When the Karps\u2019 adopted son was 3, he\u2019d ride his bike in the street, and his parents had only the slightest cause for concern. Now he\u2019s grown, living in Houston and driving. Mom and dad are concerned not only because he doesn\u2019t have a driver\u2019s license, but also because he\u2019s African-American.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, I have to worry about this being punishable by death. It\u2019s mindboggling and ridiculous, and it\u2019s the world we live in,\u201d says Dagan Karp, associate professor of mathematics and associate dean of diversity.<\/p>\n
Karp shared this personal story with more than 150 Harvey Mudd College community members gathered during a forum held at the beginning of the 2016\u20132017 academic year. Other faculty members, students and staff also described their own experiences as well as feelings about some of this past summer\u2019s culturally divisive events. The gathering on campus was initiated by Harvey Mudd faculty members who are passionate about social justice, meaningful equity and inclusion on campus.<\/p>\n
In addition to providing a venue to have respectful dialogue, the forum allowed time for participants to brainstorm concrete actions to make HMC more inclusive and welcoming and to promote greater social justice locally and beyond.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have the most important civil rights movement in the country in the last 50 years happening currently,\u201d Karp says. \u201cThe struggle for gender, LGBTQ and racial justice is now an everyday part of the national conversation. We are part of and not separate from our larger society, and our institution plays an important role.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nearly one-third of Harvey Mudd faculty members, representing all academic departments, attended the fall community forum and helped lead the conversation about diversity, inclusion and equity in times of social injustice. It\u2019s the first in a series of open dialogues and conversations planned for this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is one of the ways that Harvey Mudd is leading the way and carving a path for other liberal arts colleges,\u201d says Sumun (Sumi) Pendakur, associate dean for institutional diversity. \u201cFaculty have such a strong presence that the ability to leverage their power in this particular format is really meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a student, it was empowering and comforting to hear faculty step out of their \u2018classroom\u2019 role and share their experiences,\u201d says Harvey Mudd student government president Shailee Samar \u201917. \u201cIt helped me realize that my emotions and responses were normal, and I had mentors who I could share my feelings with.\u201d<\/p>\n
She and other members of student government look forward to more forums and discussions with faculty to help all concerned cope with important events and participate in responses to them.<\/p>\n
In light of recent decisions by some colleges and universities to take a stand against safe spaces on campus\u2014 environments that are welcoming and conducive to learning for all students regardless of aspects of their identity such as race, gender, sexuality, class and ability \u2014Karp is excited by the prospect of HMC disproving the notion that these spaces are to be discouraged (Harvey Mudd considers its recently updated Office of Institutional Diversity as a safe space.). It\u2019s another way for the College to lead, he says, in the same way that Harvey Mudd is known nationally for its academic successes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more people who know that you can, in fact, have an inclusive environment, where you’re doing arguably the best undergraduate science, engineering and mathematics in the country, and doing so with a diverse student body, including people who are from historically underrepresented groups in science, the better,\u201d Karp says. \u201cI want it to be known that it\u2019s happening here and that we\u2019re not doing this to count numbers, that we\u2019re broadening participation as a part of the civil rights struggle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Participants at the fall gathering provided several suggestions for improving equity, inclusion and social justice on campus. They included:<\/p>\n
\u201cMy dream is for people to know that Mudd is proof by example that one can play a leadership role in undergraduate STEM education while broadening participation in STEM and working passionately toward social justice on campus and beyond,\u201d Karp says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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