Dean for Diversity

Being on campus, it is often quite easy to live in a bubble and not hear about news that’s going on in the midst of work and things going on on campus.  However, one story that I have kept on my radar in the last couple of months was the Steubenville, Ohio rape case. Thinking about the heinous actions of the men in the story was one thing but what stuck out to me was the way in which they were represented in relation to the victim of the case. You’ll notice that I won’t use their names here. I think that in order to make my point,  it will be important to divorce the personal from the structural.

Thinking about the case gave me a flashback to the summer before I got to Wes and some pretty healthy Facebook activity over an article about sexual assault entitled The New Rules of College Sex (it even garnered a rebuttal from Abbey Francis ’14) which was making the essential claim that young men on college campuses, like myself, were being unfairly categorized as sexual predators based on new standards for sexual assault.

To be blunt, this article scared me stiff. To think that engaging in what I presumed to be consensual activity could land me in prison was something that made me, I think understandably, quite nervous. However, age and experience have a habit of changing your perception.

The article also stated, however inelegantly, that males were being put at risk of being charged because of the unclear nature of what exactly consent was. If you’re in an unclear situation, especially one with alcohol present, how could you be sure that you were in the right?

That’s just it, unfortunately. Consent is a moving target based on both parties’ sensibilities and comfort level.  In our sexual encounters, partnerships, relationships, etc. it is so important to be in consistent communication with your partner. Enthusiastic consent must be more than a slogan we learn during Orientation. During my time at Wesleyan, I have come into contact with a little, very big, term called rape culture. It’s a culture that pervades the nation and certainly doesn’t leave our campus untouched. At the risk of being overly simplistic, rape culture is a systematic acceptance of sexual assault that simultaneously shames and silences its victims.

None of this, by the way, comments on the alarming projections of sexual assault victims who never report being abused or assaulted.

The natural, almost logical, response to calls for higher levels of consent and the calling out of rape culture is to say something along the lines of “To enter into these discussions, we should set the rules and parameters as to what exactly you mean by sexual assault. What are you talking about when you say consent?” The thing is, if you as a human being are faced with unwanted sexual contact, you have been sexually assaulted and that is based on your experience and the way in which you were treated.

This returns me to the Steubenville case.  In watching the verdict being handed down, the thing that jarred and triggered me the most was not the victim-shaming coverage (although that certainly made my skin crawl). It was the idea that our media could take seriously a counter-claim that the plaintiff was a consenting individual because she did not “affirmatively say no”.

What does progress look like here? To me, progress isn’t seen in the conviction of the defendants. Simply jailing two young men that were already so steeped in a culture that made them think it was not only acceptable but publishable to gang rape a young woman seems to me nearly fruitless, if only it allows for the slight hope that some young men in the future will see this case as a reminder to its unacceptability.

The structure remains. The rape culture remains. Until we come to terms with the way we view and represent the bodies of those that force us to consider what we believe we are entitled to sexually and societally, then Steubenville won’t be the last chapter; it’ll just be the newest.

Dealing with the aftermath of sexual assault is hard to do alone. Support is available. For a safe space to speak contact Alysha B. Warren, LPC, Therapist/Sexual Violence Resource Coordinator or any of the therapists at Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at 860.685.3217. CAPS can provide a space to help you sort out your feelings about the event(s), assist you in making decisions about what you would like to do next and help you begin the healing process.

Sexual violence is a community issue and we all have a role to play in prevention. Bystander intervention is one of the ways that we can begin to significantly reduce sexual assault and other forms of sexual violence, such as stalking, sexual harassment and relationship violence, on our campus and in our communities.  For more information about how to become an active bystander, contact Alysha.

I have also attached a document from Alysha Warren elucidating the notion of consent a bit further. It can be found here: enthusiastic_consent_peer_health_advocates_fall_201211

This is a post that I co-wrote with one of the chairs of the Asian-American Student Collective Victoria Chu. It is designed to provide some context to a dinner taking place tomorrow entitled “Misunderstanding Minority”. I hope to see you all there.

Why have racist incidents been occurring recently in such alarming numbers on our campus?

To what extent are our students expected to play a role in addressing these grievances?

And most importantly of all – how do we expect to move forward if we stand as a campus still divided along color lines?

These controversial issues of closeted racism have been disturbing in itself, but they are indicative of a larger issue that is often neglected.  As leaders of groups that are invested in the full membership of all students on this campus with particular attention to students of color, the two of us are compelled to acknowledge the lack of communication and collaboration among many identity groups on campus– and how a lack of cohesive alliances is ultimately detrimental to any sort of progress our campus may hope to achieve. These incidents are collectively not only an issue that affects our African American students, but also one that affects all students.  A prescient example of these larger implications is seen within the Asian-American community on campus.

The lack of interest at Wesleyan in political issues concerning Asian Americans – particularly at a university purported to be so progressive – has been disheartening.  It stems from an ignorance of the issues that Asian Americans face that have been dismissed by mass media in light of the unfair “Tiger Nation” stereotypes.  It isn’t just physical hate crimes that fly under the radar.  It is the skewed depiction of Asians in the media, the lack of adequate health care and housing for lower-income Asian groups due to cultural and language barriers, and the under-representation of Asians in the political power structures of our nation. However, is housing discrimination, obstacles to adequate health care, political under-representation, or racial discrimination shown behind the mask of linguistic and cultural differences restricted to the Asian-American community? None of these things are restricted to one race, one gender, one sexuality, or one class.

So then what keeps us from acknowledging our commonalities more often? Stereotypes have been instrumental in expanding the divide between persons of color. Asian-Americans are often normalized into the perception of the “Model Minority” stereotype, and choose to distance themselves from stereotypical images of African Americans such as “mammy” or “Sapphire”, caricatures also based in historical fallacy.

African-Americans, Asian-Americans and all persons of color have faced enormous discrimination that has often led to acts of violence, both within and between their communities.  What we must understand is that these prejudices have arisen from the historical discrimination within the United States. Structural cycles of oppression within America perpetuate distance and dissonance among lines of color, gender, sexuality, etc. This causes us to ask the question of whether or not we even can (or should) attempt to reach that ideal of a “post-racial” society? It is this question and the need for solidarity both within the student of color community and the larger campus community that will ultimately move us forward.

With this recognition in mind, there will be a dinner/discussion entitled “Misunderstanding Minority” that will be moderated by Professors Amy Tang (AMST) and Lois Brown (AFAM) with  panelists Victoria Chu ‘13, Kelsey Henry ‘15, Christian Hosam ‘15, Chantaneice Kitt ‘13, and Lynna Zhong ‘15 on Thursday, November 29th at 7PM in the Daniel Family Commons. This discussion is being co-sponsored by the new WSA Committee for Inclusion and Diversity, Ujamaa Collective, the Asian-American Student Collective, the Invisible Man Collective, Ajua Campos, the Caribbean Students’ Association and the Dwight Greene Internship for Diversity and Community Engagement in the hope that our student body will be willing to recognize the similarities between the struggles all minority groups face – and how to work with one another to further our progress.

-Victoria Chu, Co-Head of the Asian American Students Collective
-Christian Hosam, Dwight Greene Intern for Diversity and Student Engagement, Chair of the Committee for Inclusion and Diversity (CID)

In writing the first of these two blogs about the power of willful ignorance, I tried to lay out a sense of what it is and how it should be conceptualized. In this concluding chapter, I thought it would be appropriate to use anecdotal evidence to provide an interesting entree into understanding exactly how willful ignorance operates within our campus. As I’m sure most of you are aware of, there have been an alarming number of racialized incidents that have taken place on campus in recent weeks. These events have upset and triggered many of us on campus, particularly those of us that identify as students of color. But what I’d like to do here is re-contextualize these events in terms of what it means to be willfully ignorant when an incident of hate occurs on campus.

Before I go any further, however, I feel compelled to make a statement on what I feel is one of the largest misconceptions about any incident of oppression that occurs (whether on campus or off). In my time at Wesleyan, the most dangerous assumption that I have seen made when an incident of hate occurs (whether that is a problematic sign placed in the student center, a bake sale based on racist underpinnings, racist posts on an anonymous chat board, or the like) is that these events only harm those in the affected group. In actuality, they affect us all. As a community, when one of us has their value and humanity challenged, we are all degraded as a result. The lack of that awareness lies firmly within the realm of willful ignorance.

Like I said in my last post, willful ignorance is based on unwillingness to accept the oppressive structures that surround you, so if you hear of an ad for a forum around these issues, see a poster that calls your attention to issues of discrimination on campus, and then have an internal dialogue that says that those issues don’t affect you, then you are part of this larger structure that normalizes you to believe that.

At this point, you might be asking yourself a logical question: How exactly does structural discrimination manifest in my life negatively, particularly if I am in the majority class. Let me give you an example. Have you ever read an article about racial discrimination and felt compelled to say something about it but didn’t because you felt it wasn’t your place? Been involved in a conversation about any of the “isms” and checked out because you were afraid of offending someone else in the room? What we often forget is that silence is an ally of hate. The fact that we have been normalized as a society to stand-by when incidents of hate occur because we are fearful of doing damage to our reputations is itself a perpetuation of oppression. Whether on this campus or back at home, pain is reinforced by silence. Even if you aren’t in the targeted group of people that are “directly” affected (this idea of a target group is also problematic), you should still feel for your community members. To be willfully ignorant is to know this and not take steps to place your voice into the discussion.

A first step to being comfortable enough to speak is being able to listen when there are opportunities to do so. Tomorrow is one of those opportunities. There is an all-campus forum in Beckham Hall at 7:30 PM about the campus climate and recent incidents of racism and discrimination that will feature President Michael Roth, Professor Alex Dupuy, Professor Elizabeth McAlister, Public Safety Director David Meyer, Chantaneice Kitt ’13, Jalen Alexander ’14, Dorisol Inoa ’13, Evan Okun ’13 and moderator Chief Diversity Officer Sonia Manjon.

When you work to understand what’s going on around you right under the surface, then you can begin to understand how to correct it. When we all decide to work on ourselves, the social change is already done.

 The following is a re-post from my WesSpeak in the Argus that was published this Friday. Please be aware that there is a discussion this Sunday at 7 in Wyllys 114 about the Making Excellence Inclusive Task Force with Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President for Diversity and Institutional Partnerships Sonia Mañjon and Dean for Diversity and Student Engagement Renee Johnson-Thornton this Sunday. If you have ever felt like your concerns were marginalized and/or misrepresented by your student representatives, I urge you to come to this meeting to share your voice and your suggestions about the WSA’s role in promoting diversity and inclusion on this campus.

Do you feel included on this campus? Do you feel that your interests are represented? Do you feel that your individuality is celebrated or do you feel that you are often pressured to subsume parts of yourself to make others feel comfortable? If you’re not satisfied, you shouldn’t be satisfied allowing your voice to be left out. I am chairing a new committee on Diversity and Inclusion within the WSA. If you feel compelled to join, please e-mail me at chosam@wesleyan.edu for more information. The appointments process will begin after Fall Break. There will also be a discussion about diversity and the WSA this Sunday at 7 PM in Wyllys 114. You should stop by.

Before this effort begins, I felt I should give some context about why this is vital to our campus. Racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, ableism. You name it, it exists here! How they manifest themselves certainly complicates the issue of promoting diversity on campus.

For example, after the Argus article about this committee was published last week, I along with other WSA members received an e-mail from one of the heads of the Wesleyan Students for Disability Rights (WSDR) about omitting issues of disability rights in our discussion. While it might be easy to account it to journalistic oversight, I’ll openly acknowledge that it was something that I don’t have the appropriate frame of reference to discuss in a nuanced, appropriate way. However, the purpose of this committee is to provide an institutionalized venue for introspection about our views towards prejudice and discrimination as a campus.  I’m better because of having something that I was ignorant towards highlighted to me; this will now be something that I will be attuned to when looking for potential members as well as initiatives going forward in addition to issues of race, class gender, location, etc.

Ultimately, this committee is being formed to highlight the cycles of oppression that persist on campus and begin the work of interrupting them (cycles, I must add, that are no one person’s fault). It isn’t designed to place blame. It’s intended to ask questions. How do we increase representation from underrepresented groups on all levels of campus – in student organizations (it should be noted that the demographics of the WSA, in which this committee has found a home, does not match the demographics of the undergraduate student body), in jobs, in academic disciplines? What administrative structures keep faculty/staff diversity stagnant?  How do we reconcile ourselves to a new reality in which our financial aid policy has shifted and socio-economic diversity may necessarily decline (socio-economic diversity, it should be added, is married to racial, geographic, ethnic diversity as well). Bringing together groups that would not have come together otherwise, planning events that serve as catalysts for broader discussion, highlighting prejudice and discrimination on campus, at all levels. Once we begin to reverse these cycles, then we can start the work of coming together as a campus in a much more powerful and productive way.

Hello Dear Readers!

For my first (real) blog post as the Dwight Greene Intern for Diversity and Community Engagement, I wanted to give everyone that reads this blog a contextual understanding of not only what I’ll be doing this year but also what my personal feelings are towards the work that I do and the cycles that I wish to interrupt.  In order to do this, I want  to consider a term that is loaded with connotations: “Privilege.”  What does it mean to be privileged in relation to other people in the world and, more immediately, in relation to our peers on this campus?

Before I go any further, I’d like to insert my own personal belief that by simply attending a school like Wesleyan in which we all live on campus in relatively small proximity to any basic need, consistently interact with stellar faculty, and interact with one another, we all have what I’d like to call “functioning privilege” which simply refers to privilege that is in action as we exist on campus without us doing anything about it one way or the other.

However, what I’d like to challenge all of you to consider is how much you actually consider that privilege. Is it something that you take for granted or wear on your shoulder? Does the fact that we have people to clean up after us strike you as peculiar or something that you don’t think about at all? My point in asking all of this is to get us to consider together not if we have privilege, but how it functions for all of us during our time at Wes.  I think to do this correctly, however, it is necessary to reconsider something that I stated earlier: what is our privilege in relation to one another?

While I know that my title may be a bit unnerving, I don’t want anyone to think that privilege on its own is anything to be ashamed of. I’ve already stated that it functions in all of our lives so that’s certainly not what I’m stating here. What I am saying, and what I was setting off in my title, is that there is a point at which privilege becomes something more than “functioning” and goes into what I’d call “active” mode, in which we are actively working to perpetuate our privilege, often at the expense of others. The most powerful form of this, in my opinion, is willful ignorance.

Willful ignorance, as I’m going to simplify it, is actually characterized by an unwillingness to acknowledge or understand how privilege and social power function in your life.  It’s one thing to benefit from the “isms” of the world. Its another thing altogether to view anyone that is willing to call those benefits out as abhorrent or “radical”

Over the course of this year, I’ll be working to break down many of the misconceptions related to things that I have experienced and I’m sure that we have all gone through (although not necessarily consciously). However, anything that I do bring up will be a function of unpacking the dangers of willful ignorance. Breaking down this false equation of ignoring racist, sexist, classist, homophobic etc. statements to actually not being any of those things, will be the focus of all the work that I do. Thank you for coming along for the ride.

Welcome Freshman/Welcome Back Everyone Else!

My name is Christian Hosam and I’ll be the Dwight Greene Intern for Diversity and Community Engagement during this academic year! But what does that even mean anyway? Well, above everything else, it means that I serve as an institutional resource to ALL students on campus and I’m someone that you can reach out to about pretty much anything.

If you’re reading this blog, then you probably know that I work out of the Office of Diversity and Student Engagement with Dean Renee. What that ultimately means is that I work to help our community understand what is necessary in order for everyone to feel like their Wesleyan (and their human) experience is one that is both inclusive and empowering.  To do this, I will be posting blogs throughout the semester focusing on specific misconceptions and lessons about diversity within the context of the university, holding events (all of which are open to the entire community), and holding office hours (Date and Location coming very soon!) for people to come and talk to me about anything that they feel they want to talk about.

I am also charged with increasing awareness of the Campus Climate Log.  While Wesleyan is great, it isn’t perfect.  If you ever run into a form of prejudice, discrimination, and/or stigmatization, then you can report it through the Campus Climate Log (CCL). Also, if you know about any educational efforts or events dedicated to combating these things, you should also post them to the CCL. If you need more information about the Log and how it functions, you can visit http://www.wesleyan.edu/studentaffairs/wellbeing/climatelog/submitform.html or contact either me at chosam@wes and Dean Renee at rjohnson01@wes.

Diversity is essential to every last one of our understandings of ourselves. Understanding all the parts of yourself, whether in terms of your racial identity, your class identity, your gender identity, your sexual identity, your geographic identity (I could keep going), is deeply important to our academic, social, and mental health and strength. I am here to be a resource.

Also, FYI: I’ll be at the Student Groups Fair on Friday so come and talk to me there too!

Welcome to the 2012-2013 academic year at Wesleyan University. As Dean for Diversity and Student Engagement, I am pleased to introduce the following student staff associated with my office:

Christian Hosam ’15, Dwight Greene Intern for Diversity & Community Engagement
chosam_at_wesleyan.edu
Noor Tell ’14, Dwight Greene Intern for the SOC Oral History Project
ntell_at_wesleyan.edu

Additionally, I would like remind you about two resources available to the Wesleyan community designed to advance our commitment to diversity and social justice:

Campus Climate Log
rjohnson01_at_wesleyan.edu

WesDEF (Wesleyan Diversity Education Facilitators)
kgilchrist_at_wesleyan.edu

Please look out for posts to this blog by Christian Hosam, Dwight Greene Intern for Diversity & Community Engagement

Have a fabulous year!
Love, Dean Renee

“CHUM’s Student Fellowships enable seniors engaged in thesis or senior project research to work with Faculty Fellows at the Center for a semester.  Should you know of juniors who plan to undertake senior research and whose projects relate generally to the themes of “Fact and Artifact” or “Visceral States” (affect studies), please inform them of this opportunity” –JM.

Student Fellowship Center for the HumanitiesCalling Class of 2012Application Deadline:  March 25, 2011Please visit http://www.wesleyan.edu/chum and follow the Student Fellowship link for applicationAll members of the junior class are invited to apply for a semester-long Student Fellowship at the Center for the Humanities during the 2011-12 academic year. Wesleyan’s is among the first such university humanities centers established and serves to bring together Wesleyan faculty, students and visiting scholars for extended exploration of selected subjects. Our 2011-12 themes are “Fact and Artifact” (Fall semester) and “Visceral States: Affect and Civic Life” (Spring semester).  Descriptions of these themes are appended below.

Four Student Fellowships are awarded by the Center’s Advisory Board for each semester.  Student Fellows share an office at the Center and take part in Center activities. Among these events are the Center’s Monday lecture series; colloquial discussions on Tuesdays, 10:30-1:00; and occasional Center conferences. One course credit is awarded for a Student Fellow’s participation in the Center’s activities.

Applicants for a Student Fellowship must be planning to do a senior project (an honors thesis) on a topic related to the Center theme for the year.  The project need not be underway at the time of the application.  The themes, “Fact and Artifact” and “Visceral States: Affect and Civic Life,” are broadly construed and connect with projects and problems across the disciplines. Faculty Fellows who will work at the Center during Fall semester are Professors Aksamija (Art History), Autry (Sociology), Fullilove (History), Stark (Sociology and Environmental Studies), and Tucker (History, SISP, FGSS). Faculty Fellows who will work at the Center during the spring semester are Professors Chakravarti (Government and Social Studies), Kauanui (American Studies and Anthropology), Rodriguez Mosquera (Psychology), Visvardi (Classical Studies), and Wright (African American Studies and History). There will also several Visiting Research Fellows and Postdoctoral Fellows.

Applications for student fellowships are due at the Center by
Wednesday, March 25th.We will let you know of the Center Advisory Board’s decision by April 6.  If you have any questions, please call the Center at extension 3044.

38th Annual Latino Medical Student Association – Northeast Conference – Feb 25-26, 2011
SAVE THE DATE
For The 38th Annual Latino Medical Student Association – Northeast Conference

The Latino Medical Student Association-Northeast will be having its Annual Regional Conference at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine from Friday February 25th to Saturday February 26th. We are writing to invite you to come and join us this coming February. During the conference, experts in their fields will be invited to speak on social and medical issues facing the Latino community.

The theme this year is ¡Cuidense Mi Gente! Promoting Wellness in Underserved communities. We are elated to have as our keynote speaker Dr. Angela Diaz the Program and Research Director of Mount Sinai’s Adolescent Health Center.
Some of the activities for medical students include workshops on:
Clinical Research in Underserved Communities
Latino Mental Health
Medical Boards Prep
A Residency Exhibition Panel
And many more!

Our annual conference is a wonderful opportunity for LMSA members across the region to network and meet other students and physicians. Furthermore, during our Delegates Meeting, the regional E-board will recognize some members and an LMSA-NE chapter by providing scholarships and the Chapter of The Year Award.

For more information and the updated agenda, please visit our website:

http://www.nblho.com/conference-info

Registration for the conference is now available online at:

http://www.nblho.com/conference-reg

If you have any questions, please contact the Conference Coordinator at: conference@nblho.com

Warm Wishes,
Miguel Yaport and Joanna Parga
LMSA-NE Conference Chairs

PS–> Although our name has officially changed to LMSA, we are still
in the process of changing our logo and website. Please continue to
visit www.nblho.com; sorry for the inconvenience.

Paid and Unpaid Summer Internships: Northfield Mount Hermon Upward Bound Summer Academy Positions. June 13th –July 29th, 2011. Tutor-Counselor Interns and Work-Study positions. Help supervise students in dorm and recreational activities, tutor students, teach an elective or small section, assist with trips and events. These are residential positions that are excellent for college or graduate students interested in careers in education, social justice or counseling. See our website for more details and application materials.

http://www.nmhschool.org/upward-bound-program-employment

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until ten positions are filled. There is also the opportunity to serve for a whole year in our program or other youth programs through the Americorps Program. See info below.

The Upward Bound Program at NMH is a federally funded (Department of Education) initiative designed to provide low-income students with the skills and motivation needed to succeed in college. College bound youth live and learn on the Mount Hermon campus in the summer. Rigorous academic, cultural and social programs help increase their skills and motivation for college.

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Academic Year -YouthServe AmeriCorps Positions
Are you passionate about helping youth and committed to social justice? Join YouthServe AmeriCorps, and spend ten months designing programs for youth and young adults in Franklin and Hampshire Counties.

YouthServe AmeriCorps members support young people through a variety of youth agencies in Western Massachusetts. YouthServe members are trained in Positive Youth Development Theory and use that theory to create positive programming and opportunities for youth to be meaningfully involved in their communities. YouthServe members implement programs that empower youth by building their skills and their confidence. YouthServe members inspire youth achievement by modeling a professional, enthusiastic, and compassionate attitude toward community involvement.
Members must be at least 21 years old and U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals or lawful Permanent Residents.~ Youth work experience is recommended, but not required. Some work history is necessary, and members must have a valid driver’s license and access to reliable transportation. YouthServe does not discriminate on the basis of color, race, national origin, sex, age, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, religion, or disability. All materials will be furnished in alternate formats upon request.

YouthServe makes reasonable accommodations for interviews and service.

Full information and application available at [ http://www.dialself.org/americorp ]http://www.dialself.org/americorps

Or contact:
Kate Allen, YouthServe Director
Phone: 413 774 7054 x106
Email: [ mailto:americorps@dialself.or ]americorps@dialself.org

Applications accepted on a rolling basis until all 18 positions are filled.