As an institution of higher education founded on the principles of equitable access and inclusion, Colorado College is committed to providing students, faculty, and staff with an environment conducive to learning and working where all people are treated with dignity and respect.

In this spirit, CC now includes caste, a system of inherited social class, in its Notice of Nondiscrimination Policy and Equal Employment Opportunity Statement. Discrimination based on caste is now expressly prohibited, just as discrimination based on race, creed, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity or gender expression, perceived gender, sexual preference, and sexual orientation), marital status, disability, veteran status, age, genetic information, or any other applicable status protected by federal, state, or local law.  

“Recognizing caste and prohibiting caste-based discrimination are critical to the college’s mission to become an inclusive and antiracist institution and to its commitment to ensuring that all students and employees are treated with dignity,” says Purvi Mehta, assistant professor of history, who reached out to the Office of Human Resources, the Diversity and Equity Advisory Board, and Faculty Executive Committee to request this change in CC’s policy. 

The updated policy is posted on the Policy and Compliance website. CC was named in a recent Time magazine article highlighting a recent shift by organizations to include caste as a protected category.

This year’s MacLean Symposium, to be held April 12-14, invites Ma Vang, Mai Der Vang, Divya Victor, Aaron Cohick, and Cathy Park Hong to speak on Asian American literature as forms of racial reckoning. Both as textual representation and self-reflection, literature has been foundational to Asian American studies and, in this critical moment of antiracist initiatives and resistance, it continues to play a vital role in creating dialogue around issues of war, justice, art, and community. In bringing these writers, artists, and thinkers together, the MacLean Symposium aims to amplify Asian American literature and its many points of intervention.

Sponsored by the D.J. MacLean Endowed Fund for English.

The Collaborative for Community Engagement is hiring for the 2022-23 academic year. There are open positions on the CCE’s Board of Directors and Issue Organizer teams. CCE interns serve as a co-op and help to guide and direct the work of the office. If you have interest in joining the CCE team next year, head to Handshake to see all open positions.

The CCE is also now accepting nominations for its annual awards ceremony, the Community Engagement Recognition Night. These awards recognize students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners who have gone above and beyond in contributing to the public good.

Recipients will be honored at the in-person CERN on May 5 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall, which everyone is invited to attend. At CERN, we will celebrate the various ways in which the campus engages in community-based work, democratically invests in shared futures, and develops students into engaged citizens. Drinks and heavy appetizers provided. A (very) light program at 5 p.m. will be followed by an opportunity to mingle, celebrate one another, and peruse the award gallery.

If you know someone who you think should be recognized, please nominate them for an award. To nominate a ​student, staff/faculty member, or community organization, email cce@coloradocollege.edu with their name, the award, and why you feel they deserve recognition. Full award descriptions can be found on the website. There is no required length for a nomination, but the more descriptive you can be, the better. Nominations must be in by midnight on Monday, April 18. 

On April 25, Dustin Fife will become the new college librarian. Fife is currently the director of library services and director of online education at Western Colorado University. He began his career as the library director in the San Juan County Library, and subsequently joined the Utah Valley University as the outreach and patron services librarian before joining Western Colorado University.

“I’m really looking forward to working with Dustin Fife as our new college librarian. During our discussions and interviews, I found Dustin to be someone who is always thinking ahead as to how to best advocate for libraries, library staff, and the faculty, students, and staff that we support and serve,” says Interim Director Steve Lawson.

The dean of the faculty and the library will create opportunities for the campus to meet and welcome Fife in Block 8 and beyond.