First-years to receive mandatory diversity training; Administration expands search to hire BIPOC faculty

In efforts to make Chapman a more inclusive campus, first-years will attend diversity training during orientation week. Chapman administration has also invested $500,000 into hiring more Black faculty.

A Black Lives Matter protest was held May 30 in the Orange Plaza, as Chapman students and the local Orange community gathered together.  TRYPHENA YEBOAH Staff Writer

In response to the death of George Floyd and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter Movement, Black Student Union (BSU) has requested the Chapman administration create more comprehensive protocols for diversity and inclusion. The student organization is working to implement multiple items from a 12-part action plan finalized July 17 and circulating online. 

“Spreading awareness is super important … but don’t just post about it,” said Ramya Sinha, the president of BSU, at a virtual town hall meeting she co-organized June 3. “I know some people can post things (online) and be like, ‘That’s enough activism for the day.’ No no no no no. We don’t get to decide when we’re Black or not, so you don’t get to decide when you’re going to be an activist for fun or not.” 

The action plan promotes a diversity, equity and inclusion training, which is now mandatory for first-year students and will be taught during orientation week. The Aug. 6 announcement was well-received by minority students on campus who have been pushing in recent months to improve Chapman’s global citizenship.

The training program will take place during the “We Are Chapman” component of orientation, when first-years engage with Chapman's principles and values in embracing diversity. Cross-Cultural Center Lead Student Assistants Natalia Ventura and Preetha Raj created the training program, which is anticipated to include possible scenarios first-years may encounter and a testimonial video of students, faculty and staff discussing their experiences with inclusion, exclusion and allyship on campus.

Ventura and Raj did not respond to requests for comment before the time of publication. Jamie Guttierez, the Assistant Director of Residence Life and First Year Experience responsible for overseeing orientation, was not able to provide a comment before the time of publication.

Other calls to reform in BSU’s action plan include the recruitment of more Black faculty and therapists, a diversity general education course, an Ethnic Studies minor and heavily enforced disciplinary violations for hate speech. Dean of Students Jerry Price told The Panther the university has been assessing some of these items over the past few years, and is working on developing a strategic process to successfully implement them.

“We take these issues exceptionally seriously,” Price said. “We should be doing this not because students tell us we should, but because it’s important. I can promise you we were already working on many of these things beforehand, maybe some we should have been more effective than others … but I do know it’s a priority of the institution.”

Sororities and fraternities are also evaluating the resources needed to integrate diversity training into their organizations. The Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council recently took a step in that direction by creating a Diversity and Inclusion Committee within Greek life.

“The committee has done a lot of work to identify needs around what (diversity training) education might look like,” said Jaclyn Dreschler, the Assistant Director in Student Engagement responsible for overseeing Fraternity and Sorority Life. “The committee has heard and discussed the specific details about the recruitment processes for fraternities and sororities on campus and how to educate and make those more inclusive experiences.”

The BSU action plan acknowledges that training for inclusivity isn’t likely to solve every racial problem the university has received criticism for – one being the fact that Black faculty make up less than 4% of all instructors on campus. As a result, Chapman has hired four new professors into full-time positions – spread among the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, the School of Pharmacy and the Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences – and is working on hiring another at the School of Communication. 

“What we’re trying to do is be more proactive,” said Provost Glenn Pfeiffer. “We’re trying to identify people at other universities that are good faculty, that have a good reputation, good research reputation, good teaching reputation and say, ‘Hey, are you interested in moving down to Southern California and teaching at Chapman?’”

At the June 3 town hall, students and faculty discussed topics ranging from institutional racism, police brutality and the implications of being Black in America. Lawrence “LB” Brown, one of Chapman’s Black faculty and administrative staff, spoke at the event and was publicly appointed Presidential Advisor of Faculty Diversification June 8. 

“Because I’m working directly with the President, it makes for a much more streamlined approach,” Brown told The Panther. “And also, it makes for a more successful approach because … when I reach out to (distinguished Black faculty) and say who I am as Vice Provost and Presidential Advisor, it really makes them take notice.”

Brown explained that prior to his appointment, Chapman had failed to recruit more Black faculty because there was simply too much demand from other institutions to hire BIPOC instructors. According to President Daniele Struppa, Brown will work with committees to expand their search, identify qualified candidates and match competing employment offers with a $500,000 budget, which will increase to $1.5 million in the next three years. Stephen Galloway, the dean of Dodge College, has also committed himself to hiring more than 15 new professors of color.

“This follows exceptional work by a task force specifically charged with bringing in diverse talent,” Galloway wrote in a June 3 email to the Dodge College community. “It’s a giant step that I believe will have a huge impact on our community and culture.”

Some major chairs remain vacant in the Director of Diversity and Inclusion position – which is having its title and job description rewritten to better meet the needs of students – and the Case Manager position, which has formerly assisted distressed students in underrepresented communities on campus. However, Pfeiffer stressed that the university is taking their time because they “want to do this right.” 

A multicultural and identity education survey, created by Ventura and Raj, is live for students to provide their input and help shape the diversity, equity and inclusion training program.