Connecticut College Student Voices for Equity - Demands List
Connecticut College Student Voices for Equity - Demands List
The Issue
February 23, 2023
Dear Members of the Connecticut College Board of Trustees & College Community:
We are Student Voices for Equity (SVE). We write this letter to address the unfortunate reality of the historically embedded institutional problems that were brought to light with former Dean Rodmon King’s resignation. As set forth below, we do not believe that the current response provided by both the Board of Trustees nor the President provides a serious or adequate commitment to the institutional restructuring necessary for an efficient, achieving, and excelling college institution.
Staff and faculty have voiced opposition to the abusive and oppressive culture created by Katherine Bergeron. As student leaders, we constantly confront this culture as it is reflected in the structural, financial, and academic systems of Connecticut College; as leaders who represent student organizations, we will no longer stand for this. Throughout the history of this institution, marginalized students have persistently requested and advocated for improved conditions to little to no avail. The College has not responded with durable institutional changes, but rather with performative acts that perpetuate the issues for generations of students to come.
We do not write nor act in sole response to the resignation of Dean Rodmon King. Instead, we speak to the systemic and institutional failures rampant under President Bergeron’s leadership. We are disappointed with the egregious state of this institution that constantly propels students to respond to the negligence of the College’s leadership. In reference to the College’s faculty, students find themselves in ongoing cycles of crises, fighting for resources, representation, transparency, and accountability. We are endlessly exhausted and drained. We are not seen by the institution. We seek the scraps of resources to maintain our emaciated communities. The existence of our identity-based organizations are heavily tokenized. They exist not in liberty, but out of necessity for our survival at this institution.
In response to the emails provided by the President of the College and the Board of Trustees, SVE (Student Voices for Equity) puts forth this list of expectations. The work necessary to remedy these points transcends what is compiled below:
1. The resignation of Connecticut College President, Katherine Bergeron. This would entail the immediate resignation of President Bergeron, and the announcement of an interim during the search for a replacement. We cannot speak on behalf of the entire student population. We do speak for those marginalized and overlooked by the College’s current leadership. We will not stand for a culture of bullying, dismissiveness, tokenization, and behavior which stands in direct contradiction of the College’s mission statement and proclaimed values. We urge the Board of Trustees to immediately announce a search for the next President.
2. Conduct a transparent Presidential search immediately, along with the restructuring of the review and appointment process for Presidents. This would entail the inclusion of faculty, staff, and students on a Presidential hiring committee in alignment with standard hiring practices at the College. It is expected that candidates for this position are to meet with this body of people throughout the hiring process. Finalists should meet with the campus community through the format of an open forum prior to any hiring decisions. The process of hiring the College’s next President should embody the College’s values of shared governance and should not be left solely to the purview of the Board of Trustees. We demand a Presidential review every three (3) years and an assessment through annual satisfaction surveys that can be completed by students, faculty, and staff to enforce accountability and ensure overall satisfaction.
3. Strengthen DIEI by guaranteeing salaried pay for all full-time professional staffers and increasing its staffing/programming budget to competitively hire and compensate additional qualified personnel, prioritizing transparency and the implementation of effective institutional spending reviews. This would entail a renewed commitment to supporting DIEI and current underfunded offices, programs, and paid positions. Increasing the programming budget of DIEI would guarantee essential services for marginalized students. These increases should not come at the expense of staffing and existing programs. A prioritization of retaining BIPOC staff by providing the entirety of DIEI with an appropriate budget, full-time salary, and benefits for professional staff. The implementation of more campus job opportunities that are not limited to work-study programs and higher pay for student employees. The immediate hiring of staff throughout DIEI, particularly within offices such as SVPA, The Gund Dialogue Project, and SAS. The inclusion of DIEI within the College’s five-year budget plan would also prevent staff, faculty, and students from leaving these positions due to poor pay, and from forcing others to compensate for these vacancies without adequate qualifications.
4. Immediate prioritization of hiring more BIPOC faculty and staff throughout all offices with the inclusion of mandatory DIEI sensitivity, mediation, and equity training. This would entail hiring staff representing the identities and experiences of the student populations they serve and prioritizing retaining BIPOC staff. Annual training for all faculty and staff would incorporate updated information on the aforementioned subjects, including religious hatred and ableism.
5. Establish greater and distinct resources for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, undocumented, international, first-gen, Disabled, and low-income students. This would entail the establishment of an emergency fund for undocumented students and hiring of trained distinct advisors for international and undocumented students. Advisors would support the experiences of the student communities they represent. This would include restructuring all of the College’s websites to accessibly indicate this breadth of resources for the communities referenced above.
6. DIEI offices and affiliated identity-based spaces should be ADA-accessible and fully equipped to support the populations they serve. This entails prioritizing the renovation of these spaces in the College’s 20-year plan, including housing these spaces in prominent areas and with functioning and maintained facilities. The College also must create an accessibility renovation plan that includes input from Disabled students with the goal of making every College-owned building ADA accessible.
7. The maintenance of a consistent curriculum and retention of the courses necessary to complete an education within Africana Studies, East Asian Studies, Hispanic Studies, Global Islamic Studies, Jewish Studies, and Arabic Studies. This would entail restructuring and fortifying the following departments: Africana Studies, Jewish Studies, and Arabic Studies. This would also diversify the courses offered within these departments to allow for the completion of major and minor degree requirements in these disciplines.
8. The implementation of SVE as a lasting body comprised of student representatives in communication with administration and the Board of Trustees to ensure the implementation of current and future institutional equity and inclusion needs. This would entail a representative from each DIEI-related office and organization to be elected by each office/organization’s team. This group would meet with College leadership regularly to ensure adequate progress in fulfilling these demands.
The demands above are scarce in comparison to the plethora of institutional changes necessary for Connecticut College to ensure the inclusive and equitable institution it outlines in its values. In conjunction with the list of demands, expect an addendum to elaborate on elements of these demands.
We expect this list of demands to be accepted in its entirety by the Board of Trustees. We no longer accept half-measured responses and ‘solutions.’ We recognize that our Voices are worth more than this institution can afford to lose, and we certainly plan to use them. The primary and non-negotiable terms are the immediate resignation of President Bergeron (or the immediate removal of President Bergeron by the Board of Trustees), and an announcement for an immediate search for a new President.
An institution that masks the numerous fractures in its foundation is inevitable to collapse. We will mobilize, we will protest, and we will hold Connecticut College accountable to address its systemic injustices.
Sincerely,
Student Voices for Equity (SVE)
1,081
The Issue
February 23, 2023
Dear Members of the Connecticut College Board of Trustees & College Community:
We are Student Voices for Equity (SVE). We write this letter to address the unfortunate reality of the historically embedded institutional problems that were brought to light with former Dean Rodmon King’s resignation. As set forth below, we do not believe that the current response provided by both the Board of Trustees nor the President provides a serious or adequate commitment to the institutional restructuring necessary for an efficient, achieving, and excelling college institution.
Staff and faculty have voiced opposition to the abusive and oppressive culture created by Katherine Bergeron. As student leaders, we constantly confront this culture as it is reflected in the structural, financial, and academic systems of Connecticut College; as leaders who represent student organizations, we will no longer stand for this. Throughout the history of this institution, marginalized students have persistently requested and advocated for improved conditions to little to no avail. The College has not responded with durable institutional changes, but rather with performative acts that perpetuate the issues for generations of students to come.
We do not write nor act in sole response to the resignation of Dean Rodmon King. Instead, we speak to the systemic and institutional failures rampant under President Bergeron’s leadership. We are disappointed with the egregious state of this institution that constantly propels students to respond to the negligence of the College’s leadership. In reference to the College’s faculty, students find themselves in ongoing cycles of crises, fighting for resources, representation, transparency, and accountability. We are endlessly exhausted and drained. We are not seen by the institution. We seek the scraps of resources to maintain our emaciated communities. The existence of our identity-based organizations are heavily tokenized. They exist not in liberty, but out of necessity for our survival at this institution.
In response to the emails provided by the President of the College and the Board of Trustees, SVE (Student Voices for Equity) puts forth this list of expectations. The work necessary to remedy these points transcends what is compiled below:
1. The resignation of Connecticut College President, Katherine Bergeron. This would entail the immediate resignation of President Bergeron, and the announcement of an interim during the search for a replacement. We cannot speak on behalf of the entire student population. We do speak for those marginalized and overlooked by the College’s current leadership. We will not stand for a culture of bullying, dismissiveness, tokenization, and behavior which stands in direct contradiction of the College’s mission statement and proclaimed values. We urge the Board of Trustees to immediately announce a search for the next President.
2. Conduct a transparent Presidential search immediately, along with the restructuring of the review and appointment process for Presidents. This would entail the inclusion of faculty, staff, and students on a Presidential hiring committee in alignment with standard hiring practices at the College. It is expected that candidates for this position are to meet with this body of people throughout the hiring process. Finalists should meet with the campus community through the format of an open forum prior to any hiring decisions. The process of hiring the College’s next President should embody the College’s values of shared governance and should not be left solely to the purview of the Board of Trustees. We demand a Presidential review every three (3) years and an assessment through annual satisfaction surveys that can be completed by students, faculty, and staff to enforce accountability and ensure overall satisfaction.
3. Strengthen DIEI by guaranteeing salaried pay for all full-time professional staffers and increasing its staffing/programming budget to competitively hire and compensate additional qualified personnel, prioritizing transparency and the implementation of effective institutional spending reviews. This would entail a renewed commitment to supporting DIEI and current underfunded offices, programs, and paid positions. Increasing the programming budget of DIEI would guarantee essential services for marginalized students. These increases should not come at the expense of staffing and existing programs. A prioritization of retaining BIPOC staff by providing the entirety of DIEI with an appropriate budget, full-time salary, and benefits for professional staff. The implementation of more campus job opportunities that are not limited to work-study programs and higher pay for student employees. The immediate hiring of staff throughout DIEI, particularly within offices such as SVPA, The Gund Dialogue Project, and SAS. The inclusion of DIEI within the College’s five-year budget plan would also prevent staff, faculty, and students from leaving these positions due to poor pay, and from forcing others to compensate for these vacancies without adequate qualifications.
4. Immediate prioritization of hiring more BIPOC faculty and staff throughout all offices with the inclusion of mandatory DIEI sensitivity, mediation, and equity training. This would entail hiring staff representing the identities and experiences of the student populations they serve and prioritizing retaining BIPOC staff. Annual training for all faculty and staff would incorporate updated information on the aforementioned subjects, including religious hatred and ableism.
5. Establish greater and distinct resources for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, undocumented, international, first-gen, Disabled, and low-income students. This would entail the establishment of an emergency fund for undocumented students and hiring of trained distinct advisors for international and undocumented students. Advisors would support the experiences of the student communities they represent. This would include restructuring all of the College’s websites to accessibly indicate this breadth of resources for the communities referenced above.
6. DIEI offices and affiliated identity-based spaces should be ADA-accessible and fully equipped to support the populations they serve. This entails prioritizing the renovation of these spaces in the College’s 20-year plan, including housing these spaces in prominent areas and with functioning and maintained facilities. The College also must create an accessibility renovation plan that includes input from Disabled students with the goal of making every College-owned building ADA accessible.
7. The maintenance of a consistent curriculum and retention of the courses necessary to complete an education within Africana Studies, East Asian Studies, Hispanic Studies, Global Islamic Studies, Jewish Studies, and Arabic Studies. This would entail restructuring and fortifying the following departments: Africana Studies, Jewish Studies, and Arabic Studies. This would also diversify the courses offered within these departments to allow for the completion of major and minor degree requirements in these disciplines.
8. The implementation of SVE as a lasting body comprised of student representatives in communication with administration and the Board of Trustees to ensure the implementation of current and future institutional equity and inclusion needs. This would entail a representative from each DIEI-related office and organization to be elected by each office/organization’s team. This group would meet with College leadership regularly to ensure adequate progress in fulfilling these demands.
The demands above are scarce in comparison to the plethora of institutional changes necessary for Connecticut College to ensure the inclusive and equitable institution it outlines in its values. In conjunction with the list of demands, expect an addendum to elaborate on elements of these demands.
We expect this list of demands to be accepted in its entirety by the Board of Trustees. We no longer accept half-measured responses and ‘solutions.’ We recognize that our Voices are worth more than this institution can afford to lose, and we certainly plan to use them. The primary and non-negotiable terms are the immediate resignation of President Bergeron (or the immediate removal of President Bergeron by the Board of Trustees), and an announcement for an immediate search for a new President.
An institution that masks the numerous fractures in its foundation is inevitable to collapse. We will mobilize, we will protest, and we will hold Connecticut College accountable to address its systemic injustices.
Sincerely,
Student Voices for Equity (SVE)
1,081
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Petition created on February 20, 2023