I was unable to respond to a request for comment for last week’s story on diversity training on campus and would like to take the opportunity to do so now. The Committee for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is a campus-wide committee whose membership includes faculty, staff and students. Among its charges, the Committee is tasked with “identifying the existing diversity, equity, and inclusion statements, plans, policies, and initiatives that are in place throughout the College.” As we have begun to survey the DEI landscape of our campus, the lack of consistent campus training and education around DEI issues has become clear.

As an advisory group to the President, the Committee will work with the administration to prioritize and standardize training around equity, inclusion and diversity for staff, faculty and students. We welcome any feedback from the community regarding training or any other DEI-related issues. Please feel free to contact the Committee via email: [email protected].

Ana Ramirez Luhrs

Kirby Librarian & Head Librarian for JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) Initiatives, Interim-chair, Committee for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion