An Afternoon of Community and Solidarity

The Committee for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is a campus-wide advisory group with representatives from across the College who are committed to advancing inclusivity, equity, accessibility, and diversity on campus. We also recognize that the Lafayette community is not immune to the challenges our world is facing right now. Our return to campus coincided with a series of violent events around the country, including the Lunar New Year mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, the murder of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee, not to mention the ongoing war in Ukraine, and most recently, a devastating earthquake in Syria and Turkey. We stand in solidarity with those in our community who are impacted by the threats of gun violence, racism, police brutality, war, and natural disasters. It is hard to know what to say or do to ameliorate the pain and outrage that many on campus are feeling as we try to process the shock of these events as well as the reality that events like these continue to happen. But we feel that for our Committee to remain silent is to be complicit. We also believe it is important for us to provide a space to listen to members of campus impacted by these and other events, and those who feel there is room for growth and improvement to how the campus and committee can provide support. To this end, we invite you to join us on February 23rd from 4:15-5:30 in Room 206 of Skillman Library, to meet members of the Committee and connect with others in community and solidarity. This will be one of several opportunities to share your thoughts and concerns with the Committee. You can also get in touch with the Committee via email at dei-campus-committee.group@lafayette.edu. As always, additional support and resources are available through the Lafayette Counseling Center and the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life.

Members of the Campus-wide DEI Committee:

Tracie Addy, Assoc. Dean of Teaching and Learning, CITLS
Kia Damon-Olson, Women’s Head Basketball Coach, Athletics
Louise Frazier, Assoc. Director of Admissions
Katherine Groo, Asst. Professor, Film and Media Studies
Ryan Mitchell, Asst. Professor, English
Ana Ramirez Luhrs, Kirby Librarian & Head Librarian for JEDI Initiatives, Lafayette Libraries
Rico Reyes, Director of Lafayette Art Galleries
Millie Smith ’10, Administrative Council, Academic Project Coordinator, Office of the Provost
Matwos Tadesse ‘24, President of Student Government
Robert Young ’14, Director of Intercultural Development
Lijuan Xu, Assoc. Director of Research and instruction Services, Lafayette Libraries