Campus town hall praises Chapman’s efforts in community, discusses how to do more

A group of faculty members from a variety of departments on campus met to discuss Chapman’s relationship with the neighboring community during the first Future of Chapman town hall meeting of the year on Friday.

Justin Koppelman, assistant director of Student Civic Engagement, Kimberly White-Smith, associate dean of educator development and program coordinator of teacher education, and Chancellor Daniele Struppa led a discussion regarding Chapman’s need to continue engaging with local communities.

Struppa stressed the beneficial aspects of Chapman’s current involvement in the community, referencing recent events and criticism of students.

“(Some of) the students misbehave. We don’t deny that,” Struppa said. “But we bring a lot of strength to the community in a variety of ways.”

Chapman’s strengths include years of planning and desire to better the community, Koppelman said.

Upon realizing the need for a more meaningful connection between the community and university, faculty began to engage in a variety of meetings beginning in the fall of 2014. The topics of discussion have included strengthening bonds between the community and students.

The following spring, a community engagement group run by faculty was formed as part of an initiative to foster more interpersonal connections with local residents.

The town hall meeting’s main goal was to address how community engagement can be furthered. Many faculty members commended Chapman’s efforts thus far, while still acknowledging the need for more change.

“There are a wide variety of ways that we’re connected with the community,” Koppelman said. “The common thread is trying to make meaningful connections with our local communities.”

White-Smith stressed that some of the most important connections are the ones that students make themselves.

“Local (high school) students might not see Chapman as an option to them,” White-Smith told The Panther. “(Chapman) students have an opportunity to engage with those students, to demystify Chapman.”

Although Koppelman and White-Smith acted as facilitators and initiated discussion, the discourse became decidedly more faculty-led as the meeting progressed. As faculty members raised their hands to further the discussion, White-Smith wrote their contributions on a whiteboard, creating a visual representation of the many ideas presented.

Some other ideas brought up during the meeting included training for staff and students to better engage with the community, and opportunities for students to volunteer or work at a used clothing store.

Although much of the faculty member contribution was positive, they also presented the negative perception that the neighbors have of Chapman. Following a long discussion regarding ways to improve community outreach, Victoria Carty, associate professor for the sociology department, spoke about how Chapman is perceived by local residents.

“I’ve heard that we’re more of a colonizer than a good neighbor,” Carty said.

White-Smith encouraged Chapman students and administration to take responsibility for their reputations in the local community.

“Each student, each administrator is responsible for his or her own actions or behaviors,” White-Smith said.

Clayton Heard, a senior environmental science major, understands why Chapman students have gained a bad reputation with locals, but feels as if each issue should be dealt with on an individual basis.

“If there’s a raging party and it’s always loud, I understand that they might be upset,” Heard said. “But that should be directed toward their neighbors and not at Chapman as a whole.”