Support for Oxy’s Black Student Community

Dear Students,

From the outset of this fall semester, at this unprecedented moment in time, we want to assure you that racial equity and improving the racial climate at Occidental are among our most important priorities. We know that many in our community are still grieving, reacting to, and processing the tragic deaths of Ilah Richardson and Jaden Burris that occurred early in the spring semester. Further, the national climate as it pertains to anti Blackness, white supremacy, and the Black Lives Matter movement—most recently with the police shooting of a Black man in front of his children in Wisconsin—all compel us to proactively address racial issues and concerns at Occidental. Now, more than ever, we recognize the need to engage fully in efforts to support our Black community.

Thus, as we begin this new semester, we want to provide you with information on new initiatives that we are launching, and resources that we have available, specifically related to the support of our Black student community. Notably, the Intercultural Community Center, together with other key offices within the Division of Student Affairs, are leading an effort to design and implement a Black Advocacy Plan that actively focuses on our Black students and their welfare on our campus. At the core of this plan is a concern for the health and wellness of our Black students, their sense of belonging at the College, and developing and forging connections with people and programs that provide support and empower our Black student community. ICC Director Chris Arguedas has been meeting regularly with Black students and staff since April to develop this plan. These meetings are ongoing and are open to students. And although implementation of the plan will begin soon, it will continue to evolve based upon emerging needs. It is not too late to participate. Please contact carguedas@oxy.edu if you would like to become involved in this important work.

Earlier this month, the ASOC's Diversity and Equity Board (DEB) presented the results of its Comprehensive Student Needs Assessment, administered in July, that focused on three areas—housing, financial aid, and academics. DEB shared their results with a number of entities and offices at the College, some of which include the faculty, the Equity and Justice Committee (EJC), the ICC, the Dean of Students office, Financial Aid, Emmons, SLICE, and Residential Education and Housing Services. The faculty and the administration are taking the results of DEB’s survey into consideration as we plan for actions around equity and justice throughout the College.

The EJC also has been active over the summer and made some initial recommendations to President Elam in mid-August. In keeping with these recommendations, given the essential need for a Chief Diversity Officer (CDO), the president has determined that the College will hire an interim CDO despite the ongoing hiring freeze. The interim CDO will play a key role in identifying and addressing critical areas of concern for the Black community and other marginalized groups at the College. In addition, the interim CDO will be closely engaged in our College-wide Equity and Justice strategic planning process, which will represent an important step in institutionalizing opportunity, involvement, and accountability at Occidental. We intend to begin the hiring process for the interim CDO immediately—a process that will involve the College community as a whole, while keeping the needs of our Black student community front and center. Our goal is to have the interim CDO in place by the end of this semester, if not before. Further, we anticipate that the interim CDO will play a role in planning for and selecting our permanent CDO.