STUDENT LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE
The Student Leadership Committee was formed in Spring 2020 in an effort to center student voices in the development and implementation of the HHMI Inclusive Excellence grant initiatives at Oberlin. The committee is comprised of six student leaders of diverse backgrounds dedicated to improving the equity and inclusion of STEM at Oberlin.
Through the establishment of the Student Leadership Committee, the HHMI team at Oberlin sought to:
1. Provide students with insight into the background, rationale and efforts of the grant as they exist within the context of Oberlin College.
2. Hear directly and regularly from students regarding their experiences of equity in educational environments at Oberlin College.
3. Open an avenue through which student recommendations and experiences can be used to guide and focus the visioning processes of the upcoming Departmental Action and Reflection Teams.
4. Better align with the ongoing goal of centering and prioritizing student voices in institutional change.
Spring 2023
Current Team:
Maya Amanat
Saida Ibragimova
Ellie Ko
Kendal McCall
Jaedyn O'Reilly
Abby Tejera
Leann Torrez
Previous Outcomes:
Fall 2022:
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Hosted K100 open house for students of color, faculty and staff
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Hosted weekly events for students of color in STEM including: community art nights, application preparation nights, game nights, study sessions, and more
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Creation of a mural designed by Maya Das O'Toole and painted by community members for K100
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Hosted Pancakes with Professors to connect faculty and students
Spring 2022:
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Continued to organize social events to bring faculty and students together
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Hosted the first STEM Registration night for first- and second-year students to learn about STEM majors
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Hosted weekly social events, including movie and game nights, for students of color
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Started the SLC Instagram account (@oberlinslc) to connect to students via social media
Fall 2021:
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Identified important goals to guide work during the semester
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Created initiative planning teams to focus on events to be completed
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Hosted series of social events including game and movie nights throughout the semester to build community amongst students of color
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Organized and led a faculty-student lunch discussion, providing students the opportunity to learn more about DART efforts and provide feedback
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Created a newsletter to inform the greater campus about SLC efforts
Spring 2021:
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Developed series of questions to interview students in STEM
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Conducted 20 interviews with students across Math, Neuroscience, Chemistry, Biology
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Created a summary report presented to faculty leadership team
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Met with three active DART departments to better understand current changes occurring from HHMI work
Spring 2020:
1. Conducted sixteen individual interviews with faculty and students across all STEM departments.
2. Crafted recommendations for the Geology, Computer Science and Psychology departments beginning their DART processes in the academic year 2020-21.
3. Developed a framework for future implementation of a Minorities in STEM student presentation series.
4. Developed a framework for future implementation of an Introduction to Lab Work orientation event for first year students.
5. Gathered and presented student data around STEM culture and universal pass during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Previous SLC Members:
Maya Das O'Toole('23), Kevin Lopez('23), Alli Roshni ('23), Tsitisi Zana ('24), Emily Aguilar ('24), Faythe Cooper ('24), Jabir Emeka ('25), Ricarda Hill ('25), Gabe Hosien ('22), Avayendra Subedi ('25), Clea Thomas ('24),Natalie Soord ('22), Lauriel Powell ('22) Olivia Lu ('22), Cyril Amanfo ('22), Mari Kovalik-Silva ('24), Muntaha Rahman ('23), Mowa Badamos ('22), Darian Gray ('20), Sam Battles ('20), Cheyenne Arthur ('20)