“I Don’t Mess With The Pugh:” Racially Integrating Colby College

Slides:



Advertisements
Similar presentations
Why Do People Join Groups?
Advertisements

What have we learned? Where do we go from here?. Mission Statement Unity College aims to have an environment in which each individual is treated with.
Amy Leopold, Kyle Brown, Sarah Kelly, Jenn Smith, Fallon Blask.
Quality of Life Survey: Racial Climate Results. Black history month participation.
Presented by Joyce Allen-Beckford, Director December 17, 2009.
Action Research: “Combating Racist Attitudes in High School Classrooms” Amy Everhart Secondary: English, Political Science.
Guide to Membership Recruitment, Retention, Diversity and Inclusion.
Multicultural Awareness This from the University of Georgia…(and other places)
Diversify ® Maximizing Diversity since Diversify® 1. How is this individual diverse? 2. True or False: It is best for individuals to leave their.
AN INSTITUTIONAL AND PERSONAL LOOK AT DIVERSITY AND ISSUES AROUND RACE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT The Diversity Climate at UVM.
THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE EXPERIENCE PLUS, 2 ND EDITION AMY BALDWIN Chapter 3: Understanding Others in College and Diversity Copyright ©2010 by Pearson Education,
Talking About Racial Justice in Your Unit Missouri Conference United Methodist Women 2016 Legislative Training Event.
Culture of Community. 1 Creating our YSU Culture of Community Division of Multicultural Affairs Culture Of Community Council Culture Of Community Collaborative.
Chapter 4.  Teachers’ Attitudes:  Build relationships with all children  Provide positive experiences base on caring relationships  Model relationships.
SUPPORTING PEOPLE IN EMPOWERMENT, ADVOCACY AND KNOWLEDGE! The Disability Experience Engaging Communities, Promoting Understanding.
Building Community through Inclusive Excellence
House Calls Volunteer Training
Internationalising Equality,
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access
Creating an Anti-Bias Learning Community
Integrating Athletes and Non-Athletes at Colby
SOCIAL INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANTS STUDENTS BY USING DRAMA APPLICATIONS
ZONTA DISTRICT 4 SPRING WORKSHOP
Creating an Anti-Bias Learning Community
MariAnne Zavala-Lopez
The drinking age applies to Mules too!
Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI)
Brian Levenson English 115A * Professor Sheriff
Depression and Suicidal Risk at Colby College
Photography pitch By Andre Tibbles.
Please keep separate No tongue roll Tongue roll.
Providing Support with Dignity and Respect
Cyberbullying At Colby
National Coalition Building Institute Information Session
SR 769.
Diversity.
Inspiring Group Learning Louise Toner
An Ambassador for One is an Ambassador for All
Collaborating with Men To Build Inclusive Workplace Cultures Dame Barbara Stocking and Dr Jill Armstrong Gender and Career Progression Conference Bank.
Hi, My name is Destiny Robinson
Learning to be an Ally for People from Diverse Groups and Backgrounds
Working Toward a More Inclusive R/Finance Community
Residential Segregation
S My journey. Example of a personal “rude” experience. 1 1.
Strategies to increase family engagement
Diversity Talks and Project SAFE Ally Profile Badges at NCSU Libraries
Gaining Ground with Universal Design for Learning
Professional Relationships
Objectives To recognize the fear is a natural response to the unknown.
Providing Cross-Cultural Nonsexist Education
Cultural Spaces at UC Merced
Conceived and Created by: Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed
Safe Zone Training Lisa Hager
Welcome by Mayra Introduce ourselves
Liberal Education & America’s Promise (LEAP) Workshop
The Politics of Interethnic and Interracial Bias
The Personal and the Political: Admissions During Tough Times
Chapter 8 Working with People
Valuing People and Leveraging DIVERSITY
How to be a historian Utah Studies.
Ethnic Studies Advisory
Unit Overview ESC FIG Classes Major Accomplishments Outcomes
Learning to be an Ally for People from Diverse Groups and Backgrounds
Approaches to Multicultural Group Work Chapter 5
Chapter 8 Working with People
Module 2: Creating a Supportive Classroom Climate
Beyond The Bake Sale Basic Ingredients
Valuing People and Leveraging DIVERSITY
Cultural Competency and Diversity
Zilin Chen English 115A * Professor Sheriff
Presentation transcript:

“I Don’t Mess With The Pugh:” Racially Integrating Colby College Marnay Avant *English 115A—Professor Sheriff Why Do Most White Students Avoid The Pugh Center? What’s Going On? Although the Pugh Center opened in 1996 with the goal of providing an inclusive “safe space” to spread multicultural awareness to the Colby community, it has been a space that primarily students of color inhabit. Why Is It Problematic? Creates a racially divided campus Creates tension around the idea of “space” Serves as a gateway to cultivating a racist environment Sustains racial stereotypes, which inhibits social interaction Lack of unity; some students feel unwanted Racially Integrating Colby: What Can We Do? Part One—Institutional Changes Required Multicultural Literacy Course: All Colby students should be required to take a multicultural literacy course that explores race, social class, gender, sexuality, and other parts of students’ identities. While this class will raise awareness about domestic and global issues, it will also serve as an ally training workshop. “I took Multicultural Literacy with Professor Diamond. I believe that it should be required, because students would learn a lot about their identities and the identities of other people.” –Amy Furusho 18’ Required Diversity Training For All Professors: Diversity training for professors is essential to racially integrating Colby. Students are not the only ones who do not enter the Pugh Center or have prejudice sentiments towards people who come from different backgrounds. This training could help professors meet the needs of all students, and it can help create a more unified community between students and professors. “A professor told a student, ‘Your English is really good. Does your mom speak English?’ Diversity training is necessary for avoiding similar micro-aggressions.” –Jefferson Nicdao 18’ Part Two—Cultural Changes Academic Incentives: Professors can create academic incentives, such as extra credit, as a way to get more students to attend Pugh Center events. By getting more white students in the Pugh Center, some social barriers could be broken down as students see that the space isn’t as intimidating as they once believed it was. Incoming Freshmen Tours: The racially divided culture at Colby can evolve by changing the cultural for the incoming class Instead of tour guides talking outside of the Pugh Center, they should allow incoming freshman to interact with students inside the Pugh Center. Hopefully, incoming freshmen will develop their own opinions about the Pugh. Will This Actually Work? While these solutions may not completely solve the problem, they may help alleviate it by bringing more social interaction between different racial groups. Hopefully, more students will become more comfortable with interacting with the Pugh Center. Two Essential Characteristics Needed: Patience: A cultural change does not happen overnight. It will take years to actually solve this issue, but the Colby community shouldn’t give up. Motivation: Don’t let the time frame of solving this issue discourage. The community should remain motivated in order to actually see progress. Works Cited Furusho, Amy. “How Can Colby Become More Racially Integrated?” Personal Interview. April 2015 Nicdao, Jefferson. “How Can Colby Become More Racially Integrated?” Personal Interview. April 2015. “On Common Ground.” Colby Magazine Online. 1 Nov 1996. Web. 21 April 2015. <<http://www.colby.edu/colby.mag/issues/85n4/pugh1.html>> Smith, Earl H. Mayflower Hill: A History of Colby College. Hanover; Waterville, Me.: Colby College, 2006. Figure 1: A picture that embraces the ideas of diversity and integration. Brief History of the Pugh Center 1994— Students of Color Organized For Change protested against lack of racial diversity. They demanded separate residential housing. A Commission Board denied the request for separate housing after they researched similar colleges created and decided that separate housing would sustain segregation. 1996—The Pugh center opened with a mission to provide a safe space promoting multiculturalism for the entire Colby community. The First Three Steps Get the Colby students, administration, and professors to see that this is a serious problem. Some people in the Colby community do not think that this is an issue, so it’s crucial for everyone to see how this negatively effects the entire Colby community. Acknowledging the problem is the first step to creating a more inclusive environment. Meet with President Greene to talk about solution options. President Greene can help make institutional changes, such as a multicultural literacy requirement, that promote unity, diversity, and inclusion. Research how other liberal arts colleges are dealing with similar issues. Colby can observe how other liberal arts colleges handle embracing diversity. Copyright Colin Purrington (http://colinpurrington.com/tips/academic/posterdesign). Acknowledgments Thank you to everyone who helped me put this together. By dedicating your time, you all have contributed to making Colby a better community.