Chapman students craft mandatory diversity training
Orientation for first-year students will be broadcasted through Zoom, with mandatory programming that now includes a diversity, equity and inclusion session created by two senior students. Panther Archives
Orientation this year won’t feature staple in-person events like Playfair on Wilson Field, fireworks on the night of formal induction or community dinners with fellow first-year students and families. However, orientation week’s educational agenda stops for no global pandemic and will continue through Zoom with one notable addition to its programming: a required diversity, equity and inclusion session.
“We are Chapman: Building a Campus Climate of Allyship” presents to students the first mandatory training program on diversity in at least 10 years. Scheduled to take place Aug. 29, the event is made up of faculty educational lectures, video testimonials from students and staff and discussion questions for first-years to engage with. The two-hour-long program will encourage students to embrace their own heritage, recognize the effects of privilege and open themselves up to the diverse community that makes up Chapman’s identity.
“The training is not just a, ‘Hey, we’re talking to you from a theoretical ‘What if’ scenario,’ but we’re actually basing this off of real-life experiences from Chapman students,’” said Tim Topper, a Cross-Cultural Center (CCC) program coordinator. “This is only the beginning conversation; it’s not a check-box requirement. It’s another tool for lifelong learning.”
CCC Assistant Leads Natalia Ventura and Preetha Raj are spearheading the training’s creation and are hopeful their efforts constructing the program will impart a thorough understanding of identity, as well as the responsibility that every individual at Chapman has to foster an inclusive environment. After having met during orientation week in 2017 as peace studies majors, the two seniors are enthusiastic to bring this training – one they wished they had as first-years – to fruition.
"No matter what background or where you grew up, these issues are intersectional and they affect every single student, every single professor, every single staff member at Chapman University,” said Raj, a senior peace studies and health sciences double major. “It is all of our responsibilities to help make this a more inclusive environment.”
At the event, Ventura and Raj will begin the training before introducing leadership studies Professor Gregory Warren to examine diversity issues and discuss the foundational definitions of words like “implicit bias” and “privilege.” During the training, first-year students will periodically engage in open dialogue with smaller orientation groups about the interpersonal dynamics of diversity and the complexity of identity. Broadcasted as a mixture of live components and pre-recorded videos, about seven students, faculty and staff will provide their personal testimonials and review their experiences with inclusion, exclusion and allyship at Chapman.
“There’s a part in the training where we direct our attention to those (minority) students and we say, ‘We see you, we hear you and welcome to Chapman,’” said Ventura, a senior peace studies major. “Because that’s not something that I heard going through orientation week.”
The goal of the training isn’t simply to educate students on the importance of diversity, Raj said. It also aims to encourage students to critically engage with who they are as individuals and acknowledge identity as a strong component of character – one that will remain alongside each individual long after they graduate from Chapman. Even if first-year students don’t identify as minorities, Raj stresses the training is just as important.
“I never knew how much of an impact, negatively, being a minority student had on my own self-outlook and my own self-identity development and how suppressing that can be,” Raj said. “(The training) is a call for people who maybe don’t identify as marginalized or minority groups to really recognize their position in how they can use their privilege to empower those who don’t have those privileges.”
With only a month to prepare for the event, Associate Director of Student Engagement Justin Koppelman respects the amount of work Raj and Ventura have done to put together a comprehensive program. He also emphasized that the university isn’t depending on students to lead these conservations, but is rather incredibly supportive of their motivation to be involved in designing the curriculum.
“The most exciting part is that it's created by students for students,” said Shishei Tsang, a CCC program coordinator. “We have a big committee of staff members and students … and we’re here to support them and guide them through the process.”
Jamie Gutierrez, who oversees orientation as the assistant director of Residence Life and First Year Experience, told The Panther the portion of the training led by Ventura and Raj will follow after the “We Are Chapman: Exploring Identity, Empathy and Community” session. This program focuses on the diverse cultures and experiences that make up the Chapman community, while the latter offers additional reflection.
An evaluation form will be administered to first-year students after the training in order to improve and develop the program for future use. Students will also be given a resource guide and sign-up sheet for different departments on campus if they wish to continue learning more.
“I want to help build a campus where minority students can be themselves and not have to constantly (question) their identity, because that can be really exhausting to do all the time,” Ventura said. “I’m hoping that this training will lead the pathway for this campus where everybody cares about these topics and does their part in contributing to a better, healthier and more inclusive campus climate.”
Clarification: The first portion of the “We are Chapman” event has been a part of orientation since 2016. The second portion, led by Ventura and Raj, is a new addition to the program that allows students to further reflect on diversity and inclusion.
