johnston center letter

7/24/2019 Johnston Center Letter

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From Director, Julie Townsend:

Dear Johnston Community,

Over the last few weeks and last night at the forum on race and inclusion, I

have heard powerful, heartreaking, and enraging testimony from students of

color who carry the urden of interpersonal and institutional racism day in

and day out! "s a memer of this community, a faculty memer, and in my

administrative role as Johnston Director, I am oth compelled to act and

inspired to collaorate with students and colleagues to address this situation!

This email will e long, ut I hope that all memers of the Johnston

Community will read it carefully and #nd a way to work together! "s a

community we can listen to criti$ue, take responsiility, o%er reparation, and

uild a stronger, more inclusive place!

I want to assure the students of color who have taken a great risk y

speaking of their e&periences that I have heard you and wish to support youre%orts! In my e&perience, cultural shifts re$uire work in the immediate, the

constant, and the long'term( these shifts also re$uire thoughtful interaction

etween individuals, small groups, and at larger community gatherings!

)ace, cultural identity, gender, economic class, and institutional power are

present in all interactions * we must not ignore this reality!

+ased on conversations with students, faculty memers, and the Johnston

"cademic olicy Committee, I propose the following:

In the immediate:

' Faculty and students who are facilitating Johnston classes in the spring:

please revise your course -yers to make e&plicit the e&tent to which your

course does or could include in'depth work in the areas of cultural

appropriation, constructions of ine$uality, institutional criti$ue, activism, and

structural change! .imilarly, please signal the role of work produced y

under'represented artists, writers, and scholars in your planned course!

' On /onday, 0ovemer 12 at 3 pm, .ara .choonmaker will host a screening

and discussion of the #lm 45hite 6ike /e!7

' "C will dedicate several weeks of our discussion in the spring semester to

this topic! If you would like to facilitate or co'facilitate an "C discussionased on a short reading or #lm, please let me know! These will e open to

the larger community! If the group gets too large, we8ll reak into smaller

groups! I intend for these discussions to ring students, faculty, and

administration together in small enough groups to support meaningful

interpersonal e&change!

' I would like to hear from Johnston students and C". students aout interest



level in a /ay term course that will look at the state of multiculturalism,

diversity, inclusion, activism, and institutional criti$ue on college campuses

here in southern California and nationwide! If there is interest, I will do my

utmost to make this class happen in /ay 92;!

' Johnston will purchase 1'< documentaries and hold screenings anddiscussions! Current suggestions include 45hite like /e7 and 4The Color of

Fear!7

' The =>.T class, Internal Transfer .eminar, and Community .tudy class will

incorporate issues of inclusion!

' "t "C yesterday, faculty and students made a variety of additional short

and longer'term suggestions, including: a trip to see a Cornerstone Theater

production, a long term pro?ect with one or more o%'campus communities,

involvement with the Johnston Community .ervice day, etc!

On'going ro?ects:

' I would like to revitali@e the curriculum'uilding process in Johnston so that

we can more e%ectively collaorate to create the curriculum that students

want and need!

' 5e are currently updating and redesigning our wepages and admissions'

recruitment materials! I would like to engage with students on how to do this

e%ectively and ethically! 5e need to reach out to under'represented students

ut also to ensure that if we are successful, we guarantee these students full

citi@enship in their educational environment!

' 5e will continue to uild e%ective collaoration with programs across

campus who are working on these issues, including CDI, academic programs,

.tudent 6ife, and others!

6onger'term ro?ects:

' 0e&t year, Johnston will craft a position re$uest in collaoration with other

interdisciplinary programs for a tenure'track line in a relevant area of study!

.imilarly, we will support other departments8 re$uests for similar positions!

' Johnston will work with our new Director of "dmissions and our Johnston

"dmissions team to develop meaningful outreach to under'represented

students, especially in the local region!

' I am currently crafting a ?oint pro?ect with the .chool of Aducation in which

Johnston students would collaorate with graduate students on pro?ects

related to educational ?ustice, students8 well'eing, and academic and

personal support for students in need!



' I will continue to work with the Johnston Development committee to raise

funds for an Andowed Chair, a scholarship fund for student travel, and

resources that make Johnston spaces useful and engaging for all memers of

our community!

I welcome your participation and ideas in these areas and more! "nd again, Ithank the students who have courageously spoken out, and I intend to

respond in collaorative, meaningful, and sustained ways!

.incerely,

Julie Townsend

Director of the Johnston Center for Integrative .tudies

rofessor of Interdisciplinary Bumanities

niversity of )edlands

johnston center letter

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