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As co-chairs of the Task Force on Promoting Community and Safety, we write to provide an update on the College’s progress of the past four months toward strengthening our community, renewing our focus on educational outreach and accountability, and reaffirming our culture of care. 

Since our launch in November, the task force has encouraged, directed, and supported individuals and groups across campus who have organized initiatives in the seven areas of focus set forth by President Elam.

Though we recognize that areas of tension may persist, we are optimistic about the direction and momentum of this work. Thank you to all who have contributed energy and care to addressing these priorities.

In January, to help facilitate restorative conversations within our community, we welcomed to campus to host a series of listening sessions designed to capture diverse viewpoints about the campus climate. Thank you to all who participated. Interfaith America will be offering a virtual debriefing session for interested employees and students on Friday, April 5 at noon. During this forum, Interfaith America will share its thematic findings and provide an opportunity for collaborative refinement of its recommendations. A draft summary of Interfaith America’s findings will be made available to the community prior to the debriefing session and will be the starting point for that discussion. Details on registration and virtual log-in information will follow after spring break.

We are also pleased to share the progress toward strengthening campus-wide education and outreach programs. At the start of the spring semester, students completed an online course on defining diversity, equity and inclusion; identifying categories of difference; and exploring microaggressions and unconscious bias. In addition, the Civil Rights & Title IX Office and Bias Education and Support Team (BEST) have offered several seminars and resources this semester to address potential antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of bias or harassment on campus. Related events have included training opportunities for students, faculty, and staff on identifying, preventing, and reporting antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of harassment; distribution of educational materials on campus; and interactive presentations on such topics as “Challenging Islamophobia and Antisemitism” (aimed at confronting the histories of hate and identifying tools for disrupting such behaviors) and “Addressing and Challenging Bias on Campus.” Please check this calendar for any additional events, as they are announced. 

Consistent with the academic freedom granted to faculty and academic departments to define their curriculum, invite speakers, and advance their departmental missions, departments including sociology, history, politics, diplomacy and world affairs, and the McKinnon Center for Global Affairs have independently hosted several educational speaker events focused on the war in the Middle East and related topics. We are grateful to the faculty for its constructive academic engagement of these world events. President Elam and Dean of the College Wendy Sternberg have been meeting with faculty to discuss Occidental’s future, with a focus on matters that are of current importance to the faculty, such as shared governance, academic freedom, partnership, and collaboration.

President Elam and Dean of Students Rob Flot have also continued to hold discussions with student groups related to issues of campus climate and student needs. As a result of those conversations, the College is exploring opportunities to improve dining options for students who have religious and other dietary needs and to increase staffing for support of Muslim, Jewish, and other student communities.

Lastly, the College’s Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation Policy has been revised to include “shared ancestry and ethnicity” among the list of protected characteristics. In addition, the Office of Marketing and Communications has drafted general guidelines for College social media use and will be seeking feedback from key stakeholders this semester.

While the task force will continue to convene this semester, we expect that the role of this body will steadily reduce as continual programming takes root and priority initiatives are completed. This does not mean that the work is finished, nor that it has become less essential—we are encouraged to see faculty, staff, and students planning events and programs based on their own interests and expertise, and the task force remains committed to supporting these efforts when they contain a broad, community-building component.

Please continue to visit the task force website for information, updates, event listings, or to contact the task force about activities, programming, and resources that you would find beneficial to the campus environment.

Sincerely,

Wendy F. Sternberg
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College

Vivian Garay Santiago
Assistant Vice-President for Student Affairs & Associate Dean of Students