Update on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives
December 21, 2020
Dear Members of the Providence College Community,
As we near the end of a very challenging semester, I want to take this opportunity to update you on recent initiatives made toward making Providence College a more equitable and inclusive community—a goal that we all share. Despite the pandemic, many members of the community have participated in committee meetings, town hall meetings, Masses, vigils, and other activities that have helped us better understand each other and pointed out areas for much needed growth toward becoming the beloved community we aspire to be.
Our focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion has been steady and multi-faceted, involving students, faculty, staff, alumni, Dominicans, and representatives from the community at large. The Cabinet also continues to work with an outside facilitator in helping us strategize about how best to move forward. As a result of thoughtful reflection, difficult dialogues, and many honest discussions, policies are being addressed, changes to the curriculum are being studied, and campus departments providing vital services are being professionally assessed. We have not done a good enough job communicating the good work that is being done by the IDEI team, led by Ms. Jackie Peterson, as well as work that is being done by others across this campus. I encourage you to visit the IDEI website often to follow these ongoing efforts.
Student organizations—and the students they serve—are eager to effect real change at Providence College. They are dedicated to collaborating with the faculty, staff, and administration to create a PC experience that is equitable and inclusive for all members of our community. To that end, students representing a number of clubs and organizations participated in developing “demands for redress” that were presented to me late last month. Student Congress, similarly, provided me with a series of recommendations that its members had developed to address what they see as obstacles that may hinder our growth toward becoming a truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive community. I have read both documents thoroughly, and I recognize that there are shared themes expressed in the two documents. I am pleased to report that work is well underway to address many of the points that were raised.
As a follow-up to reviewing these documents, in the last few weeks I have participated in productive and insightful meetings with many of the student signatories, with various student clubs and organizations, and with small ad hoc groups of students. In doing so, it became apparent to me that students recognize that responsibility for change does not fall squarely on the shoulders of the administration. They are eager to become more engaged. I look forward to working with them and with other members of our community, especially the Presidential Committee to Address Systemic Racism, to evaluate these documents further and to continue addressing the causes of systemic racism that are inconsistent with our Catholic and Dominican identity, and that prevent us from being all that we aspire to be.
Sincerely,
Rev. Kenneth R. Sicard, O.P.
College President
