Following a racist hate crime which occurred last month, the college is forming a committee
which will oversee the formation of a diversity center, said Student Government Association (SGA) President Joanna Friesen ‘17. Zina Teague ‘12, Jesse Carter ‘16, Ky’Asia Blanchard ‘20, Jasmine Nova ‘17, Travis Trotman ‘17, Raheel Dhingra ‘19, SGA Executive Cabinet member Sergio Matta ‘19, and Friesen will comprise the committee.
“It has been promised that we are going to have a diversity center in the fall of 2017,” Friesen said. She stated that the details of the center, which will be located in the campus center, will be sorted out by the committee in cooperation with vice president of student life, Rob Pool, and the Residence Life staff.
Friesen said several of the students on the committee as well as others have been in ongoing talks with the office of student life following the incident, including members of the Black Heritage Club. Khadeeja Smith ‘18 stated, “As the President of Black Heritage, I have asked Houghton’s Administration to prioritize finding solutions to various issues that face our diverse students. Currently, as a minority student, I feel as if we rarely talk about racial issues. When we do it is a response to media or a racially charged incident on campus. There is never a proactive approach to solving the issues or a protocol to handle them when they occur.”
It is hoped that the diversity center will address some of the issues brought to light by Smith and others. “I have suggested to Administration that minority students need a safe haven. A person whose position is to intentionally think about the forward movement of diversity and to create protocols so our minority students are aware of the appropriate actions that will be taken if there is a racial issue,” Smith said. She continued, “Houghton seems to talk about the issue but never put in action. My dream for Houghton in years to come is to be a place where diverse students can thrive and not just survive. A place where Administration prioritizes issues of diversity and inclusion. I would love to see more diversity in faculty, staff and students.”
SGA has changed the Executive Cabinet position of Executive Officer of Nontraditional Students to Executive Officer of Diversity according to Matta.
A diversity task force has been formed by the Office of the President, according to Friesen and Matta. The focus of the task force will include hiring more diverse faculty as well as the formation of the diversity center.