The Antiracist Student Group, formed by faculty and staff in the spring of 2020, distributed a survey asking students to share their experiences at the College of Education from the perspectives of racial justice and equity.
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder in the summer of 2020, College of Education administrators, faculty, and staff wrote a Statement of Support and Commitment in which they pledged to hold themselves accountable to working to dismantle systemic oppression in the college and beyond. As noted in the introduction, “ we are committed more than ever...to making ourselves accountable for and actively raising awareness of the racist beliefs, behaviors, and policies that sustain discrimination and prejudice in all forms, especially in our own curriculum and practices." As we strive to uphold the explicit commitments in this statement, the committee recognized the importance of understanding student perspectives and experiences and that they needed to hear the student voice to move forward with actionable changes.
Amy Feiker-Hollenbeck, PhD (faculty), Alyssa Hepker (staff), Nancy Hashimoto, EdD (staff) Jordan Humphrey, PhD (staff) and Educational Leadership student Monica Hurtado were primarily responsible for developing the survey which was distributed via email and featured on the College of Education social media. In addition, many faculty, recognizing the importance of this issue, allotted class time for students to complete the survey.
The survey closed on December 1 and the results will be analyzed, presented to the Dean's Leadership Council, and summarized and shared with students. They will also be used to inform the committee’s next steps in the winter and spring.