Dear RMCAD Community,
On June 1, RMCAD made a public statement to stand united against injustice, brutality and violence, prejudice, and racism, and we recognized that speaking out was only the first step. Now, after a month of listening and reflection, we have identified actions we will take to better serve our diverse community.
RMCAD is dedicated to addressing systematic inequality and below are some of the steps we’re initiating within our community to do so:
Institutional Initiatives
- Each quarter, departments develop Quarterly Objectives and Key Results to drive our institution forward. This quarter, we added specific departmental Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives that address diversity within the curriculum and its development process; faculty recruitment, training, and support; supplemental instruction and education opportunities; and increasing visibility of artists, designers, and faculty of marginalized identities.
- We are implementing sensitivity training for our faculty and staff, including both short-term training this term and additional training in the fall semester. We are engaged with several organizations that specialize in DEI training to quickly implement optimal solutions.
- We will educate students on the complaint process so that issues can be addressed effectively. Using the proper channels is essential for the college to take action, which means using our Official Student Initiated Complaint form. End-of-course surveys are reviewed each term, however, we cannot full resolve issues based on those anonymous comments alone.
- Clarifying verbiage will be added to both the course syllabi (Fall A 2020) and the end-of-course surveys (Summer B 2020).
- Please always feel encouraged to reach out to faculty, staff, program department chairs, and administrators if you need help addressing a complaint.
Academic Initiatives
- As stated above, each program will review and address diversity within the curriculum and its development process. For example, the Liberal Arts department is working with a Subject Matter Expert to include Suzan-Lori Park’s “Venus” into the Theatre Studies course. The department will also address decolonization within the curriculum and add lecture series’ responding to student requests for curriculum.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee Initiatives
- We’re so proud to see our community come together and grow from an average of 5 participants to 73! To better improve DEI efficacy and empower all of us to facilitate change now and in the future, Tya Anthony, DEI Coordinator, and Martha Neth, Director of the Learning Commons, are leading a streamlining of committee processes.
- We will implement a DEI webpage and newsletter that will serve as resources to inform, inspire, and uplift marginalized identities in our community. If you would like to join the DEI email list, click here.
These points are not all-encompassing, and every day we are working on new initiatives to go further. What remains constant is our commitment to finish this marathon — to pace ourselves, meet each new obstacle with perseverance, and leave inequity behind us.
Sincerely,
Robb Fladry,
Dean of Students
