By: Essence Buckman, Staff Writer

The recently formed diversity committee will present their findings to the Board of Trustees in February after several months of focus groups and student surveys. The hope is that the board will provide the resources to expand the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and recruit more diverse students in the future. President Nayef Samhat along with former Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Jennifer Gutierrez-Caldwell, put together a diversity committee mid-way through the fall semester to examine the climate concerning all forms of diversity on campus.

The members include: Dr. Ramon Galinanes, Bonner Scholars coordinator, Rev. Dr. Ron Robinson, college chaplain, Dr. Camille Bethea, professor of Spanish, Dr. Jim Neighbors, professor of English and African-American studies coordinator, Dr. Nancy Williams, professor of philosophy, Collins McCraw, associate director in Admissions, Annie S. Mitchell, vice president of Marketing and Communications, Lacey Robinson ’18, Alex Hardy ’18, Farahnaz Arfaq ’18 and Ron Norman, interim director of Diversity and Inclusion.

“This committee was formed a few months ago and it’s the first time this committee has been here on campus from my understanding,” says Galinanes, chairperson of the committee. “It’s common for colleges and universities to have a committee that oversees issues of diversity on campus to get a better assessment of the climate. This committee was formed to assess how those who are historically underrepresented feel.”

The committee plans to have focus groups in January and February consisting of student groups like minorities and fraternities or sororities, as well as individual interviews and a speaker series. In October, a campus climate survey was released for the student body to take and for the committee to assess their answers once it ended.

“It ran for two weeks, and over 500 students took it,” says Galinanes. “I think it gives us a good understanding as to where students stand when it comes to issues of diversity and inclusion. The survey shows that students see the need to have more students of color recruited, specifically Hispanic and African American. There is also strong support for recruiting diverse faculty members. Overall, there are very good signs. However, there are indications of students who have not always felt a part of the Wofford family socially, and there have been several responses to that from students of color and sexual difference.”

There were also opposite responses. According to Galinanes, some students indicated that they believe there is too much focus on issues of diversity and that Wofford is different than it used to be.

Kia Kaiser ’19, was in favor of the survey. “I thought it was kind of long, but it was interesting and needed,” she says. “It was a good resource for students to express their opinions on the climate at Wofford. It should be given out every year. Also, it is absolutely necessary in order to increase diversity on a predominately white campus.”

“I think it covered a wide array of topics and issues in different areas on campus,” says Chris Paschal ’17, student body president. “One thing I want us all to realize is that we’re on the same team. This isn’t a binary or different team type of approach to becoming inclusive on campus. Inclusiveness means that we all have to come together in order for effectiveness.”

At the Pizza with the Presidents event in Campus Life on Nov. 2, Paschal was anonymously asked a question concerning his previous comment about feeling bombarded with the college’s diversity initiatives.

“I wasn’t feeling overwhelmed,” Paschal clarifies. “I feel like a lot of students, no matter what color or creed, feel like there are a lot of instances of ‘if you’re not on this team or the other, then you’re not supposed to get along.’ I feel like it will be a lot better if we come together and recognize that we’re all fellow humans and that we should respect each other and love each other for all being Wofford students. [Wofford] needs to celebrate our differences, not create a competitive nature over an inclusive one through factions.”

Paschal encourages those who have issues, or disagree, with himself or Campus Union to come express those feelings. “I want to be the President that hears all different viewpoints, represents everyone and brings this campus together,” he says.