FEATURE
The Evolution of a Revolution
鈥淲hat does belonging mean to you?鈥 That鈥檚 the question being embraced by the Nazareth campus community
by Erich Van Dussen
Diversity is an invitation to the party, the saying goes, while inclusion is being asked to dance. But what if you aren鈥檛 familiar with the music the band is playing, or are allergic to the flowers on the tables? Maybe you鈥檙e a vegan, and there鈥檚 no food being served that you can eat鈥.
No matter how passionate or sincere, a commitment to diversity and inclusion, or D&I, can ultimately accomplish only so much. An inclusive gathering of a diverse group of people is successful only when the people truly feel like they belong.
鈥淧eople can join a community, be welcomed, and still not feel that they belong there,鈥 said Diane Ariza, Ph.D., who joined Nazareth鈥檚 executive team last year as the College鈥檚 first vice president for Diversity and Inclusion. (That title will have changed by the time you read this article; more on that below.)
鈥淭here鈥檚 been a lot of study into the nature of belonging,鈥 Ariza said. 鈥淲e know that feelings of marginalization don鈥檛 automatically go away when someone is invited to join a group. And that marginalization isn鈥檛 necessarily limited to people of color, or other groups not in the majority. Anyone can lack a sense of belonging.鈥
While lauding Nazareth鈥檚 important ongoing work toward the goals of D&I, Ariza notes that even the words themselves connote an 鈥渙therness鈥 that presupposes being different, or not part of the original whole. 鈥淲e need to be able to build on that work and advance a shared sense of community,鈥 she said. 鈥淪tudents are asked to adjust when they come to college, in large and small ways. A responsive environment must be able to do the same 鈥 to provide an optimal environment for every student, and to prepare them for their roles in shaping the world when they leave here.鈥
From that perspective, a community already committed to D&I might consider the pursuit of a widespread sense of belonging as a natural next step 鈥 or given its cultural impact, perhaps even an evolutionary leap.
Earlier this year, Nazareth began the next phase in that evolution.
鈥溾 To Be at Home鈥
The public face of the College鈥檚 belonging work made its first appearance in January, when students, faculty, and staff watched a three-and-a-half-minute video in which students were asked an open-ended question: 鈥淲hat does belonging mean to you?鈥 Responses included 鈥渆quality,鈥 鈥渂eing heard,鈥 and the empowerment 鈥渢o bring other people into the circle.鈥
In the video, Jervon Harrison 鈥20 packed a lot of meaning into his simple answer: 鈥淏elonging means 鈥 to be at home.鈥
Expanding on that idea off-camera, he added, 鈥淚t鈥檚 about being part of a welcoming environment, so you鈥檙e not required to be anyone other than who you are.鈥
For many students, attending college means leaving home for the first time to face the risks of disconnection and isolation, even in a crowd. In Harrison鈥檚 case, traveling extensively before coming to Nazareth helped him learn how to feel at home in unfamiliar environments. On campus, he鈥檚 affirmed his identity through being a student-athlete mentor; an orientation leader for new students; and a participant in ANCHORS, a club dedicated to helping Nazareth men become 鈥渁mbassadors of change鈥 for a stronger and more united community.
鈥淣ow I feel very connected here, and not just to people who look like I do,鈥 he said, 鈥渂ut I know not everyone feels that way. It鈥檚 not easy for everyone to feel like they fit in. And without that, you can miss a lot of opportunities as you move through college.鈥
Hence the video, and more. Harrison and other student leaders are among the earliest ambassadors for a cultural shift. Most formally, the school鈥檚 Diversity and Inclusion Division has been renamed the Division for Community and Belonging 鈥 in addition to expanding to include Diversity and Inclusive Excellence initiatives that maintain a commitment to those principles.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not leaving the goals of diversity behind. We鈥檙e just moving that needle in a different direction,鈥 said Olajiwon McCadney, Director for Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Education.
Student programs such as ANCHORS, ongoing faculty and staff trainings, and more have McCadney feeling enthusiastic about collective efforts propelling the community toward a future that advances D&I while helping it evolve toward belonging, one encounter at a time. 鈥淚 tell people it鈥檚 about unlearning as much as learning,鈥 he said. 鈥淢aking room for other viewpoints and perspectives involves a commitment to being a little bit uncomfortable at first. That discomfort is powerful, and can lead to important growth.鈥
The video is step one in an outreach program that encourages the campus community to suggest their interpretations of belonging, to be shared in print and online, to broaden the definition of the B word and build enthusiasm and alignment. The campus-wide campaign was developed by a team of students, faculty, and staff, with a distinctive look and feel created by Alice Hallahan-Soltiz 鈥11, an art lecturer and a designer in the Marketing and Communications Department.
The objective at this stage, Ariza said, is simple: 鈥淲e want people 鈥 students, faculty, staff 鈥 to provide narratives, to share their stories. Together, those stories tell us, 鈥楾his is my community. I have something to say.鈥 And we hear you. We see you.鈥
An Inevitable Progression
Before he became director and Catholic chaplain in the Center for Spirituality 鈥 another department within the Division for Community and Belonging 鈥 Jamie Fazio, M.Div., was a member of Nazareth鈥檚 undergraduate class of 1997. Now he can look back at the iterative nature of the College鈥檚 decades-long commitment to diversity and equality, beginning with the Office of Multicultural Affairs in the 1990s, which became the Office of Pluralism and later the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
From that perspective, he said, the launch of this new division was inevitable 鈥 and greatly welcome. 鈥淚t says a lot that Diane鈥檚 role has been created as part of the President鈥檚 Cabinet,鈥 Fazio said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the first time this type of work has been directly recognized at that level here, and it鈥檚 a big step. Building this division and increasing our reach shows a deep commitment to responding to genuine, crucial needs鈥攈ere on our campus, and more broadly in the city and the country as a whole.鈥
Madeline Mitchell 鈥20 shares Fazio鈥檚 assessment of the need. The leader of the College鈥檚 Lambda LGBTQ+ club said she feels accepted on campus, but she also recognizes the difference between acceptance and a true sense of belonging. She鈥檚 encouraged by these new efforts.
鈥淏elonging has to be about more than 鈥榟ere鈥檚 your club鈥 鈥 there has to be greater visibility for minority students, and a sense of empowerment that right now isn鈥檛 always there,鈥 Mitchell said. 鈥淚n some ways it鈥檚 probably even overdue; but I think the people involved with this movement have the best interests of all Nazareth students at heart.鈥
Nazareth is 2,700 miles from Mitchell鈥檚 hometown of Eugene, Oregon, and for her, choosing the College鈥檚 highly regarded music therapy program meant first overcoming her concerns about relocating. 鈥淎s a queer person coming from a very liberal place, I wasn't sure what it would be like here,鈥 she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e found my place, but what we really need 鈥 what I hope we can achieve 鈥 is for everyone to do their part.鈥
The urgency of this evolution has roots extending back to 1924 and Nazareth鈥檚 founding by the Sisters of St. Joseph. 鈥淭hose women weren鈥檛 just scholars 鈥 they were feminists, and progressive thinkers,鈥 Fazio noted, with a reminder that Nazareth鈥檚 colors of purple and gold were selected back then for their association with women鈥檚 suffrage. 鈥淭he Sisters started this college not only with a goal of providing access to higher education 鈥 they wanted Nazareth students to become socially engaged citizens. All of this work is authentic to that vision.鈥
The gradual process of realizing that vision fits seamlessly with the classroom work of Marie Watkins, professor and director of the College鈥檚 community youth development program. 鈥淲e have discussions about this in class all the time,鈥 she said. 鈥淏elonging is about going deeper into a process whereby students, and all of us, really understand the importance of humility and responsiveness 鈥 being with people, as opposed to working for or at them. This is what rigorous learning looks like.鈥
As a licensed social worker and a Nazareth alumna herself, Watkins both identifies with the goals of the burgeoning movement and welcomes its arrival in the campus community that means so much to her. 鈥淗ow does it feel for me? I feel like I'm at home.鈥
Modeling Change
The belonging work is 鈥渋ncredibly important,鈥 according to Nazareth President Daan Braveman, in its aim to help students thrive in an eclectic college environment, and to model those lessons in life.
鈥淲e live in a time when difference can seem to threaten people, and we need to change that narrative so people can see the strength in difference,鈥 Braveman said. 鈥淥ne of the most important things colleges can do is prepare students to live and work across lines of difference 鈥 whether religious, racial, ethnic, cultural, gender-based, political, you name it. That requires adaptation, and it should be reciprocal. Students, faculty, and staff all need to adapt. The institution as a whole must adapt.鈥
Ariza and Fazio point out that the effort will remain a work in progress. 鈥淚 wish we could press a fast-forward button to create a community of belonging tomorrow,鈥 Fazio said, 鈥渂ut we didn't get to this place in a short period as a country, and it鈥檚 going to take time for it to turn around.
鈥淎s an alumnus, and as a member of the campus community, I'm proud of how far we鈥檝e come,鈥 he added. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 proud of where we鈥檙e going.鈥
Erich Van Dussen is a freelance writer in Rochester, NY. Photos by Denver Miller.
