Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Council
Statement of Purpose
The EDI will embrace and endorse the state and federal laws and policies that have been adopted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts but will go beyond adherence to the letter of the law and adopt a set of standards that expresses the spirit of Holyoke Community College's commitment to the work of EDI in transformative ways that align with the Strategic Plan.
Vision
- Support a culture of transformative justice with a lens towards equity, particularly for those who, historically, have been and continue to be marginalized
- Participate in education and training related to EDI and have difficult conversations that are relevant to the work of EDI
- Support culturally responsive pedagogy in the classrooms to ensure an inclusive learning environment for all students Work in partnership with leaders throughout our campus and community to build and support our work in EDI
- Support campus wide dialogues and reflection on topics related to Affirmative Action Policy, Civil Rights Legislation, and other identity related matters, including but not limited to, national origin, race, class, ethnicity, disability, identity, linguistic and sexual and gender identity
- Provide the President and appropriate members of our campus community with recommendations for policy, action and activities related to advancing the work of EDI
Values
Kindness, inclusion, and trust are the foundations of the work that we do together. Innovation and collaboration enable us to explore and implement the ideas that will shape our future.
Innovation: We empower each other to explore, share, and actualize our ideas to continuously improve the HCC experience for all in an equitable way.
Collaboration: We work as a community to develop and achieve common goals through an open exchange of ideas.
Kindness: We approach all interactions with empathy and in consideration of one another's needs.
Inclusion: We provide a fair and welcoming environment where all voices are heard and meaningful included to contribute to the growth and success of HCC.
Trust: We assume the best in others, prioritize transparency, and communicate with honesty, clarity, and consistency.
The EDI Council seeks to promote a campus that understands and supports all identities including but not limited to race, gender, class, ethnicity, linguistics, and sexual and gender identity.
Updated December 2022
- The EDI shall consist of at least seven and not more than twenty-one members representing faculty, administrators, non-teaching professionals, classified staff, and students.
- Ideally, the EDI shall consist of two students, a representative from the President's Office, and representatives from each of the six organizational units at the college: Development, Academic Affairs, Administration and Finance, Business and Community Services, Information Technology, and Student Affairs.
- Ideally, the EDI shall intentionally recruit members from all under-represented groups as defined by Affirmative Action law.
- The Affirmative Action Officer shall be an ex-officio member of the EDI.
Irma Medina, Sr. Program Coordinator, EDI Council Chair
Camille Close, Librarian/CFE Staff in Residence
Jane Lerner, Director, Title III/CFE Administrator
Denise Roy, Learning Specialist
Adina Giannelli, Criminal Justice
Lauren Leclair, Admissions & Onboarding
Robin Rondeau, Financial Aid
Andrea Hojnacki, OSDDS
Kim Straceski, Financial Aid
Claire Sanders, Deaf Studies
Elizabeth Hayward-Jansen, Foundations of Health
Nicole Lopez, ESOL
Raúl D. Gutiérrez, Language & Latinx Studies/Humanities Division
Tom Barrup, Engineering
Andrea Baker, Academic Advising
Shannon Glenn, Business & Community Services (Gateway)
Amreen Shaikh, Jump Start
Anne Morales Medina, Admissions & Onboarding
Hannah Wareham, Marketing & Communications
Jeffrey Hayden, BCS
Julissa Colón, El Centro
Mari Cintron, Institutional Advancement
Cody Rooney, Student Work Study OSDDS
Alexandra Wagman, Humanities
Todd Wonders, Associate Director of Financial Aid
Carlos Malave, Academic Counselor
Olivia Kynard, Affirmative Action Officer, Title IX Coordinator, Interim Executive Director of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, ex officio
