2023-2024 DEIA Initiatives

ACTIONS:  

The President’s Office continued to support Teach-Ins led by students, faculty and staff and assisted by two paid student coordinators.  A total of 29 Teach-In sessions were held, with most attracting 5-10 attendees. However, the most well-attended session had over 100 attendees.

The Dialogue Project had 20 participants in AY 2023-2024 and anticipates hosting an intensive session this summer.  Leaders in the Impact Center are also developing a Dialogue Project level 2 for past participants who wish to deepen their understanding and experience in active listening, examining complex ideas, and engaging in open exchange.   

Faculty members from the Middle Eastern, Central Asian, and North African Studies (MECANA) hosted a series of discussions around the war in Gaza over the course of the fall semester.  These sessions were well attended and played a key role in providing community members with a space for facilitated dialogue and discussion.   

The Change Agent Fund, which was established “to create an opportunity for students, staff and faculty to apply for funds that will support efforts to analyze, recommend and provide solutions for inequities experienced at Bryn Mawr College,” awarded $8,350 of funding to support campus programming. Projects included trainings for the Anti-racism Collective Circle trainers, purchasing for the BMC Libraries a collection of works by playwrights of color and creating a display of these books in Canaday, an initiative to support cross-institutional work around Black Studies and Education, and exploring the feasibility of creating a mural in the basement corridor of Old Library leading to the accessible elevator. 

The new Power, Inequity, and Justice requirement was launched in the fall. When creating the new requirement in the 2022-2023 academic year, the Curriculum Committee recognized the importance of foregrounding “an understanding of the ways that power dynamics and hierarchies shape the production of knowledge and access to opportunity, as well as engagement with histories and futures of social transformation and justice.” The class of 2027 is the first group of students required to meet this one-unit College-wide distributional requirement.   

This year’s Black History Month programming developed by Sisterhood* and supported by Joi Dallas, Assistant Dean for Intercultural Engagement, included over 19 unique events. The author and activist Sonya Renee-Taylor gave the keynote address with 287 community members attending.  

THRIVE sessions for first-year students intended to reduce harm caused by ignorance or bias and to promote positive social interaction included:  

• The Black at Bryn Mawr tour followed by a session on intersectionality  
• A session on the academic and social Honor Code, including participation in small group scenarios on holding peers accountable for violations 

The GSSWSR’s CONNECT program for first-year students also included curricular content about equity and inclusions including anti-oppressive praxis.   

Online training modules on preventing discrimination and harassment and on supporting equity and inclusion are now required of all staff annually and are part of new staff orientation sessions. 

The Restorative Practice Facilitation training is scheduled for this Summer with the official rollout of the program planned for Fall 2024. The training will be conducted by The International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP), the first accredited graduate school specializing in restorative practices, providing education, research, and consulting services.  

The Social Justice Initiative collaborated with the Radnor Quaker Meeting of the Society of Friends in the first year of the Benjamin Lay Fellowship, funded by the Shoemaker Foundation. In 10-week sessions, the SJI provided mentorship for college students from the tri-college consortium and other local colleges as they engaged in leadership education grounded in Quaker values. Fellows received a $2,000 stipend and worked on self-directed projects to promote peace, equity, equality, and social justice. 

ACTIONS: 

Significant changes to the Financial Aid Program were announced in the fall of 2023. Under this new plan, the College will eliminate federal student loans for students with family incomes below $110,000. Additionally, need-eligible students with family incomes above $110,000 will receive $4,000 in additional grants from the College annually to reduce loan obligation. These new aid packages will begin in the fall of 2024 and will be applied to all undergraduate class years.   

The Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research has developed a collaboration designed to create opportunities for child welfare professionals in Philadelphia and, ultimately, to contribute to workforce development in public child welfare. The program will include employees of the Department of Human Services (DHS) in Philadelphia and of the Community Umbrella Agencies (CUAs). For DHS employees who apply and are accepted in the MSS program, Bryn Mawr will offer a 45% discount on graduate tuition, and a waiver of the application fee to our program.  If desired by the student, the GSSWSR will work with students to explore if their current employment at DHS can be utilized as an internship/field placement site to offset potential lost wages associated with taking a placement that is not employment-based.  All students within this program will also have access to student and career support within the GSSWSR, including academic support, career skill development and support in job-searching and interview skills.  This MOU is in addition to the CWEL (Child Welfare Education Leadership) program federally funded through DHS. 

Of 14 tenure-track faculty hires six or 42.8% identify as BIPOC. This will increase the overall faculty diversity and reflects the many efforts of search committees to establish diverse pools of candidates for faculty positions. 

Increased education about Access Services: The Access Service’s team presented to the faculty in the fall semester to ensure instructors are aware of the numerous services available to students.   Additionally, a new position of Assistant Director was added to Access Services. 

Accessibility improvements to buildings and grounds:   

• As part of the turf field project, Facilities has created a fully accessible walking path around Merion Green.  The path will be open to users in the fall of 2024. 
• Wyndham Alumnae House has been updated and now includes an accessible guest room on the first floor. 
• A new ramp and automatic door were installed in the cloisters in Old Library. This renovation compliments the ARCH project’s installation work and will enable more people to enter the space once the artwork is installed.  

LITS continues to offer robust workshops, consultation, and provision of new tools to support accessibility for students and faculty. LITS also partnered with Access Services to enhance accessibility features including new accessibility icons next to course materials. The practical enhancements of this tool integrated with Moodle are to enable students to create alternative formats for course materials and to indicate for faculty which course materials need to be made accessible. 

Following NAGPRA guidelines, LITS staff have actively worked with indigenous tribes and nations to repatriate materials. The first repatriations are in process. The Departmental Collections Working Group shared information with the full faculty, so all know of guidelines/requirements updated in January 2024. 

In FY24, Dean Karlene Burrell-McRae redoubled efforts to center student belonging and provide support for all students so they can experience academic, social, and emotional success. The Dean’s Department developed new structures aimed at creating a more seamless experience for students.  These efforts included adopting a class dean model, incorporating Campus Safety in the larger Dean’s Office structure, and amplifying counseling services. Additions to the department include the Campus Safety Liaison who provides training and mediation necessary to resolve student conflicts; conducts wellness checks; and responds to calls from students who are experiencing duress with connection to needed services.  

The Title IX Officer provided Title IX training to dorm leadership teams at the beginning of the academic year and brought in an external group to provide Title IX training to all first-year students in August. The Student Engagement Office also provided a Title IX FAQ brochure for first-year students. 

Communications Staff, College Counsel’s Office, and the Title IX Coordinator revamped the College website to increase the transparency of Title IX supports and processes. 

A new Financial Wellness Counselor was hired with funding provided by the Pew Charitable Trust.  This staff member will be responsible for working with Class Deans and the New Student Programs Coordinator to develop and provide financial literacy education, tailoring programs to the developmental needs of each Class. Financial Wellness programs may include programs such as money management, budgeting tools, and credit resources.   

ACTIONS: 

The newly launched Intercultural Living and Learning Center (ILLC) welcomed its first students in the fall. Housed in Rhodes South this affinity housing includes floors focused on BIPOC Belonging, Pan-Asian Cultures, and Interfaith Engagement. The ILLC offered vibrant programming throughout the year, including many offerings open to the full campus. 

The Campus Safety department became part of the Dean’s division in the summer of 2023.  This change has allowed for campus safety officers to work more collaboratively with the Dean’s office and provide increased support for students. 

GSAS offered DEIA workshops during orientation and inclusive pedagogy workshops for teaching assistants. 

GSSWSR Center for Student Success continued to support non-traditional students. 

The Provost’s Office continues to support course releases for junior faculty engaging in DEIA work both formal and informal.   

The President’s Office and Provost’s Office supported a variety of faculty gatherings intended to build community and belonging across the faculty. The featured works lunches have been particularly popular and have allowed faculty to learn about each other’s works in progress. 

ACTIONS: 

We have continued efforts to better frame our understanding of College histories. In the summer of 2023, former President M. Carey Thomas’ name was removed from the façade of Old Library.  This change, approved by the Board of Trustees at the end of the 2022-2023 academic year, was made after deep discussions and programming with representatives from all College constituents. This change was accompanied by an installation of a display that better outlines the roles Thomas played in the College’s founding.  

In the Spring of 2024, the History Work Group approved adding additional language to the plaque on the first floor of Old Library that provides context to the building’s name and history.  The plaque now reads, “Re-named Old Library in response to Thomas’ support of eugenics and her racist and antisemitic views and practices.”  This language formally recognizes Thomas’ antisemitic views and support of eugenics. 

The ARCH Project, Bryn Mawr’s Art Remediating College Histories (ARCH) Project, saw another year of progress as it looks forward to the unveiling of Nekisha Durrett’s artwork “Don’t Forget to Remember (Me)” in AY25. Student interns worked with Nekisha to research the Black staff members who will be honored in the artwork.  Three events were held this year to engage community members in the project.   

• In September 2023, Nekisha Durrett was joined by President Cassidy, Professor of History of Art, Homay King, and Monument Lab founder Paul Farber for a panel discussion about the ARCH project and what community members can expect as the installation process begins.    
• In February 2024, a group of students, faculty, and staff visited Nekisha Durrett’s studio and her project “Queen City” in Northern Virginia.  
• Finally in April 2024, Nekisha and Monument Lab staff members hosted a facilitated discussion and site visit during Legacy Weekend.  The event brought together student and alumnae/i from Affinity and Multicultural Organizations to share their experiences on campus and learn about the project.   

The fourth Who Built Bryn Mawr? project was completed in summer 2023, resulting in the exhibit (physical and digital) “Why Build Bryn Mawr?” about the College’s founding. 

Faculty and staff have created a sustainable plan for the ongoing initiative. Professor Shiamin Kwa will advise student researchers during the summer of 2024. Their project will focus on exam questions for early Chinese students found in the College’s archives. These questions will serve as an opportunity to explore how knowledge and college preparation were assessed and measured in the early 1900s, and about how education was discussed when it came to women in America, Chinese students in China, and Chinese women in America. 

The Chief Communications Officer implemented a new plan for communicating about DEIA and its impact for the year 2023-2024.  Additionally, the department created a comprehensive timeline of Old Library.   

The Campus Partnerships for Equity and Anti-Racism (CPEAR) continues to support accountability, communication, and strategic support for progress across all areas of the College.  Members also participated in elements of the Dialogue Project to add to their leadership skill sets.