichols, and shortly after began job hunting when he heard of an opening in Keene State’s DEI office.
“I’ve been wanting to work in DEI forever and this is definitely where I want to be,” Waugh explained.
In terms of plans for the office, Waugh said that he already has some in the works, “Hispanic Heritage Month is coming up… so I’ve been planning out a social media campaign to highlight students, faculty and staff members of the Latine community… and to learn more about their backstory, what their experiences were, and comparing their leadership style to a significant figure in the Latine community.”
Additionally, Waugh said he is planning to create an Affinity Group conference with trainings, workshops, and webinars for on-campus organizations as well as networking opportunities across regional colleges.
Waugh joined the office during what some activists consider a tumultuous time for similar programs in other states. On Mar. 1, CBS News Miami reported that the New College of Florida’s Board of Trustees, a public liberal arts college in Sarasota, Fla., had voted to abolish DEI programs at the college. The move came after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis replaced six of the board’s 13 members with conservative allies in January.
President Melinda Treadwell said in an interview that she was close friends with the former president of New College of Florida, Patricia Okker, who was ousted by the Board of Trustees in January, according to a report by Politico.
“This is the greatest test to anyone’s leadership in higher education,” Treadwell said, in reference to attacks on DEI. “It’s important that we not be silent in it.”
“This isn’t about woke-ism or a social justice agenda. It’s about recognizing that we’re a country with many different identities and we need to be a place willing to test our own biases and blindspots,” Treadwell said.
Waugh said he isn’t concerned with the prospect of similar actions being imposed against DEI in New Hampshire.
“I’ve seen a lot of students really stand on things… all the power is within the students. If the students come together as a collective to combat something legislatively, the university is going to listen. Without the students, there’s no college.”
The DEI office saw a shakeup of its own over the summer, as the longtime Coordinator of LGBTQ Student Support Hunter Kirschner announced in an Aug. 9 email that his final day at the college would be Aug. 17. According to Kirschner’s LinkedIn profile, he had worked at the college since June of 2015.
“Over the next week, I will be working closely with Dottie Morris and Darrien Waugh to ensure a smooth handover of my duties,” a portion of the email stated.
Waugh said a search was already underway to fill Kirschner’s position, “We met with students twice this past week to figure out what specifically they would be looking for in that position, and what challenges Hunter faced so that we can support who comes in next.”
Waugh also expressed gratitude for Kirschner’s aid over the summer, “He put me under his wing, he taught me the ropes and how the logistics work at Keene, and I really saw he created great change on campus.”
Waugh said there’s also opportunities for DEI to expand in the future. “You can never have enough resources when it comes to DEI because it’s so broad.”
“I’m just excited for the future because this is just the beginning.”
Nathan Hope can be contacted at
nhope@kscequinox.com
