‘The Need is Always Going to be There’
By Cody Nathanson | Assistant Editor
The Mount’s continued ambition to make students feel included and develop a sense of campus belonging is still an ongoing process. Like many colleges during COVID-19, MWCC followed in the greatly renewed wave of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) initiatives by hiring for a new position: Chief Diversity Executive. A position Stephanie Williams has held since April of 2022.
“When we’re talking about creating inclusive environments and breaking down systems that serve a dominant group and culture and not the rest, the need is always going to be there,” Williams explained. Her position provides a top-down oversight of MWCC’s policies and programs through the lens of DEIA principles, but when it comes to fostering a front-facing sense of belonging, it remains a part of a larger need. In a 2022 research survey, 64% of college students acknowledged their campus’ support of DEIA principles but shared the sentiment that there was still room for improvement.
One development that Williams emphasized as being very much needed is the construction of a multicultural center at the Mount. “When [we] walk into a space as a human being, what do we do? We look for cues to say, ‘do we belong here? Am I safe here?’ And when I don’t see people that look like me…or I don’t even feel comfortable to ask the questions…I tend to be more transient and it’s more of a come and go. You’re on campus, you go to your classes, then you leave.”
“There’s a space for LGBTQ+ students. There’s a space for our veteran students. We have a space for our parenting students. We have space for our working adults. But we don’t have anything for students of color specifically,” said Williams. Of the fifteen community colleges in the state of Massachusetts, the Mount is one of seven that does not yet offer a dedicated space for people of color. Some colleges lacking a physical location, like Quinsigamond community college in Worcester, have created a digital space instead.
The construction of a multicultural center would be a valuable addition to campus, alongside other DEIA initiatives like the International Center for the Promotion of Diversity and Inclusion—a student and faculty resource that has been promoting equity on campus since 2021 and has sponsored multiple events, such as the Mount’s Tea Time Speaker Series.
Despite the many areas of improvement that remain, Williams believes that the LaChance Library on campus has had an effective and positive impact on students. She was appreciative of not just their handling of the growing issue of banned books, but also stated, “In terms of really inclusive resources and making sure that they’re always there and … that they’re visible and they’re accessible: our library does a great job [of that].”
A multicultural center would not be an end-all solution to engaging the underserved, but its construction would be an easily accessible and visible part of the Mount’s ongoing DEIA strategy.
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