DEI Work Moves Forward

March 9, 2022

Cretin-Derham Hall has made significant progress in the effort to support and maintain an inclusive and respectful culture for all.  

“In the last six months, we have made tremendous progress. We have provided faculty and staff with professional development opportunities, we have developed collaborative relationships with students, we have aggressively and successfully recruited diverse candidates, and we have started to develop systems that will effectively merge DEI into the daily operations of CDH,” explained Stan Davis ‘88, Interim Director of Diversity. "We are just getting started, and will be working with incoming permanent Dignity and Inclusion Director Kim Royston to continue this important work.” 

While this work continues, highlights from this year include:

• Stan Davis '88, the Interim Director of Diversity, has worked with students, faculty/staff, alumni, and community leaders to listen to concerns, gather feedback, and communicate current work in this area.

• A long-term Director of Dignity and Inclusion position was developed to lead the DEI efforts at CDH and Kim Royston ‘06 had been hired. He will start work alongside Davis this spring.

• A student mentoring program has been established for students of color. Currently, eight alumni are paired with eight students. This program is expected to grow.

• Faculty/Staff have participated in several DEI professional development sessions, starting with Faculty Workshops at the beginning of the year, as well as every month of the school year.

• Faculty/Staff were invited to participate in an optional facilitated literature group focused on racial justice books. 

• An optional Faculty/Staff discussion group will be offered in March for those employees who seek to learn more about DEI-related topics.

• Dr. Ron Bell is available to counsel BIPOC and all students who seek mental health support.

• A ‘Real Talk’ discussion group for students has been created, focused on two-way conversations addressing issues raised by students, facilitated by Davis and Dr. Bell.

• Students and Faculty/Staff now have a more well-defined process to report and/or initiate concerns about anti-BIPOC/LGBTQ language and behavior.

• No allegations have been made this year.

• A Recruiting and Retention plan for faculty and staff of color has been developed. Just this year, several new hires are people of color in many facets of the school.

• The Student Advocate position is dedicated to creating equity among students and advocating for students in need.

• The Student Handbook now defines the consequence for those who use racial or homophobic slurs against others.

• The CDH uniform was expanded to allow the same options for pants regardless of gender.  Work on other aspects of the uniform policy continues.

• Students are encouraged to participate in the planning of the cultural celebrations for the student body.  An increased number of students have played leadership role or participated in these cultural assemblies and more.

• AFAM, a weekly opportunity for students to build community and support one another is facilitated by Crystal Flint. Primarily attended by black students, the group is open to all and has members of all racial groups.

• The Dismantling Racism Steering Committee continues meeting monthly, facilitated by Dr. Anton Treuer. Students have continued their work, and have advocated for a renewed effort for advocacy, renaming the former Student Advisory Group as the Student Dismantling Racism Committee.   

For more information, check the CDH DEI page for further updates and resources.