Innovation Grant Awarded to Fund Student Support Services</h1> <article> <h1>Innovation Grant Awarded to Fund Student Support Services</h1> <p>hhempste — Mon, 11 Mar 2019 16:01:47 +0000</p> <span>Innovation Grant Awarded to Fund Student Support Services</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-03-11T12:01:47-04:00" title="Monday, March 11, 2019 - 12:01">Mon, 03/11/2019 - 12:01</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Located in the Third World House classroom, Obie Xing is a new student support hub that links the residential experience with resources that foster student success.</p> <p>In February 2019, The Obie Xing program earned a $3,500 grant awarded to Assistant Vice President Adrian Bautista and Assistant Dean of Students <a href="/brook-escobedo">Brook Escobedo</a>. The <a href="https://www.naspa.org/foundation/awards/innovationgrants">Innovation Grants Program</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> supports innovation, exploration, and development that promotes student learning and success. The <a href="https://www.naspa.org/">National Association of Student Personnel Administrators</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> provides the funding.</p> <p>Other offices involved in the efforts include the Center for Student Success, the Office of Residential Education, and the Office of the Dean of Students.</p> <p>The idea for Obie Xing was born out of �鶹��Ƶ’s PossePlus Retreat, an annual event that brings together <a href="https://www.possefoundation.org/">Posse Scholars</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> and members of the student body, faculty, and staff. At last year’s retreat, attendees proposed the idea of creating a space on campus for first-generation college students to gather, study, and attend programs.</p> <p>“Obie Xing was created as a dedicated space for campus dialogue,” says Bautista. “That’s the purpose of the program; to bring folks together.”</p> <p>Bautista and Escobedo first applied for the grant in 2018, and they were awarded funding after applying a second time.</p> <p>“In 2018, we applied for resources to spruce up the space in Third World House,” says Escobedo. “While we didn’t receive that grant, we continued our efforts to transform the space and initiate programming. When we applied this year, our application was more program-focused.”</p> <p>The Obie Xing program has three stated objectives: fostering student success;,creating career and alumni connections,and encouraging dialogue.</p> <p>To that end, the Third World House classroom is being used for programs that support these objectives. Every first Friday of the month, the group organizes a workshop aimed at fostering success among first-generation college students.</p> <p>In February, a representative from the <a href="/career">Career Development Center</a> spoke about how to obtain funding for summer internships; in March, they sponsored a workshop that addressed imposter syndrome. A new student-led restorative justice program, Climate Circles, will also take place in Obie Xing this semester.</p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>The Third World House classroom is being used as a space for Obie Xing programs.</figcaption> </figure> <p>While the audience for these programs is typically first-generation students, it’s not limited to just that group. There are also faculty and staff who participate in the services provided by Obie Xing.</p> <p>“When we say ‘first-generation,’ that’s really a broad network of individuals—it can also include faculty and staff,” says Escobedo. “There’s a group of staff who attend our programs that were the first in their family to attend college, or they received a Pell Grant to attend school.”</p> <p>The new space will also provide a venue for peer mentoring, <a href="/center-student-success/learning-enhancement">LEAD sessions</a>, and other workshops sponsored by student support offices.</p> <p>“We want to have the area function as a seminar-style space. It’s designated as a classroom space, and we hope to have both comparative American studies and gender, sexuality, and feminist studies classes there,” says Bautista.</p> <p>Both Bautista and Escobedo also see Obie Xing as working in concert with the <a href="/mrc">Multicultural Resource Center</a> (MRC), and there are plans to partner with the MRC as a complementary space.</p> <p>When considering the new space and what it means to the campus, Bautista sees the space as something that serves to unite and engage in useful dialogue.</p> <p>“We want to bring people together, and this is a place to do that. The students have been wanting this kind of space to call their own.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-03-11T12:00:00Z">Mon, 03/11/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Hillary Hempstead</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A $3,500 grant from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Innovation Grants Program will fund student support services for first-generation students.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2410">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2354">Campus Life</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2579">Campus Dialogue</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2763">Multicultural Resource Commons</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/brook-escobedo" hreflang="und">Brook Escobedo</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Students and staff meet for a First Friday program in Third World House</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Black History Month 'Sankofa: Go Back and Get It'</h1> <p>hhempste — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 15:32:29 +0000</p> <span>Black History Month 'Sankofa: Go Back and Get It'</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2018-02-08T10:32:29-05:00" title="Thursday, February 8, 2018 - 10:32">Thu, 02/08/2018 - 10:32</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em>Sankofa</em> is an Akan term that roughly translates to "go back and get it." The word serves as encouragement to look back and learn from the past so that the future is more easily navigable. This word also serves as the guiding light for Black History Month at �鶹��Ƶ, themed <em>Sankofa: Go Back and Get It</em>.</p> <p>The series of programs in this monthlong tribute aims to examine and illuminate what it means to be black, both historically and today. Candice Raynor, chair of the Black History Month Committee and director and faculty in residence of the Afrikan Heritage House, says the programming is not just for those who are part of the Africana community. “There’s much that people don’t know about black history, and black history is American history. The programs aren’t only for those of us in the black community—they’re for everyone.”</p> <p>The collection of 23 speakers, workshops, and other events display a strong commitment to highlighting black history in various ways. One of the first is a discussion featuring curators from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), who will talk about how music, specifically hip-hop, is central to the mission of the NMAAHC. The presentation, “Musical Crossroads at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture” takes place at 1 p.m. on Monday, February 12 in StudiOC.</p> <p>Two programs, Winter in Wakanda: Black Panther Masquerade Ball on February 16, and a lecture by �鶹��Ƶ Associate Professor of Africana Studies Charles Peterson titled Dreams of a Future Home: Black Panther and the African American Imaginary on February 18, were inspired by <em>Black Panther</em>, the new superhero film based on the <em>Marvel</em> Comics character.</p> <p>Raynor stresses the importance of the film in popular culture and the impetus in highlighting it: “To see ourselves as superheroes in the Marvel universe means a great deal in how we see ourselves in the future. The movie means a lot to black people everywhere, and the students are very excited about it.” </p> <p>Another of the month’s events is a Moses Hogan Sing-Along featuring music from Moses Hogan, the renowned composer, pianist, choral director, and 1979 graduate of �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory of Music. The program will be led by second-year DaQuan Williams, who hopes to draw attention to <a href="/news/bringing-black-spirituals-masses">�鶹��Ƶ’s connection with black spirituals and black classical music</a>. The program will take place on February 22 in Warner Concert Hall.</p> <p>Other highlights include a panel discussion with an ESPN journalist, a retired professional basketball player, and professors in “What’s My Name, Fool? Black Athletes, Activism, and the Media” that will explore the history of and current conversation around activism by black athletes, and “Sankofa Remix’d: Reclaiming My Fly: Black History Month Fashion Show” that will feature African-influenced clothing created by young black designers from across the country.</p> <p>Raynor hopes that anyone who attends programming during Black History Month can come away from it with greater perspective. “I’d like people to walk away more informed about black achievement and the black experience.” She also believes that the programs can help facilitate dialogue in the �鶹��Ƶ community. “They can help us create a more informed community that can engage in those sometimes tough conversations.”</p> <p>More about Black History Month programming can be found on the <a href="/events/series/black-history-month">Black History Month webpage</a> and on the <a href="/sites/default/files/content/series/documents/bhmposter2018.pdf">event poster</a>.</p> <p><br> 2018 Black History Month Committee: Marsha Bragg, Fredara Hadley, Chris Jenkins, Eboni Johnson, Nicollette Mitchell, Kiela Nelson, Candice Raynor, Brittnei Sherrod, Khalid Taylor, DaQuan Williams.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2018-02-08T12:00:00Z">Thu, 02/08/2018 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Hillary Hempstead</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Monthlong tribute themed “Sankofa: Go Back and Get It” includes a broad array of programs, performances, and talks to highlight the black experience in America.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2579">Campus Dialogue</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2495">Black History Month</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/africana-studies" hreflang="und">Africana Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Nicole Slatinsky</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Response to Student Demands</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:19:24 +0000</p> <span>Response to Student Demands</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:19:24-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:19">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:19</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Before winter break, my office received a document written by students containing 14 pages of demands for institutional action. This document was addressed to me, �鶹��Ƶ’s trustees, and our senior leadership. It was written against a backdrop of events at colleges and universities across the country, including �鶹��Ƶ, that prompted passionate discussions and demonstrations related to structural and systemic racism in American higher education.</p> <p>I hear the frustration and the desire for change at �鶹��Ƶ contained in the document which echoes national themes and concerns about racism and justice. �鶹��Ƶ are deeply committed to addressing these concerns, and to ensuring an inclusive and equitable educational experience for our students.</p> <p>We have already taken important steps on many fronts. But we are not where we want to be. So we must commit ourselves to deep study of how systemic barriers persist at �鶹��Ƶ despite all the substantial efforts being made by our faculty, staff, students, trustees, alumni, parents, and fellow citizens of our town, and to act based on what we learn. I invite everyone to join us in this work.</p> <p>Some of the challenges outlined in the document resonate with me and many members of our community, including our trustees. However, some of the solutions it proposes are deeply troubling. I will not respond directly to any document that explicitly rejects the notion of collaborative engagement. Many of its demands contravene principles of shared governance. And it contains personal attacks on a number of faculty and staff members who are dedicated and valued members of this community.</p> <p>Our calling as an institution and as a community is to advance �鶹��Ƶ’s academic mission. That mission is to provide our students with a broad-based, in-depth education which prepares them to flourish in their chosen fields of endeavor, to be engaged citizens, and to meet the challenges of living in our increasingly diverse, complex, and interconnected world.</p> <p>Our outstanding faculty and staff provide an education second to none. Their teaching, scholarship, research, musicianship, artistry, advising, and mentoring benefit our students during their undergraduate careers and throughout their lives.</p> <p>Racism and all forms of injustice hinder us from achieving our mission and must be challenged by the College wherever they undermine our goals for academic, artistic and musical excellence. Many of �鶹��Ƶ’s faculty, students, staff, trustees, alumni, parents, and other stakeholders are already engaged in many efforts to create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive campus.</p> <p>Achieving these goals will only be possible if we can marshal our community’s intellectual, teaching, and creative skills to tackle the difficult challenges we face on our campus and in our nation. Throughout its history, �鶹��Ƶ has evolved and grown stronger through a consensus-driven process that includes dialogue in which dissenting voices are heard. That process is central to our educational mission.</p> <p>We will continue to encourage collaboration and frank conversation. We welcome the challenging, difficult, and ultimately transformative work to achieve academic, artistic, and musical excellence. I will continue to communicate with our community about opportunities to participate in these efforts. I look forward to the work and to making progress together.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2016-01-20T12:00:00Z">Wed, 01/20/2016 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Marvin Krislov</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2579">Campus Dialogue</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> </article> <article> <h1>Black Faculty and Staff Lead Teach-In</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:19:24 +0000</p> <span>Black Faculty and Staff Lead Teach-In</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:19:24-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:19">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:19</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>On November 18, students, staff, and faculty packed Nancy Schrom Dye Lecture Hall for a black faculty- and staff-led teach-in to discuss the state of black life within and out of the context of higher education and recent events. The teach-in offered an opportunity for faculty, staff, and students of color to voice their thoughts and concerns about the recent events at the University of Missouri, Yale University, Ithaca College, Claremont McKenna College, and other campuses across the nation. Also addressed were the systemic problems, practices, and policies in higher education and possible steps forward for �鶹��Ƶ to become more inclusive and diverse as a community and institution.</p> <p><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/13cC3sK2y5Pd2gGPzLtrvBV87ubgjnNFBHdatDb_xGrA/edit?pli=1">In an open letter</a> written by faculty members of color and signed by roughly 100 faculty and staff of color, they stressed that these conversations and actions must continue in order for change to occur.</p> <p>“While the current unrest on campuses arises from ongoing challenges in higher education to promote and achieve diversity, it is also informed by recent developments that have lain bare the persistence of racial inequality in America. We are in a moment where we can neither afford to deny our failures to achieve equality and justice, nor rest in our pursuit of these goals.”</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-11-19T12:00:00Z">Thu, 11/19/2015 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><div class="element-invisible"> <h2>Photo Description</h2> <p>Six black faculty and staff members are pictured, each holding a handwritten sign as follows:</p> <ul> <li>Afia Ofori-Mensa: Incentivize taking care of ourselves & each other #YourLifeMatters</li> <li>Charles Peterson: White supremacy is a white problem too!</li> <li>Justin Emeka: Black is universal</li> <li>Pam Brooks: Increase Pell grants</li> <li>Rashelle Peck: #AllBlackLivesMatter #Mizzou #Solidarity</li> <li>Yveline Alexis: #Kudos to the football team for taking a stand. Keep #BlackLivesMatter going!</li> </ul> <h2>Article Body</h2> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2392">Social Justice</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2579">Campus Dialogue</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2575">Activism</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2546">Photo Feature</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">From left to right: Afia Ofori-Mensa, Charles Peterson, Justin Emeka '95, Pam Brooks, Rashelle Peck, and Yveline Alexis.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Jeong Hyun Hwang</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>New Series Explores The Framing of Race</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:19:41 +0000</p> <span>New Series Explores The Framing of Race</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:19:41-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:19">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:19</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Think/Create/Engage, a new annual series designed to showcase the exploration of complex topical issues using the tools and resources made available by the synergy of a liberal arts college, a conservatory, and an art museum, will launch on campus January 2016. Think/Create/Engage, which will serve as a communications clearinghouse for courses and programming across campus in a calendar year focused on one theme, is centrally committed to the ethics of communication, especially the importance of listening in conversations about controversial issues. The series is directed by a steering committee of faculty, staff, and students.</p> <p>Think/Create/Engage takes as its premise that liberal education and conservatory training involve the attainment of skills, knowledge, and dispositions critical to meeting important social, political, economic, artistic, and technical challenges. �鶹��Ƶ of Music offer a unique space for learning how to ask difficult questions, develop useful and important responses, foster the creative capacity to imagine differently, and transform the world in which we live.</p> <p>In response to the Black Lives Matter movement, demands for immigration reform and other activism last year on campus and around the nation, the Think/Create/Engage steering committee selected The Framing of Race as the series’ 2016 theme. The Framing of Race references the historical, political, economic, cultural, and social processes that have produced white supremacy and the violent enslavement, genocide, and oppression of diverse groups of marginalized peoples.</p> <p>The Think/Create/Engage steering committee invites students faculty, and staff to identify and or develop courses, speakers, creative work, workshops, performances, and other events that address the complexities of race, racialization, and racism, as well as anti-racism work and histories and strategies of empowerment, to be included in the 2016 series. The committee also welcomes proposals for one or two large campuswide events on the theme The Framing of Race. These events are not intended to exhaust campus programming on The Framing of Race topic, but rather to inspire additional events across campus that reflect a range of entry points into and perspectives on this theme.</p> <p><a href="https://oncampus.oberlin.edu/bulletins/2015/11/05/call-for-participation-and-proposals-the-framing-of-race">Submit information about upcoming programming and proposals</a> for speakers to <a href="mailto:%20framing@oberlin.edu">framing@oberlin.edu</a> no later than January 20, 2016. For further information about the Think/Create/Engage series or its 2016 theme, The Framing of Race, contact 2015–2016 Think/Create/Engage steering committee cochairs Wendy Kozol, professor and director of comparative American studies, at <a href="mailto:wendy.kozol@oberlin.edu">wendy.kozol@oberlin.edu</a>, and Jan Miyake, associate professor of music theory at <a href="mailto:jan.miyake@oberlin.edu">jan.miyake@oberlin.edu</a>.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-11-05T12:00:00Z">Thu, 11/05/2015 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2579">Campus Dialogue</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/jan-miyake" hreflang="und">Jan Miyake ’96</a></div> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Board Allocates $5 Million for Impact Investment Platform, Adopts Divestment Policy</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:20:35 +0000</p> <span>Board Allocates $5 Million for Impact Investment Platform, Adopts Divestment Policy</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:20:35-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:20">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:20</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Building on its leading-edge commitment to responsible investing through the creation of the Impact Investment Platform (IIP), and dovetailing with �鶹��Ƶ's leadership in such areas as sustainability and access, the Board of Trustees has recently approved an initial allocation of $5 million to seed the IIP over the next five years.</p> <p>The Board established the IIP to make the process of responsible investment and divestment collaborative and inclusive. This subcommittee—composed of two trustees, two students, one alum, one member of the Investment Committee, and one faculty member—allows various constituencies from the �鶹��Ƶ College community to advise the committee on how best to accomplish the IIP's goals of investing in ways that bring about measurable positive change in addition to a return on investments.</p> <p>Initially, the IIP will focus on social and environmental opportunities in recommending investments. The IIP will seek to identify investments that, among other things, meet high-impact, solution oriented social and environmental standards and operate in a manner that reinforces a clear commitment to people, the planet, and corporate social responsibility.</p> <p>Furthering the Board of Trustees’ commitment to making the investment process more inclusive, the Board has adopted a divestment policy providing an avenue through which students, employees, and alumni may bring forth concerns regarding endowment portfolio holdings.</p> <p>After much discourse, the adopted policy states that, in accordance with the College's history of action in response to "instances of human suffering, natural calamity and injustice," the Board will consider proposals for divestment from entities that contribute to activities that "shock the conscience."</p> <p>The Board will consider a divestment proposal if it meets three conditions. The proposal must show that (a) the investment supports activities that materially contribute to conditions that shock the conscience; (b) divestment is likely to have significant financial, reputational, or other adverse impacts on the target of the divestment that may influence its behavior or the behavior of other similarly situated entities; and (c) the proposed divestment will be generally understood by and acceptable to the greater �鶹��Ƶ community, based on the Board's best understanding of the community's opinion.</p> <p>Any �鶹��Ƶ College student, employee, or alum may submit a proposal for divestment to the Investment Office. The proposal should include the names of each person involved in submitting the proposal, the date of the proposal, and a written explanation of how the proposal adheres to the conditions for divestment.</p> <p>Each proposal will be reviewed initially by the Investment Office in consultation with the Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary to determine whether the proposal contains all the required elements and whether additional information is necessary for the Board to consider the proposal; all proposals that meet the required criteria will be routed through the appropriate Board committees for further evaluation. Final decisions will be rendered by the full Board.</p> <ul> <li>Approval of Proposed Change to the Investment Policy: Impact Investment Platform*</li> <li>Resolution for Divestment*</li> <li>Submitting a Divestment Proposal: FAQ*</li> </ul> <hr> <p><em>*See <a href="/node/47061">Investment Policy</a> for updated links</em></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2014-10-02T12:00:00Z">Thu, 10/02/2014 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Office of Communications</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2579">Campus Dialogue</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2589">Investment</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2359">Administration</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> </article> <article> <h1>Symposium Adds to National Divestment Conversation</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:20:42 +0000</p> <span>Symposium Adds to National Divestment Conversation</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:20:42-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:20">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:20</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>What are the goals of endowment investing and how could they be affected by divestment? Is divestment from companies with whose practices you disagree an important way to effect positive social change, or is it problematic? Is socially responsible investing as simple in practice as its name suggests? What can we learn from past efforts to divest?</p> <p>These and other issues surrounding investment and divestment have been in the news recently—on campus and in the wider world—and members of the �鶹��Ƶ community, on campus and off, have participated in the discussion. <br> </p> <p>On Sunday, February 9, the college will hold a daylong symposium to explore the topic. Eight experts will hold two discussions: the first will examine endowment investment, goals of investment strategies, obstacles to divestment, and socially responsible investment. The second will engage the issue of divestment as a strategy for social change and will explore, among other issues, the complicated legacy of divestment in South Africa in the 1970s, the liberal values at stake in social change, and divestment as a strategy for social change.<br> </p> <p>“The symposium is one way for �鶹��Ƶ College to do what institutions of higher learning should do: explore difficult issues from a variety of perspectives,” says Joyce Babyak, acting dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “We are fortunate to have experts in related fields come together to share their expertise, articulate their views, and help attendees think through these complex issues.”</p> <p>Both panel discussion will take place in Dye Lecture Hall and are free and open to the public. The first takes place from <strong>noon to 1:30 p.m.</strong> and the second from <strong>2 to 3:30 p.m.</strong> The symposium is sponsored by the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Office of the Dean of Students.</p> <p>The panelists include two members of the campus community, two alumni, and four other experts in the field:<br> </p> <p><strong>Eve Sandberg</strong> chairs �鶹��Ƶ College’s politics department and is president of Strategic Research Inc. For more than three decades, she has been active in policy advocacy, election campaigns, and policy research in the United States and abroad. Sandberg was active in the anti-apartheid movement from 1978 through 1990, testifying before state legislatures, fire and police pension boards, organizing major public events and advocacy initiatives in tandem with activists and elected officials. She wrote the first background briefing on southern Africa for the Dukakis for President campaign. In the early 1980s, she served as the Connecticut representative on the national coordinating board of five major United States anti-apartheid organizations. <br> </p> <p><strong>Jainen Thayer</strong> joined �鶹��Ƶ College as the chief investment officer for the endowment in October 2012. He brings nearly 20 years of experience in the financial services industry to the investment office, including several years spent with a large bank in northeast Ohio. Prior to �鶹��Ƶ, he served as a director of investments for New York University, and before that position spent several years as a senior member of the investment team for a large alternative asset manager based in New York. <br> </p> <p><strong>Anders Ferguson ’75</strong> is chief strategist and partner with Veris Wealth Partners, an independent investment advisor focused on sustainable investing for families and foundations. Veris believes that "Sustainability Matters" and those companies, families, and endowments implementing green and responsible practices are leaders of the future. Ferguson brings 30 years of entrepreneurial experience to Veris across a number of sectors of the sustainable economy. He co-built four companies in the sustainability field, was involved in the sale or purchase of a dozen sustainable firms, and has served as a partner/advisor to three investment banks and consulting firms.</p> <p><strong>Tamara Cofman Wittes ’91</strong> is a senior fellow and the director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. She served as deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs from November 2009 to January 2012, coordinating U.S. policy on democracy and human rights in the Middle East for the state department. Wittes also oversaw the Middle East Partnership Initiative and served as deputy special coordinator for Middle East transitions. She was central to organizing the U.S. government's response to the Arab awakening. Wittes is the author of <em>Freedom’s Unsteady March: America’s Role in Building Arab Democracy</em>.<br> </p> <p>As senior sustainability analyst with Calvert Investments, Inc., <strong>Paul Bugala</strong> heads environmental, social, and governance (ESG) research and advocacy for the oil, gas, and mining industries. He has been a member of sustainability advisory groups for Suncor Energy, Newmont Mining, and Sunoco. He is a member of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investing (UNPRI)/Carbon Disclosure Project’s Carbon Action Initiative and UNRPI working groups on ESG integration and the rights of indigenous peoples. Bugala is a member of the U.S. Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Multi-Stakeholder Group, appointed by the Secretary of the Interior, and of Amnesty International USA’s Business and Human Rights Advisory Group. </p> <p><strong>Lawrence Davidson</strong> is West Chester University emeritus professor of history. His academic research focused on the history of American foreign relations with the Middle East. He taught courses in Middle East history, the history of science and modern European intellectual history. He is the author of several books, <em>including Islamic Fundamentalism—An Introduction</em>, <em>America’s Palestine: Popular and Official Perceptions from Balfour to Israeli Statehood</em>, <em>A Concise History of the Middle East</em>, <em>Foreign Policy, Inc.: Privatizing America’s National Interest</em>, and <em>Cultural Genocide</em>. On his blog, <a href="http://www.tothepointanalyses.com">To the Point Analyses</a>, he describes his political views as “… a left oriented critique of American society and its behavior in the world.”<br> </p> <p><strong>Ari Ofengenden</strong> is director of the Hebrew program and assistant professor of Hebrew at George Washington University. The author of <em>The Passion for Absence in Abraham Shlonsky</em> and <em>Shlonsky an Introduction to a Hebrew Modernist</em>, he has written numerous articles and book chapters on Hebrew poetry, contemporary Israeli culture, Zionist thinkers, and literary theory, as well as on Jewish literature. He studied for a master's degree in psychology at Tel Aviv University, then wrote a PhD dissertation on Shlonsky at Haifa University and at Tübingen. From 2010 to 2013, he was visiting assistant professor of Hebrew and comparative literature at �鶹��Ƶ.<br> </p> <p><strong>Sarah W. Peck</strong> is associate professor and chair of the finance department at Marquette University. Her research interests are in the in the area of ownership structure, leveraged buyouts, board of directors, and other topics in corporate governance. Peck developed and currently teaches “Investment Management, Ethics, and Society,” believed to be the first course of its kind and offered in Marquette’s Applied Investment Management Program, the first undergraduate business program selected as a Program Partner by the CFA Institute. She has written a textbook, <a href="http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-EHEP001759.html"><em>Investment Ethics</em></a>, and ethics cases for the CFA Institute. </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2014-02-05T12:00:00Z">Wed, 02/05/2014 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Cynthia Nickoloff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2579">Campus Dialogue</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2589">Investment</a></div> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Student Coalition Delivers Proposals</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:21:16 +0000</p> <span>Student Coalition Delivers Proposals</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:21:16-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:21">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:21</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Responding to recent racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic incidents on campus, a coalition of �鶹��Ƶ College students presented written proposals today to the administration that seek to make the college and conservatory more diverse and inclusive. <br> </p> <p>The coalition consists of student working groups formed at the Day of Solidarity teach-in on March 4. That day of teaching, discussion, dialogue, and reflection was organized by �鶹��Ƶ’s Africana studies students and faculty.<br> </p> <p>President Krislov and the senior staff extend their thanks to the students who devoted so much time, energy, and thought to our shared commitment to diversity and inclusion at �鶹��Ƶ. We also thank the faculty and staff members who offered advice and counsel to the student working groups. <br> </p> <p>We hope the students’ proposals will open up constructive, substantive discussions. We are proud that our students and faculty—in keeping with �鶹��Ƶ’s educational mission—have used the recent incidents to spark teaching and discussion of a wide range of issues relating to diversity and inclusion at �鶹��Ƶ and in the wider world. <br> </p> <p>We will carefully study the document the students have submitted. A more detailed response will be forthcoming after spring break. Meanwhile, some of the students’ ideas are already being implemented, such as changes to new student and new faculty orientation. <br> </p> <p>We will also seriously consider the longer-term structural issues the document raises. It is worth noting that �鶹��Ƶ is already engaged—with some success—in a long-term, comprehensive effort to improve faculty diversity. These efforts include recruiting, retention, bringing recent PhDs to campus as postdoctoral fellows through the Consortium for Faculty Diversity at Liberal Arts Colleges, and requiring that all departments consult with the associate dean of academic diversity and director of the Multicultural Resource Center about their faculty position proposals before submitting them. <br> </p> <p>Responding to the events leading up to the Day of Solidarity, the college immediately initiated additional security measures to ensure the continued safety of all current and future students. <br> </p> <p>We also launched an investigation into the bias incidents. We can now confirm that our investigation has led to the identification of two students who may be responsible. Both have been removed from campus. We will pursue all appropriate avenues to hold those responsible accountable for their actions. The college is working closely with law enforcement officials in this matter. Because of federal privacy laws, and the fact that the investigation is ongoing, we are precluded from saying any more at this time.<br> </p> <p>The bias incidents are hateful and hurtful. But the response from our students, faculty, staff, and fellow citizens highlights our educational mission and the strength and vitality of our community. The incidents have sparked ongoing and varied teaching, discussions, and actions and we commend the many �鶹��Ƶ students who have been instrumental in leading efforts to make �鶹��Ƶ an even more diverse and inclusive place. �鶹��Ƶ has faced many challenges since its founding in 1833, and has always emerged a stronger institution. We, as an institution, are committed to doing this work. It reaffirms �鶹��Ƶ’s long-standing values of inclusion, respect for others, and abiding faith in the worth of every individual.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2013-03-19T12:00:00Z">Tue, 03/19/2013 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Marvin Krislov, Senior Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2579">Campus Dialogue</a></div> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Trustees Respond to Bias-Based Incidents</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:21:16 +0000</p> <span>Trustees Respond to Bias-Based Incidents</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:21:16-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:21">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:21</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>As the Board of Trustees prepared for its March 7 to 9 meeting, the bias-based incidents and the community’s response we’re unfolding on campus. <br> </p> <p>“In light of this, the board reconsidered its meeting schedule and changed it to allow for substantial discussion of these events,” says board chair Clyde McGregor ’74. <br> </p> <p>As the meeting came to a close, the board composed the resolution that follows. It was unanimously adopted. <br> </p> <p><strong>Resolved</strong>, that the Board of Trustees of �鶹��Ƶ College:<br> </p> <p>Joins students, staff, faculty, alumni and others in the �鶹��Ƶ community in deploring and condemning the bias-based incidents and vandalism perpetrated on the campus community in recent weeks,<br> </p> <p>Reaffirms the College’s commitment to safeguarding its students, <br> </p> <p>Commends the students, staff, faculty and alumni who planned and participated constructively in the Day of Solidarity and related activities, and<br> </p> <p>Applauds the thoughtful response by the President and senior staff to the bias-based incidents.<br> </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2013-03-13T12:00:00Z">Wed, 03/13/2013 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Office of Communications</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2579">Campus Dialogue</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2359">Administration</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Community members marched through town as part of �鶹��Ƶ's Day of Solidarity on March 4, 2013.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Dale Preston ’83</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>A Day of Solidarity</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:21:16 +0000</p> <span>A Day of Solidarity</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:21:16-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:21">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:21</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em>“Unlike the incidents that brought us here, today is not an extraordinary act,” said Professor Meredith Raimondo during Monday's community convocation. “It is the beginning of an extraordinary project that we can and must do together.” <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26562059@N06">View more photos from Monday, March 4, 2013.</a></em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2013-03-05T12:00:00Z">Tue, 03/05/2013 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Office of Communications</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2579">Campus Dialogue</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2546">Photo Feature</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Sela Miller ’15</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>