diversity and inclusion

For those who intend to graduate at any point from The College of Saint Scholastica or any members of the community whom the following may affect: First off, I would like to congratulate all 2022 St. Scholastica graduates. We have put a great deal of time, effort, hard work, and money to achieve such success. As some of you may know, past commencement ceremonies have been held at Amsoil as a traditional graduation ceremony. However, since 2020 ceremonies have been altered to a hybrid ceremony, meaning virtual commencement and a graduation walkthrough at the Burns Wellness Commons.  From this moment fourth, the spring graduating Class of 2022 and other future graduating Classes will experience a non-traditional ceremony and commencement. This event is moved from Amsoil, an organized space that is able to hold roughly 10,000 individuals, to the BWC gymnasium on campus.  As most of you know, The College of Saint Scholastica is known for practicing Benedictine values, yet by making this change we are not holding true to them. We deserve to be honored with a ceremony that stays true to the meaning of hospitality and community, which is most effectively expressed by an in person ceremony with families in attendance.  Many public Minnesota colleges such as University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD), Carlson School of Management, Metropolitan State University, and other private colleges such as St. Thomas, Concordia St. Paul, and Bethel University are all continuing to have traditional graduation ceremonies for their graduates. Something to consider is that UMDs graduating class is nearly 4 times the size of CSSs graduating class, though they are holding a traditional in-person, sit-down ceremony. COVID-19 is very unpredictable and is constantly changing plans, however by making the decision to hold a non-traditional commencement versus a traditional one is very premature as our graduation is not until May 14th. We have been informed from leaders in the CSS community that the “quiet” period on campus has ended. In words from a CSS community leader, this means “Lots of fun, rejuvenating, connections, and events!” will be happening, except for a formal graduation ceremony to celebrate the students graduating.  Graduation ceremonies are meant to be a celebration for the students and their families, but we have not been able to give feedback on how we want to be celebrated. We want to use our voices and advocate for the Class of 2022 and future class, so I’m writing this petition, in hopes of holding a fully in-person, traditional graduation ceremony at Amsoil with a live recording of the ceremony for those who wish to not attend.  Please consider signing this petition as a congratulatory message to your peers, upcoming graduates, your families, and most importantly yourself. If you are a previous CSS graduate that went through this Covid procession or a traditional ceremony, please feel free to share your experience and feedback.  On behalf of the CSS students and myself included, thank you for your time.

The Bethpage Muslim Community is requesting the Bethpage School Board to add the Eid holidays to its public school calendar. Currently, our students, as well as their parents, make a decision each year on whether they should go to school on their holiday that is celebrated by roughly 1.9 billion people around the world or do they miss school and become accountable for the coursework that is missed as a result of it. The Bethpage Schools are diverse and have always worked with their students and families to meet their religious obligations. We are requesting the district to make the Eid Holidays official holidays for the district and give the students the right to practice their religious traditions with a day off from school. At this time there are 22 public school districts in Nassau county that have already added the Eid Holidays to their calendars! Our students can also benefit from these inclusive practices! We request you to support this much-needed cause! Please help us reach our goal! Sincerely, Muslim Community of Bethpage School District Eid Holiday Coalition of Long Island 

Currently, a registered sexual offender convicted for rape and possession of child porn is member of the InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITS). With that, they are able to attend meetings of the C++ standards committee (WG21) and their subgroups in person. In that situation, multiple people see themselves as unable to attend those meetings. This is out of fear of being harassed or assaulted, or that some trauma might get triggered. Said group is diverse and includes many women, who are vastly underrepresented in WG21. However, other minorities are closely watching how WG21 deals with this issue and will adjust their involvement in the standardization process accordingly. While the convict has served time and is allowed to participate in society as a whole, this does not exempt individual groups like WG21 and INCITS from making their own explicit choices. Actions, especially violent ones like sexual assault, always have consequences beyond legal repercussions. The choice WG21 has is between an individual convicted felon and diversity and inclusivity. There is no third option, as inaction is a decision for the status quo and the convict. Therefore, these are our pleas: We ask WG21 to ban the convict in question from attending meetings in person as soon as possible. This does not exclude them from the standardization process through papers or mailings, and from attending meetings virtually. We ask the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), to clarify, amend, and/or change their rules to enable WG21 to execute the ban mentioned in #1. ISO rules should not be an excuse for WG21 to choose sexual offenders over diversity. We ask INCITS to terminate membership of the convict or ban their in-person attendance of ISO working group meetings through other means, by changing their membership rules, if necessary, at least until WG21 has executed the ban mentioned in #1. We ask WG21, ISO, and INCITS for transparency and publicly report their progress of #1, #2, and #3, respectively. We ask WG21 to immediately switch to virtual-only meetings until #1 is implemented, so that women and other minorities can participate in the meetings without fear.

Diwali, Deepavali or the festival of lights, as it is commonly known, is a significant religious and cultural holiday in South Asia, celebrated by over 1 billion Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs around the world and by more than 384,000 in NJ. Usually occurring in October or November, this Festival of Lights holiday spiritually celebrates the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair. Despite being known for embracing diversity, and despite recognition of the major holidays of other faiths, Montclair (unlike many other school Districts in NJ) still has not recognized Diwali as a major holiday on the school calendar.  South Asian children know about Christmas and Hanukkah, and the recently included school holidays for Eid and Lunar New Year. While we are glad children of these faiths are recognized, the failure to include Diwali feels like this important religious holiday has been relegated to a second-class or a minor holiday – and that is not okay. Diwali is as important a holiday as Christmas to Christians, Eid to Muslims and Rosh Hashannah to Jews. Recognizing Diwali as a school holiday would allow these children to honor this important tradition, embrace their faith and let them celebrate this wonderful festival on the day it is meant to be celebrated with their family and friends. South Asian students who attend the schools in the Montclair School District, children are our future, diversity is our strength. Every student in our diverse city should have the opportunity to celebrate one another’s cultures, and holidays, including this important Holiday of Diwali. PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION, SHARE IT AND LET'S MAKE THIS HAPPEN.