Facilitating Student Voices at MCTC: A Journey of Empowerment
In November 2015, students at MCTC expressed their feelings of being unheard and undervalued through a letter, leading to a series of facilitated discussions and actions by President Avelino Mills-Novoa. This timeline outlines the process from the crafting of the student letter to the distribution of responses and campus-wide discussions, highlighting efforts to address student concerns and promote positive change in the campus community.
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Presentation Transcript
RESPONDING TO THE CALL FROM OUR STUDENTS
Background November 2015 A group of students craft a letter at the request of Avelino. It expresses their feelings of being unheard, unvalued, and underserved at MCTC. It also offers a list of approaches to foster the dignity, self-worth, and success of every student.
Background February 2016 A panel of student signatories address faculty and staff, expressing some of the pain and frustration they feel as they try to negotiate their academic path here at MCTC
A TIMELINE OF THE FACILIATION OF THE STUDENT LETTER November 15th, 2015 November 16th- Conversations November 16th-22nd November 23rd Staff December 2015 February March 2016 May 6th, 2016 May, 2016 Late May, 2016 Shooting of Jamar Clark President Avelino Mills-Novoa Calls for Facilitated Student Series of Student Meetings leads to the Crafting of the Student Letter President Avelino Sends the Student Voice Email to All MCTC Faculty & City College News Prints the Student Letter Student panel presented at MCTC, system office and Saint Paul College President Avelino distributes Response to the Student Letter Faculty Development Day and All-College Meeting Focus on the Letter Document of the Process Prepared and submitted to thedemands.org
MCTC STUDENT VOICE EMAIL Sent to all Faculty and Staff November 23rd by President Avelino Mills-Novoa Dear Colleagues, The past week has been extremely difficult. Local and international events are pressing on the hearts and minds of our community. In response, I wanted to follow up the letter that arrived on our campus last week from the MnSCU system office. The System office letter was a message of solidarity against racism on MnSCU campuses. I expressed my concern that it did not address the specific experience of MCTC students. As a result, I was invited to write my own letter to the MCTC community. I decided that rather than talking to the community from my vantage point, I would turn the blank page to MCTC students. Individuals who facilitated the writing of the letter gathered groups of students several times last week to talk about their experience of what is happening around them and to begin crafting a message to MCTC staff and faculty. The end result is the letter titled, A message from MCTC students, that is attached. It is my hope that this message will serve as a call to action, personal and collective, a catalyst for campus conversations leading to change, and causes a shift in our campus narrative of who we are, who are students are, and what our students want from their MCTC education. Sincerely Yours, Avelino -- Avelino Mills-Novoa, Ph.D. Interim President Minneapolis Community and Technical College
Student Panel
Background May 2016 Interim President Avelino Mills-Novoa offers a summary of efforts completed and underway to address the concerns students raised in their letter. He ends his response with a call for long- term sustained effort to make equity and inclusion the centerpiece of all our strategic efforts to improve retention and close educational opportunity gaps.
ADDING IN OUR VOICES
A core question from the student letter: What do I do each day to make our students feel welcome and supported?
How do I support and welcome students? Take a moment to reflect. Talk around your table. Help each other brainstorm techniques, mindsets, practices of inclusion Have a recorder note them on the handout
A core call from Avelinos letter: What can we do collectively to bring about greater equity and inclusion?
How can we support greater equity? Take a moment to reflect. Talk around your table. Help each other brainstorm systematic changes to promote equity and inclusion. Have a recorder note them on the handout
What next? Each participant: put a star next to the item(s) on your 2nd list which they think is the most critical in the short-term
MOVING FORWARD
Who you can collaborate with Mindset Meetup (contact Rebecca March) Center for Teaching and Learning (contact Lisa Bergin) Starting Fall 2016: Inclusion Committee
WHATCHA GONNA DO?
