June 25, 2020: Gathering Community Input

The Whitman Inclusion Task Force wants to hear from you! The "Whitman experience" is not the same for every person, yet there are general themes that repeat for specific populations. The task force members have begun identifying, through our review of historical documents, some of these themes, which you can read on the Campus Climate Themes webpage. But we know these documents only tell part of the story, so we are asking you to help us build the bigger picture of our campus culture around diversity, equity, and inclusion.

We invite you to participate in two upcoming opportunities to engage in an insightful critique of the campus climate and explore the systems, programs, and resources that influence the sense of belonging and community at Whitman. 

LISTENING SESSIONS
The small groups of the task force will be holding population-specific listening sessions for faculty, staff and students to discuss concerns, share individual experiences if you wish, and offer potential steps to build a more inclusive campus. Every student, staff and faculty member received an email from Monica Chapman on June 25 with a link to sign up for a listening session slot and a Zoom link to attend the listening session. You can also sign up using the appropriate form below.

Faculty Listening Session Sign-up Form
Staff Listening Session Sign-up Form
Student Listening Session Sign-up Form

ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE
Another opportunity for providing feedback is through an online form, which has spaces for reflection on faculty, staff, and student communities and offering suggestions and potential solutions to areas of concern. The form will be open for your responses through 7/8/2020.

Recognizing that the work of this task force builds on many concerns and experiences that people have shared in the past, which may not have been heard, acknowledged, or acted on, we give thanks for those courageous voices. We also realize that not everyone will want to speak up again, and that’s okay. 

Thank you for your participation, in whatever form it takes, as we journey together toward a more inclusive campus community.

Best,

Thomas Witherspoon
Chairperson, Whitman Inclusion Task Force
Vice-President for Diversity and Inclusion