President Dr. Anita Thomas has been sending out “Monday Mission” emails since the beginning of October 2023. Thomas’ mission messages have discussed diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, ethics, curiosity and education. As Thomas discusses the future of diversity, equity and inclusion at NCC, programs within the school have been tackling questions of belonging. The Athletics Department and NC Exploring Identity Series have been targeting some programs to support student identities and experiences.
Diversity, equity and inclusion in athletics
Once a student athlete at NCC, Brian Johnson, ’95, M’15, is now the Assistant Athletic Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). As he explains, the position is the first of its kind both for NCC and its athletic conference. NCC has a significant student body of athletes. Johnson listed out a variety of statistics, including that NCC’s football team comprises around 150 students. These groups are not exactly the same in identity and experience. His job is to “help people through their journey of belonging.”
In particular, he helped revamp the DEI task force by narrowing and renaming it to IT, or Inclusion Team. They also host Critical Conversations for the student athletes, whether the form is panels or interactive events. The topics for these Critical Conversations have been broad, from mental health workshops to religious diversity.
Johnson points to the athletic websites DEI page and the work done by Nicholas Osterloo, ’19, M’21, the assistant sports information director. Johnson and Osterloo operate under the idea of documenting their work, not just doing it. Their page includes articles written about their actions, graphics and social media campaigns.
“These are some of the things that we have been tackling. Either we talk about real things like Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and within that, or we talk about other things from a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion perspective,” said Johnson.
Furthermore, the program has also partnered with RISE to win, an organization targeting racism and social justice in the sports community. The workshops and education this partnership provides have been given to students, but coaches and staff also have an opportunity to learn. In addition, the NCC Athletics Instagram has been running a “UBelong” campaign to help “people find their belonging as a student athlete, whatever that may look like.”
Johnson emphasizes the importance of adding perspective. For students without exposure to these concepts or who don’t understand them, adding perspective is important. For instance, Johnson uses the example of a Muslim teammate competing and training during Ramadan and the perspective needed there. While these teammates may be completing the same workouts, they are doing so under entirely different circumstances that need recognition and perspective.
“(We’re) really trying to just amplify the voice of marginalized student athletes. Trying to add perspective to the majority of student athletes, we’re in a predominately white institution and that’s just what it is. But we’re really focused on either adding perspective, gaining perspective, amplifying different voices, whatever that may look like, at all times,” said Johnson.
Necessary feedback
Opening a survey after events allows them to document and receive feedback on their work. They ask for responses on what students would like to see more of and what they got out of the event. A member of the women’s lacrosse team, Julia Gosk, ’25, had positive things to say about the initiative.
“I think that the program has been a good step forward for more inclusivity in athletics. It gives student athletes a chance to tell their stories and for those stories to be heard,” said Julia Gosk, ’25.
Attending the last Critical Conversation of the semester, the focus was on life after sports. The panel was composed of former athletes attached to NCC in some way. There were coaches from NCC teams, a student athlete alumnus and staff at NCC who were once athletes.
“This experience for me, as a student athlete, has been inspiring. Being able to hear from a diverse group of people talking about their own journeys has been so important, especially important to breaking the stigma of how student athletes and athletes in general are supposed to look, act and feel. It has given us a platform to share our diverse stories and journeys,” said Gosk.
NC Exploring Identities Series: A journey of intersectionality & storytelling
The NC Exploring Identities Series was a collaboration between Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Cultural Events Committee and the Center for Global Education. Jelena Sanchez, associate professor of Spanish and chair of the Cultural Events Committee, assisted in hosting these events. They were focusing on identity exploration, intersection and expression. This series included making space for authors, filmmakers and other guest speakers.
“The journey of life is precisely the search for self and our connection to others. College is the time to discover life’s true meaning through intellectual, emotional and spiritual experiences. As educators, we strive to inspire this deep exploration of self; to understand the path taken; to develop a clear sense of identity while feeling a deep connectedness to our community,” said Sanchez.
Part of the purpose for the series of events was the importance of self-exploration and connection to others. This can be seen in the March 21 event called ‘Dare to Connect: Storytelling Workshop/Open Mic with Dr. Ada Cheng’. In this event, Cheng first explained the principles of storytelling, presenting and sharing her own story as an example.
“It takes bravery to speak your truth out loud; it’s a form of commitment because you’re telling the world what you’re thinking, what you’re experiencing or what you’re feeling,” said Cheng.
Her explanation and exploration emphasize universal themes which people can relate to. Showing vulnerability and providing details were important components of her process. Perhaps the most important information she shared was that storytelling is an act of communication and witnessing. To tell stories, one must show who they are and what’s important to them. In sharing themselves with others, the necessity of an audience witnessing it creates a relationship and “in some ways a temporary community.”
After Cheng finished sharing her own story, she opened up the floor to her audience to put into practice the principles she shared. Individuals were able to come up and speak their own truth, identity and experiences to their fellow audience members.
Sanchez explains that Dr. Cheng “inspires us to unapologetically tell your story.” In telling your story, you free yourself from negative thoughts of shame and doubt. In freeing yourself of shame and doubt, you can create connection, community and belonging.
“I hope we are all more willing to advocate for and grow with one another. We intentionally created this identity series to bring our community closer together by sharing, listening and better understanding our diverse and intersecting stories,” said Sanchez.
Belonging at NCC
Looking at Thomas’ Monday Missions, all except the first included NCC’s mission statement. Considering this and the topics in the Monday missions, placing these programs in a greater context is possible. These programs at NCC act with the intention of taking DEI and belonging seriously. Subsequently, their efforts can be seen as part of a greater conversation around diversity and student identities, both within NCC’s campus and a national context.
“I feel like I learned a lot from this program, I learned that being a student athlete, it’s okay to be vulnerable, especially to your teammates, coaches and friends. Having that sense of belonging is vital in order for everyone to feel included and feel like they are seen as humans,” said Gosk.
While focusing on student athletes, this can also be true for other students at NCC. Programs such as NC Exploring Identity Series and the Athletics DEI program focus on belonging and identity. In the storytelling event, Cheng was shared universal themes. Considering belonging and identity as universal themes, sharing and understanding these experiences is necessary to build a community.
