On April 10, Smith held its first ever “Inclusion in Action” conference. Classes were cancelled and administrative offices were closed so that students, faculty and staff members could attend workshops, which were designed to try to foster open dialogue about issues facing marginalized students and to work towards creating a more inclusive environment.
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On Thursday, April 11, the Students for Social Justice and Institutional Change (SSJIC) held a protest outside of John M. Greene Hall. This demonstration was held the day after Smith’s first Inclusion in Action conference, where sessions were held to discuss issues regarding diversity and inclusion.
A session about policing in a diverse community quickly turned into a protest calling for Daniel Hect, the new campus chief of police, to resign.
In January 2019, Daniel Hect was hired as the new campus police chief for the joint campus police departments of Mount Holyoke and Smith.
In the past few weeks, a printed screen-cap of an anonymous Facebook post criticizing a union change that was proposed by Smith last month has been seen around campus.
Hanne Gaukel ’19 participated in the Springfield Bound during her sophomore year at Smith. She came across the opportunity through an introductory course with the community engagement department. For Gaukel, the most memorable part of the Bound was getting to know Gardening the Community, a food justice organization.
Divest Smith hosted a panel discussion titled “Climate Justice and Migration” last Friday afternoon in the Campus Center, led by Gabriella Della Croce ’11 and Andrea Schmid ’17 from the Pioneer Valley Workers Center and Professor Rick Lopez from Amherst College. Friends greeted each other as more chairs were pulled out to seat a full audience from both the Five College and greater Northampton communities. Conversation centered on the enormous effects of climate change on marginalized groups.
Prompted by the incident July 31, the College announced new Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Initiatives Jan. 30. College Relations reports: “The college has taken action in policing policies and training, employee training and cross-campus education focused on culture change.”
Last week, an interview was held with Endi Mato ’19 to discuss a new group in the Consulting Club called the Startup Consulting Group, which is focused on networking, marketing, business management and finance
In December, the college released an update to its Inclement Weather Policy: “As of this academic year, no classes will be held while the college’s administrative offices are closed.” This change was initiated by the Faculty Council, the Office of the Provost and Dean of Faculty.