Life at Holy Cross: Student Panel
Featuring Nadjee Joceyln ’23, Anna Lee ’24, Jaime Perez ’23, Omar Richardson ’24 and Jordyn Shubrick ‘22
Nadjee, Anna, Jaime, Omar, and Jordyn shared their varied and candid perspectives on current life at Holy Cross as students of color.
HC Introductory/Orientation Experience
All students (except Omar due to Covid restrictions) benefitted from the experience of the Odyssey and/or Passport programs as HC sponsored orientation events for first year students. They agreed that Odyssey helped prepare them for some of the challenges of the HC experience and created bonding opportunities and lifelong friendships
Odyssey program – one-week summer program for first-year students who are first-generation college students, people of color, or eligible for the Pell Grant. Odyssey helps incoming students build relationships with fellow students, faculty, and administrators, and familiarizes them with campus resources and the local communities. (https://www.holycross.edu/orientations-information-incoming-students/odyssey)
Passport program –a program designed to assist first year students in achieving their full potential during transition to the educational experience at Holy Cross. The Passport program is more workshop-based course: (https://www.holycross.edu/support-and-resources/academic-services-and-learning-resources/passport)
Covid critically impacted Class of ’24 since first semester was all virtual and there was no ability to connect live with other students prior to semester start (no college sponsored event/environment for students of color)
Opportunity for CHARA to help class of ’24 with a retreat/bonding experience?
While Odyssey and Passport programs were perceived as valuable, they indicated it would be helpful to have a program that convened students of color from all four class years to create a community of ongoing support, build more connections across years, and provide an opportunity to forge even more lifelong friendships. There should also be ways to explore extensions of these programs to offer ongoing support to students of color.
The students also noted that the transition from Odyssey and Passport to the full student HC orientation is very “jarring”. They go from a bonding experience immersed in the cultural diversity of Odyssey or Passport to the mainstream orientation where they experience little to no representation
Transition needs to acknowledge and recognize all cultures for everyone to feel included.
A few of the students indicated they either never visited the campus or visited an empty campus prior to starting at HC, and so they didn’t get to see the real demographic which felt a bit shocking (demographic may not have been reiterated in the application/recruitment process)
“A lot of us didn’t come from predominantly white schools so it was a change for us. Odyssey and Passport programs helped”.
Campus Life – Student Perspectives and Observations
“I was shocked to see that I was the only black person on my dorm and only 1 of 3 people of color on my floor”
“It can sometimes be an isolating experience. A lot of people like to stick to their own people”
Seems like the black/brown people on the HC campus are “workers” (food service, janitors, etc.) which serves to just perpetuate sterotypes; need more black/brown professors and role models
General distrust of SGA – SGA is full of rich, white kids; there should be more of an effort to include diversity groups in the mix; you can see where SGA priorities fall, and we end up being shut out – when our issues don’t get any weight it can feel dehumanizing
Black students don’t know how to get involved with the SGA (“I was the only black woman in the SGA”)
Student raised campus safety concerns/questions being dismissed by Public Safety (armed security, campus lighting, etc.); it’s critical for all students that the concerns are acknowledged and addressed
More RAs of color with more emphasis on RA tools, resources, and empowerment (should not feel like a “check the box” scenario)
Feeling of “too little, too late” regarding the action taken around the Brooks-Mulledy dorm name change. While the name change has officially taken place and a plaque and explanation is now provided, students of color in the dorm last year had to endure the painful experience of living in the dorm without action being taken in a timely way. This reflects the priority that administration places on issues that should be high priority
As a student of color, I felt like I was discouraged by some professors from pursuing more challenging curriculum tracks (like biology, for example)
Seems to be a pervading sense of entitlement among white students on campus – “we (students of color) are not OK with entitlement. Why do I owe them anything? Why do I owe them civility when they treat me badly?”
About Change on Campus
“Feels like there is a lot of ‘performative activism’– need to stop it”
A social justice requirement may enhance awareness and responsible citizenship among student body
Need for the right professors (i.e., white male teaching gender in Africa course???)
We cannot rely on students of color to come up with the solutions for campus issues
Stop sugar coating white privilege – it’s not OK; need to educate white students on privilege (what is white privilege?)
RA’s need to be educated and empowered to impart awareness, manners, etc.
“It’s an exhausting job to have to be the ones to always be educating the white students”
Feels transactional vs. transformational
Need to explore “Men and women for and with others” – do people really know what that means? Should it be a course as part of social justice requirement?
How can we get more faculty in their current roles to help students so that the burden of education and change doesn’t all fall on the students?
Need to build a bridge between SGA and diversity groups so that all are represented and heard
Allow all to have a voice on campus, not just “white saviors” (white students who offer help or a voice in a self-serving manner with little collaboration with or perspective from students of color)
Need more collaboration and less “false student activism”
Diversity training would be a good first step – need white students to be trained and educated
How can CHARA help?
Support and create opportunities for building community across grade and cultural boundaries (i.e., retreat, workshops, etc.) to help forge bonds and critical support networks
Leverage resources like Contemplative Center
Tie it to a reunion
Class of ’24 retreat/bonding experience to make up for lost Covid year?
Build on Odyssey/Passport experience? Could we put financial resources toward it and what would it look like?
“Money talks” – For future CHARA fundraising/donation plans, discuss where we can target donations to make meaningful impact and create movement in administration for students of color
Engagement levels for alumni of color are much lower than for white alumni – how can we help ensure that students of color leave HC with positive experiences and connections so that they feel inspired to come back to HC and to help the next generation of students/alumni of color?
Assist with SGA integration of students of color and diversity groups like BSU – through HCAA?
Support initiatives that create bonds with current students and young alumni
Support curriculum changes and requirements such as social justice requirement – courses that “complete the person” that leaves HC
Help create opportunities for students to recognize inequality – what it means to see someone fully, to be human
Continue to explore mentorship support and opportunities addressing the needs of students of color –
BSU Opportunity Fund
CHARA created mentorship program?
Think about a model with the students at the center (Dennis Golden):
How will the efforts enhance the mission of the college?
How will the efforts enhance the lives of the students? Students of color need to be included in these efforts!
