Senate Diversity Committee hosts event on creating community at St. Kate's
The Senate Diversity Committee held an event concerning solidarity for St. Kate’s students on Thursday, November 21. The student-led forum lasted a little over an hour, allowing participants to openly discuss varying issues involving equality and solidarity on campus.
The forum was designed to be a safe and welcoming space for all attendees, stressing the importance of anonymity. This was especially relevant for those who actively participated, as all responses are to be brought up to administration with the hope that real change will be enacted throughout St. Kate’s.
“The Senate Diversity Committee is charged with the task of making sure all student voices are heard,” said Alma Silver ‘20 (Communications and Journalism). This idea was especially prevalent during the forum as questions were raised about student voice on the St. Kate’s campus. Silver is Co-Chair of the Senate Diversity Committee alongside Amalea Jubara ‘22 (Social Work).
Together, Silver and Jubara led the group through a series of eight probing questions, asking participants to bring their answers back to the large group after discussing for several minutes in their respective small groups. Students tackled issues surrounding the acceptance of people of color and queer students in different spaces on campus and discussed how the St. Kate’s community might improve overall.
Some raised the idea of allowing students themselves to decide what inclusivity actually looked like on campus. Similarly, the low ratio of professors of color to white professors was mentioned, citing that this discrepancy does not fairly represent the student body.
Students participated in small group discussions throughout the forum.
The representations of St. Kate’s core values across campus were also discussed, with a special concentration on the tenents of social justice and academic excellence. Many participants identified academic excellence as the main focus of the university, and this was seen as both a positive and a negative point. While academic rigor and high expectations push students to new heights intellectually, other St. Kate’s values often fall by the wayside as a result.
“This space was really to hear student input to make sure students feel like their voices are heard,” said Jubara, reiterating what many students hope to see more of. “How can we have conversations about social justice, about belonging, about community, if we don’t have a conversation?”
The event ended with a few minutes of mindful reflection, a tangible representation of one of St. Kate’s core values. Participants were asked to sit quietly and think back on the topics of discussion in order to fully process all that was said.
The Senate Diversity Committee generally hosts at least one discussion-based forum each semester, but earlier this fall the committee led a Cornbread and Chili Night on mental health rhetoric among communities of color. Both events had a decent turnout, and Jubara and Silver are eagerly looking forward to next semester’s forum.
The committee meets every Monday from 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. in CDC 286. All are welcome to attend these meetings and join in the discussion of ways to improve campus solidarity and diversity.
“We definitely have a specific goal of making sure that the thoughts and comments and concerns that were addressed in this conversation will be brought up to the administration,” said Jubara.
“And we would love for more people to join us and get together.”
Contact Senate at senate@stkate.edu for more information on future events and getting involved.
