By John McAnespie
When the former Secretary of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity resigned at the beginning of the school year due to unforeseen circumstances, Student Association President Jake Myers and Vice President Megan Krueger took on the responsibilities of the position and will continue to do so until the position is filled.
“All members of the SGA E-Board value and work to create an inclusive environment for students, but the Secretary of DEI’s role is to lead the way in those efforts,” said Kerri Leach, Director of Student Activity. “It’s very important to have all voices heard and be represented on campus. So having a person whose job it is to think about all underrepresented groups on our campus is essential.”
According to the guidelines set-forth by the Student Association, the responsibility of the Secretary of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion role is, “to present student concerns and issues to the St. Michael’s’ College administration in regards to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including, but not limited to, race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, gender, gender expression, ability, and socioeconomic status.”
After not receiving any applicants by the first deadline in late October, the Student Association extended the application process in hopes more people would show interest in the position.
But for a variety of reasons these applicants were not chosen.
Due to confidentiality, the Student Association was not permitted to discuss specifics involving the application process, such as the number of applicants, or reasons as to why none of the applicants met the criteria for the position. They decided to hold a second round of the application process.
While addressing the Student Association after the first round of applicants Meyers said, “While the position is vacant, we did not want to rush to put someone in the position just for the sake of filling it. We wanted to put an emphasis on the fact that anyone who applies must meet the qualifications set out in our constitution while also adhering to the SMC non-discriminatory policy set forth by the school.”
Krueger said the goal is to find someone “to work for students of diverse backgrounds and jump into issues concerning the campus, the greater community, and the global sphere.”
For anyone interested, applications for the second round are due this Friday. The application process requires one to fill out an application, write a letter of intent, and provide two letters of recommendation from St. Michael’s College Staff. The Student Association hopes to be able to present the new Secretary of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity at the final meeting of the year, on November 29.