December 15, 2021

December 2021

Newsletter

IDEA Newsletter – December 2021

News

STATEMENT AGAINST ANONYMITY, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND HARM

We, the Equity and Justice Leadership Team, denounce all forms of racism and hate speech in response to the recent anti-Black, anti-immigrant,
racist posts that were communicated through an anonymous social media app which enables people to “anonymously connect with everyone within 5
miles”. This anonymity emboldens people to post hateful and hurtful content. Due to the anonymity, we are unable to identify and hold individuals accountable for this violation of our community standards. Such hateful speech is always harmful but when it comes from your community, it causes
additional fear, invalidation, anxiety, collective trauma and pain.
We are saddened but not surprised that such ideas and words are being expressed via anonymous social media platforms, as we know that racism continues to thrive throughout our nation. We call upon our community to denounce all acts of racism and for each of us to rise up against these acts as
voices of love and acceptance.
To our Black and immigrant community members, we stand in solidarity with you and offer our support. On Monday, 11/22 SCORE hosted a Black healing circle. We will continue to provide these spaces to engage in collective healing and affirmation. Please do not hesitate to reach out to any of us if you would like to process this further or provide suggestions for additional efforts that can be organized for community support.
-Denise, Liz, Marissiko, Mary

ADMISSION, DEIJ, PROGRESS

Scripps’ ability to recruit students with great potential is crucial, especially now, as the U.S. continues to see dramatic shifts in student demographics. This goal has been identified by numerous campus committees and as part of the strategic plan. Admission has made notable progress toward this goal and following are a few examples:
The Presidential Scholarship Initiative has exceeded the initial fundraising goal and has received gifts and pledges of close to $11 million. The generosity of donors has enabled Scripps to eliminate loans in the financial aid package for 10% of our students. This initiative continues to focus on assisting our students with the greatest financial need.
Discover Scripps, our signature Fall fly-in program, made a successful transition to the virtual setting and was hosted twice in October with the support of former and current Scripps students, Scripps faculty (Pete Chandrangsu, Mary Hatcher-Skeers, YouYoung Kang, and Kevin Williamson), and the Scripps College Academy team.
Through the support of the gift from the Picker Racial Justice and Equity Fund, the inaugural Fall Access Mentorship program was implemented, and eight Scripps students provided prospective students in communities historically underserved in higher education, including BIPOC and first-generation students, semester-long college application support with programming that also highlighted the people, places, and programs at Scripps through one-on-one and small group mentee virtual check-ins, a college knowledge curriculum series, and an online-based peer group.

SELF CARE

To say that 2020 and 2021 have been like no other years in our lifetimes would be stating the obvious – but the obvious bears repeating. We have all had to navigate new ways of doing things, new ways of building and maintaining connections to those we care about and those who care about us,
and practice resiliency. The pandemic and the fight for social justice and equality for Black lives has affected each of us in different ways, and as we go into the holiday season, a reminder about self-care. Each of our community member’s well-being is important and we encourage you to engage in renewing and nourishing approaches to staying healthy. Here are a few ways that our EJ Team practices selfcare – be with others, unplug on occasion,
pay attention to our bodies, practice forgiveness, create, share a meal, get out into nature, and do the things that bring joy. Those who take care of themselves have energy to care for others. Let’s continue to build community together by taking care of ourselves.

Welcome Liz Banuelos-Castro!

Hi Everyone, my name is Liz Banuelos-Castro and my pronouns are She/Her. I am getting my Master’s of Education in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs at USC. Prior to USC, I attended CSULB where I earned my BA in Psychology. During my undergrad, I worked at Long Beach City College as a multi-subject tutor which sparked my interest in higher education. I also worked at CSULB where I worked with the College of Liberal Arts Administration office and learned a lot about behind the scenes of higher ed such as classroom scheduling, student enrollment, and curriculum development. I also worked at La CASA de USC where I lead the research and assessment, and assisted in programming for our students. These
experiences lead to an interest in doing research and in DEI. A doctorate is definitely in my future, but not for a long time. In my free time, I like trying new coffee shops, trying new food, watching movies with friends, and taking care of my indoor plants!

Student Funding Opportunity

Racial Justice and Equity Fellowship Program provides grants to students up to $4000 for research, internships, and community-engagement projects designed to advance scholarship and explore topics relevant to racial justice; inequality; equity; criminal justice reform; intersectional, interracial,
and intraracial violence; community-engaged projects; and related areas. $600 stipend to faculty mentor. Feb 14, 2022 deadline.

SHOUT OUTS

In this month’s faculty shout out we recognize the work of departmental DEIJ committees and two individuals. Two departments that have thriving and productive Diversity Committees are the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) Athletic Department and the Keck Science Department (KSD).

One element that has been hugely successful for CMS is their monthly Learning Club. The coaches and staff meet each month to discuss DEIJ focused articles, podcasts, or other content. Per CMS Stags Head Soccer Coach, Ryan Fahey, “A key factor for us is community. Our hope is that the learning club helps build community and is a space where all people look forward to coming together with co-workers and friends to educate themselves on DEIJ topics.” To learn more, visit the CMS Diversity Committee’s website https://cmsathletics.org/sportsDEI/index.

An exciting element of the KSD committee is the hiring of DEI Interns. These paid interns are voting members of the committee who provide student perspective in all the Diversity Committee’s proposals. They host events for students, maintain a social media presence and most importantly, serve as voting members of KSD tenure-track searches

STAFF SHOUT OUT
Garrett Solomon, Associate Director of Planning, Construction, and Program Maintenance has been working tirelessly since the beginning of
the pandemic to ensure that student housing and other campus facilities meet and exceed the standards of safety for our community members.

STUDENT SHOUT OUT
Scotland Carter ‘24, SAS Diversity and Inclusivity Chair is a member of the presidential advisory committee, Committee on Inclusion, Diversity, and
Equity, and facilitating a working group focused on Affinity Groups and International Student Support. Scotland’s commitment to ensuring the
voices and experiences of students are heard is also a focal point of her research interest in imposter syndrome.

*If you would like to nominate the work of a department or individual in a future newsletter, please email [email protected] or if you would like support to establish a departmental DEIJ committee, please contact Mary Hatcher-Skeers.