WellesleyAcademicActionMovement SiblingsLeadingActionforMulticulturalismWAAMSLAMII:

DemandsforTransformativeJusticeandEducationatWellesleyCollegeAPRIL14,2014

FortheImmediateAttentionof:LauraDaignaultGates,ChairoftheWellesleyCollegeBoardofTrusteesH.KimBottomly,PresidentofWellesleyCollegeAndrewShennan,ProvostandDeanoftheCollegeDebraDeMeis,DeanofStudentsJenniferDesjarlais,DeanofAdmissionandFinancialAidBenHammond,VicePresidentforFinanceandAdministrationCameranMason,VicePresidentforResourcesandPublicAffairsRobbinChapman,AssociateProvostandAcademicDirectorofDiversityandInclusionRichardFrench,DeanofAcademicAffairs KathrynLynch,DeanofFacultyAffairsWe, the Concerned Asian, Black, Latin@, Native, DifferentlyAbled, FirstGeneration and LGBTQidentified students at Wellesley College seek to eradicate systems of oppression as they affect marginalized communities on this campus. These systemswhich include racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, and ableismare deployed at [Wellesley] and beyond as forms of institutional violence. We demand that [Wellesley] challenge these systems by redistributing power and resources in a way that is radically equitable. Dialogue and resistance are both legitimate and necessary ways of disturbing the status quo and forcing parties to deal with the roots of the issues. The institutional violence that 1exists at Wellesley is manifested via the lack of academic equality, the lack of resources and support for students and faculty of color, and the lack of academic disciplines that speak about the histories of marginalized and oppressed groups in our society. Institutionalized oppression exists at Wellesley and is manifested by the inadequate financial and institutional resources and support for students, particularly studentsofcolorandothermarginalizedcommunities.This lack of resources and support from Wellesley directly contradicts the pledged values and mission that Wellesley publicly states on its website and official publications. This inconsistent and false representation on the part of the college will no longer be tolerated. The diversity that Wellesley claims to value is not systemically present in the curriculum, student demographics, and support systems. The very students who are expected to possess pragmatic leadership to enact positive social change in the real world have not acquired the necessary education in understanding social constructs and systems of oppression such as race, class, gender, and sexuality. Through the motto Women Who Will, Wellesley presents itself as an institution that encourages students to act as agents to empower their communities and enact positive transformation in the real world. But, as of now Women Who Will only pertains to the outside world, not within the Wellesley bubble. If Wellesley claims to produce educatedgraduateswhobecomeworldleaders,thechangemustbeginhere.

1ThePlanforDartmouthsFreedomBudget:ItemsforTransformativeJusticeatDartmouth."DartmouthStudents,02242014.Web.1Apr.2014.

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By withholding financial and institutional support for a diverse student body and lacking vital Ethnic Studies and Latin@ studies curriculum, Wellesley is in fact perpetuating institutional oppression and racism. It has done so in the act of using students as diversity statistics to promote itself as an inclusive institution, while providing underfunded resources, parttime advisors, and deficient support for marginalized students who live and work in an intensely rigorous academic environment. Being recognized as one of the most diverse colleges in the United States is meaningless if Wellesley does not trulyactinmannersthatsupportitsdiversestudentbody. 2

According to its website, Wellesleys fullengagement academic philosophy extends to the running of the College itself. The student voice is central to decisionmaking here. As central decisionmakers, 3we have outlined the various demands that highlight the institutional flaws, including those demands from theWAAMSLAMmovementin2001whichhavebeenoverdueformorethan10years.WHATISWAAMSLAM?WAAMSLAM started as a small group of Asian/Asian American students [who] organized over 200 fellow students to protest the denial of tenure to Professor Elena Creef, a decision that hurt the development of an Asian American Studies curriculum at Wellesley, and other issues that had frustrated students for years. The demands presented at Senate included: an improved curriculum that included Korean language, South Asian Studies, and Asian American Studies offerings, an increase in hours for the Advisor to Students of Asian descent from parttime to full time, and a space on campus that could accommodate all 13 Asian/Asian American student organizations. These efforts proved the strength of 4student organizing to demand equality and greater potential in our educational experience. We are continuing the WAAMSLAM movement as Wellesley Academic Action MovementSiblings Leading ActionforMulticulturalism.As students who commend the incredible achievements of WAAMSLAM, we also recognize the failure on the part of the administration to meet the full demands of WAAMSLAM. As students who aim to highlight the institutional flaws of Wellesley, we present our list of demands with an explanation of what our demands are. This List of Grievances below outlines the specific demands, presented by we, the Asian, Black, Latin@, Native, DifferentlyAbled, FirstGeneration, and LGBTQidentified students at Wellesley and must be met to correct the injustice and the systems of oppression that exist at Wellesleyandinoursociety.

2CampusEthnicDiversityNationalLiberalArtsColleges.U.S.NEWS.N.p..Web.1Apr.2014.. 3 TrusteesofWellesleyCollege.About.WellesleyCollege.Web.1Apr.2014.http://www.wellesley.edu/about4Wordpress.WAAMSLAMOralHistoryProject.Web.1Apr.2014.http://waamslam.wordpress.com/history/

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THEDEMANDSOFWAAMSLAMIII. REIMAGINETHEACADEMYTOINCLUDEETHNICSTUDIES&LATIN@

STUDIESII. PHYSICALMULTICULTURALSPACE:LATIN@HOUSEANDASIAN

AMERICANHOUSEIII. COMMITMENTTOINCREASINGDIVERSITYINSTUDENTBODY

ADMISSIONSANDFINANCIALAIDIV. COMMITMENTTOMEETINGTHENEEDSOFSTUDENTSWITH

DISABILITIESV. COMMITMENTTOMEETINGTHENEEDSOFLGBTQSTUDENTSVI. COMMITMENTTODIVERSITYTRAININGOFFACULTY,STAFF,CAMPUS

POLICE,ANDADMINISTRATIONVII. COMMITMENTTODIVERSIFYFACULTYTHROUGHHIRINGAND

RETAINMENTOFFACULTYOFCOLORVIII. COMMITMENTTOCHALLENGINGANDERADICATINGSOCIOECONOMIC

INEQUITYATWELLESLEYCOLLEGEIX. COMMITMENTTOSUPPORTTHEDININGHALLWORKERSAND

CUSTODIALSTAFFX. DIVESTMENTFROMFOSSILFUELS

I.REIMAGINETHEACADEMYWellesley is severely lacking from its curriculum two fields of study that are necessary and highly relevant: Latin@ Studies and Ethnic Studies. Wellesleys lively academic community places a high value on rigorous, probing inquiry and creative, crossdisciplinary thinking. Our immediate demands are 5fourfold:

A.ImplementanEthnicStudiesInterdepartmentalMajor WhatisEthnicStudies?

Ethnic Studies is established as an interdisciplinary field that focuses on the specific experiences of African Americans, Asian Americans, Chican@s and Latin@s, Native Americans and other racialized peoples in the U.S. and on the lessons of comparative ethnoracial studies for generalizing about American society, history, and about the contemporary global order. [Department of Ethnic Studies, U.C. Berkeley]. Ethnic Studies is framed in the context of minorities in the United States because of their history in the U.S. and the unique process of racialization that they experience. Additionally, a comparative framework is what is largely lacking in Wellesleys curriculum. We are also welcoming transnational courses, namely from area studies, to recognize the influence of indigeneity, diaspora, and migration on the creation of group identities and power dynamics to fully understand the racialized experience in the United States.

5TrusteesofWellesleyCollege.About.WellesleyCollege.Web.1Apr.2014.http://www.wellesley.edu/about

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Ethnic Studies majors pursue knowledge vital for a critical understanding of contemporary society and for social changes to improve the lives and communities of racial minorities. Ethnic Studies majors also prepare themselves for advanced graduate study in either academic or professionalfields(U.C.Berkeley). 6

There are currently about 50 departmental/interdepartmental majors at Wellesley. Of each of these, 10 departments have at least one course related to the study of race and ethnicity each year. Yet, it is not possible to take many of these Ethnic Studies courses because of the 7specific requirements and limitations within each departments major requirements. Furthermore, working within any of the established majors at Wellesley cannot provide the same comparative framework and context that a specific Ethnic Studies Program will allow. We need a comprehensiveprogram.

However, although there are a lot of courses dedicated to Ethnic Studies, there are two things greatlylacking:

1.AnIntroductiontoEthnicStudiesCourseThere are many courses about specific minority groups. However, there is not one course that offers a framework that brings all the experiences into conversation. In order to have a strong foundation for any major, there needs to be an introductory course for interested students, especiallyintheirfirstyear,tobeabletodelveintothisfield.

2.A300levelSeminarinEthnicStudiesThis Ethnic Studies Seminar will be on a rotating topic. Topics can include Social Science Methods in Ethnic studies, Humanities Methods in Ethnic Studies, Women of Color in the U.S., CriticalRaceTheoryandetc.

Inordertodothisweneedyouto:

Hire TWO tenuretrack professors in Ethnic Studies who specialize in Ethnic Studies. One professor will teach introduction to Ethnic Studies and another course in Ethnic Studies related to their research specialization. The other professor will teach their seminar and another courseintheirresearchspecialization.

B.Implementa5unitLatin@StudiesminorhousedunderAmericanStudies

WhatisLatin@Studies?Latin@ Studies is an academic discipline which studies the experiences of Latin@s in the United States by developing and supporting research on the history and contemporary sociocultural, historical, political, artistic, and economic conditions of Latin@s. (Adapted from UC Santa Barbara&UCBerkeley)

6CollegeofLetters&Science.DepartmentofEthnicStudies.UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley.Web.1Apr.2014.http://ethnicstudies.berkeley.edu/undergrad/index.php7AsnotedinthecoursedescriptionsofferedontheWellesleyCollegecoursebrowser,thetendepartmentsare:WomenandGenderStudies,Education,History,AmericanStudies,Africana,Anthropology,English,PoliticalScience,Sociology,Theater.https://courses.wellesley.edu/

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The five unit interdisciplinary minor will be grounded in studying U.S. Latin@s through an ethnic, racial, geographic, gender, class and sexuality academic lens. The minor will allow for nonEurocentric scholars and works that focus on Latin@s in the U.S. more accessible to all students. Therefore, Latin@ Studies does not belong in Latin American Studies because Latino@ Studies is the study of Latin@s in the US. It is vital for the success of the program that the minor be housed under American Studies. Just as you would not place Asian American Studies under East Asian Studies, Latin@ Studies does not belong under Latin American Studies.

HireONEtenuretrackprofessorinLatin@StudiesThere is AMST 151 Intro the Asian American Experience, AFR 105 Intro to the Black Experience, AFR 206 African American History, and HIST 253 Intro to Native American History. Yet, there is no Intro to the Latin@ Experience and there is only one professor on this campus trained in the discipline of Latin@ Studies. The need for a new hire to teach an intro course is an evident and integral aspect of building a strong minor. Latin@s are the fastest growing population in America. By 2050, they will account for over of the Americanborn population . Wellesley needs an academic curriculum that no longer ignores the evergrowing 8demographicsinAmerica.

Furthermore, Wellesley is the only one of the Seven Sisters Colleges that does not have a Latin@StudiesProgram .9

C.CreateanEthnicStudiesDepartment

The U.S. Census Bureau (2012) projects that by 2060 all minorities will comprise 57 percent of the nations population, an increase from the 37 percent now. Issues of race are critical now more than ever and will be in the forefront of conversations in future generations to come. An Ethnic Studies department that critically explores race is needed now and will catch Wellesley upwithcompetinginstitutionsandbealeaderamongitspeerinstitutions.

D.StrictEnforcementoftheMulticulturalRequirement

The multicultural requirement is a vital part of Wellesleys education. To be successful in a world of many cultures, one must have competency in multicultural issues. However, currently the multicultural requirement is not strictly enforced. Students can easily petition for exemption from thisrequirement.

Inordertoeradicatethis,thefollowingdemandsmustbemet:1.Themulticulturalrequirementmustbemandatoryandexemptionswillnotbeallowed.2. There will be a firm list of classes which meet the requirement and students will not be allowedtojustifyotherclasses.3.Theseclassesmustbefromavarietyofdepartments,includingthesciences.

8U.S.DepartmentofCommerce.UnitedStatesCensusBureau.Web.1Apr.2014.https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb13ff19.html9 BrynMawrCollege,MountHolyokeCollege,SmithCollege,andVassarCollegeallhaveanestablished,institutionalizedprogramforthestudiesofLatin@sintheUS.BarnardCollegehasreadyaccesstosuchprogramatColumbiaUniversity.Informationofferedontheindividualcollegewebsites.

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4. These classes must explore a variety of issues substantially including but not limited to analysis of racism, sexism, classism, ableism, heterosexism, cissexism, nationalism, legal status of residency,andreligion.

II.LARGERPHYSICALMULTICULTURALSPACE

Aside from not having an inclusive academic space for students, Wellesley severely lacks a physical space where students of color can create a supportive and safe environment that reflects the resources our college claims to extend to our communities. The assumption that the current Intercultural Education Lounge in Billings is sufficient to accommodate almost 45% of the student body is frankly absurd. A room the size of an academic classroom cannot house almost half of our student population. Moreover, students need to schedule meetings to use the space.

Students cannot be expected to make Wellesley a home when there is no physical space that fosters social and intellectual growth and community development between underrepresented students. Wellesley College must immediately grant students adequate multicultural spaces. It willnotbeacceptabletodivideexistingresourcesamongstculturalorganizations.

WAAMSLAMs demands for multicultural space in 2001 were not met, and instead all student organizations were granted one locker space in the campus center. The colleges current multicultural storage space is the old Cafe Hoop, shared between 16 student organizations and student advisors, and, at one point, replete with asbestos and dust. This type of storage provides a damaging environment for our cultural items, for example, Cielito Lindos costumes have developed mold. The damage to our items reflects the little regard that the college has for ourstudentcommunities.

Therefore, the 2025 planning committee must incorporate plans for the building of permanent facilitiesincludingbutnotlimitedto:

A. A physical space, specifically a house that is comparable to society houses, for

Latin@studentsthatispermanentandexclusivetothesemembersofthecommunity.This space would be crucial for community gatherings, storage, and the preservation of institutionalmemory.

B. A physical space, specifically a house that is comparable to society houses, for

Asian American students that is permanent and exclusive to these members of the community.This space would be crucial for community gatherings, storage, and the preservation of institutionalmemory.

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III. COMMITMENT TO INCREASING DIVERSITY IN STUDENT BODY ADMISSIONS ANDFINANCIALAID

A. Wellesley needs to make it a priority to increase admissions for students of color to a population with at least 10% Black Students, 10% Latin@ Students, and 3% Native AmericanStudents.

A specific outreach program that focuses on increasing admission rates for these groups shouldbeimplementedtoensurethatthesetargetsareactivelybeingpursued.

The minute population of students of color at Wellesley does not reflect the diversity Wellesley advertises. For example, we have not had a Native American Student population of at least 1.2% since 2002 and currently Native American Student representation on campus is 0.0%

The detrimental academic effects on underrepresented minority students are real and documented. Study after study shows that when campuses lack sufficient diversity, underrepresented minority students are especially susceptible to psychological influences that can impair academic performance. One of these psychological influences is a feeling of distinctiveness or unbelonging. A member of an underrepresented minority group is more conscious of their minority identity and the negative stereotypes that are associated with that status. In the educational setting, this feeling of distinctiveness creates the risk that a student will conform to negative academic stereotypes. There are large differences in the likelihood of graduating on time for Black and Latin@ students relative to white students. Interventions to reduce stereotype threat and improve the racial atmosphere on campus go a long way towards reducingand in some cases eliminatingdisparities between racial/ethnic groups in college outcomes. These issues are extremely prevalent at Wellesley College, and the administration needs to make this an urgent priority. Entire communities at Wellesley are not experiencing a safeacademicenvironmentthatisconducivetosuccess .10

B. Wellesley College must clearly outline its policy for admitting undocumented

students and committing itself to providing full, needblind financial aid for undocumentedstudents.Wellesley must consider undocumented students as domestic students, rather than international students,whenconsideringtheirfinancialaidpackage.

C. Greater financial assistance and recruitment of international students of various

socioeconomicbackgroundsThe current allotment of financial aid funds for international students limits the socioeconomic diversity of prospective students. Wellesley must commit itself to increasing the current financial aid allotment for international students in order to provide aid to international students from lowsocioeconomic backgrounds. Wellesley College should actively recruit international

10Fischer,M.J.(2010).Alongitudinalexaminationoftheroleofstereotypethreatandracialclimateoncollegeoutcomesforminoritiesateliteinstitutions.SocialPsychologyOfEducation,13(1),1940.doi:10.1007/s1121800991053

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students from historically underrepresented regions, such as Latin America, the Caribbean, and the continent of Africa, as well as include students from various socioeconomic backgrounds. To place this into context, zero (0) students from Latin America were admitted into the Class of 2017. Domestically, Wellesley must actively reach out to students in high schools within underrepresentedregions.

D. There cannot be an Expected Student Contribution for students whose families

makelessthan$80,000ayear .11As of now, every Wellesley student is expected to contribute $1,950 towards their tuition, regardless of how much financial aid they are awarded . For many students, this cost entails a 12great burden and while some students are given full financial aid, they are still expected to contribute a significant amount towards costs. If Wellesley is committed to meeting 100% of student need, they cannot expect students whose families make less than $80,000 a year to pay anExpectedStudentContribution.

IV.COMMITMENTTOMEETINGTHENEEDSOFSTUDENTSWITHDISABILITIES

According to Disability Services, over 300 Wellesley students were registered as students with disabilities with the Disability Services Office in the 20122013 academic school year. There are undoubtedly many more students at Wellesley who are not currently registered or in the arduous, timeconsuming, and nontransparent process of registering with Disability Services. Students with disabilities at Wellesley are not provided with adequate support or advocacy, severely limiting their ability to reach their full potential as Wellesley students and as community members. Students with mental illnesses and invisible disabilities are not given the same consideration as those with more apparent disabilities. Furthermore, professors and administrative actors are not adequately trained in how to interact with or provide accommodations for students with disabilities. As such, we make the following demands for change:

A.Atransparentsearchforafulltimeadvisortostudentswithdisabilities

This position would entail disability accommodation coordination and communication with medical professionals for documented support of the disability, special support for students who are undergoing the process of diagnosis, and influence in student life and programming to make allpartsofthestudentexperienceaccessible.

B.PhysicalaccessibilitywithinandaroundWellesley:

We need to include consideration of physical accessibility in all Wellesley 2025 projects, with an understanding that the best access for people with disabilities is the same access as that for currently ablebodied students. A permanent meeting place set aside exclusively for students with disabilities that can be private to protect confidentiality must be a part of the Wellesley Renovations. This space would be crucial for community gatherings, storage, and the preservation of institutional memory. Expanded transportation to assist students in getting to

11TrusteesofDarthmouthCollege.FinancialAid.DarthmouthCollege.Web.1Apr.2014.http://www.dartmouth.edu/~finaid/12TrusteesofWellesleyCollege.DemonstratedNeed&AwardCalculation.WellesleyCollege.Web.1Apr.2014.http://www.wellesley.edu/admission/finaid/understanding/needawardcalculation

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medical appointments in the MetroWest area and in accessing all areas of campus is necessary for students success at Wellesley. A list of accessible spaces should be publicly recommended tofacultyandstaffforholdingevents.

C.DisabilityTrainingforFacultyandDeans

This would entail training in the needs of students with disabilities for all faculty and deans, competency in disability issues for all Stone Center staff, and a constant understanding that the needs of a student may change rapidly due to the unpredictable nature of many disabilities and chronicillnesses.

V.COMMITMENTTOMEETINGTHENEEDSOFLGBTQSTUDENTS

LGBTQ students make up over 20% of the student population, yet we do not have a fulltime advisornoraccesstoapermanent,exclusivesafespacetogather.Assuch,wedemand:

A.AtransparentsearchforafulltimeadvisortoLGBTQidentifiedstudents.

This search must include the active input of students, and the advisor must be able to relate to students identities and possess a competent understanding of complex queer identities. We desperately need increased support for LGBTQidentified students, particularly LGBTQidentifiedstudentsofcolor.

B. A designated physical space exclusively for LGBTQidentified students to use

permanentlyThis space would be crucial for community gatherings, storage, and the preservation of institutional memory. We need a space that can be closed and private to protect student confidentiality.

C.Publicclarificationofthecurrentadmissionrequirementsfortranswomen

We need continuing evaluation on all levels of the College in order to change and evolve to meet the needs of trans* students. We believe that the administration should commit to publicly openingWellesleyCollegetotranswomen.

VI. COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY TRAINING OF FACULTY, STAFF, CAMPUS POLICE,ANDADMINISTRATION

Apart from having an inclusive equal admission opportunity or nondiscrimination statement, Wellesley needs to communicate these policies to all of their employees. The college must attend to both the quality of the campus racial climate and the actual interactions among diverse students, faculty, and staff. At an educational institution, it is important to educate the people who interact with students on bias and discrimination against individuals from racial, ethnic, (dis)Ability, gender identity or expression, class, and/or sexual orientation groups who have been categorized or marginalized in some way. In order to promote inclusiveness, antidiscrimination training, diversity awareness training, cultural awareness training, diversity management/leadership training, diversity knowledge/skillsbased training, or dimensionspecific workshopsneedtohappenregularlyandproactivelyatWellesley.

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Trainingmustberequiredfor:1.Faculty2.StoneCenterandHealthServicesStaff3.CampusPolice4.AdministrativeStaff5.DeansandSeniorStaff6.FinancialAidStaff7.StudentLifeandResidenceLifeStaff(Bothstaffandstudentleaders)

Additionally, training must be provided to students during Student Orientation Week to raise awareness about the community that is being welcomed to campus. This training will cover the above issues as well as include a full explanation of privilege and its institutional effects. This workshop will be modeled after the Alcohol and Drug Policy training that is mandatory, at least twohourslong,andheldinsmallgroupssuchastheresidencehalls.

In addition to promoting inclusion, respect, acceptance, and appreciation of diversity such training will also optimally develop the potential, capacity, and talent of all members of Wellesley College.

VII. COMMITMENT TO DIVERSIFY FACULTY THROUGH HIRING AND RETAINMENTOFFACULTYOFCOLOR

Unfortunately, the faculty of color at Wellesley remains small and Wellesley's diversity must extend to faculty. There must be a long term commitment to diversify the faculty, closely reflecting the student body. Additionally, the position of "Academic Director of Diversity and Inclusion" was specifically created to help recruit and retain faculty of color. This is a highly valuable position to this institution and must be included in the process when hiring faculty of colorandcreatingsupportnetworksandresourcestoretainfacultyofcolor.

VIII. COMMITMENT TO CHALLENGING AND ERADICATING SOCIOECONOMIC INEQUITYATWELLESLEYCOLLEGE

As a prestigious institution of higher education, Wellesley College has the power and responsibility to set an example to society through the practices we adopt as an institution. Unfortunately, class inequality is not only a fact of life at our college, but actively reinforced through the institutions policies. Wellesley College does not compensate their Residential Advisors, House Presidents, or College Government for their work, effectively limiting many studentleadersoptionsandopportunities.

Compensation in the form of wages and/or a waived room and board fee for all membersofresidentiallifeandtheCollegeGovernmentCabinet.

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The Student Leadership Stipend that won the $11,000 for the student initiatives ballot has provided marginal compensation for student residential life staff and College Government Cabinet and shows that students have a strong belief that residential life and College Government Cabinet should be compensated. However, the college should be responsible for compensating students, not the student initiative ballot. Additionally, the Student Leadership Stipend is divided between 5060 students on financial aid which is approximately $200 a year perstudent.

IX. COMMITMENT TO SUPPORT THE DINING HALL WORKERS AND CUSTODIAL STAFF

Additionally, many college employees do not earn a fair or living wage for their work and are given limited benefits. The union workers are at risk of facing resistance from the administration to renew their contract, a contract that required a profound struggle by both faculty and students, as well as union members, to achieve. The workers face a similar struggle to secure fair wages and health benefits every few years. The college would not operate without our workers, many of which are the lowest paid employees on this campus. The Wellesley workers union should not have to struggle every two years against this institutions socioeconomic inequalitytoreceiveafaircontract.

Regardingtheinstitutionseconomicpolicies,wedemand:

An undisputed renewal of the union contract that students and faculty came together last year to

fight for. The college also needs to make certain workers rights consistent across negotiation periods so that workers can feel safe in the security of necessary employment benefits. This shouldincludenochangesinmedicalbenefitsandpayequityamongunionemployees.

Without the workers and their contributions in feeding the students and working with them, the college would not function. Its painfully obvious that our role as students and your role as the administratorsaretomakesuretheytheyreceivejustice.

X.DIVESTMENTFROMFOSSILFUELSExpandingonthepreviouscallsforWellesleyCollegetodivest,werequestto:

A.Immediatelyfreezeanynewinvestmentsinfossilfuels.

B. Divest all direct holdings in the largest 200 publicly traded fossil fuel companies withinthenext2years.

C. This divestment should be reviewed once a year for 5 years to evaluate the impact

on returns by a committee of students, faculty, administrators and board members whilewecontinuetoworktowardsfulldivestmentfromallfossilfuels.There is no neutral ground. Our current endowment already bolsters environmental destruction

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and social injustice through its support of the fossil fuel industry. These companies are responsible not only for exacerbating global climate change, but for creating and perpetuating environmental injustice and racism. They run on systems of oppression that disproportionately affect the poor, women, children, and people of color. By rejecting divestment, the Board of Trustees has decided to continue contributing to and benefiting from such oppression, effectively valuing certain peoples lives over others. In the same way, Wellesley is valuing the histories, cultures, and academic education of certain groups over others by excluding the Latin@ Studies minorandEthnicStudiesmajorfromitscurriculum.

The Wellesley community and our global community deserves more than our complacency. Wellesley can do better than that. Our college was built on the belief that education could empower disenfranchised groups, such as women, to make a positive difference in the world. Our addiction to fossil fuels, the denial of fundamental human rights in the broader community, and the denial of equal academic representation here at Wellesley all present the opportunity to actonourvisionofempoweringmarginalizedgroups.Theycallfortransformativechange.

XI.CONCLUSION

Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.PauloFreire

We refuse to conform to a system that is broken and inadequate. We will not accept any excuses from the administration nor will we tolerate any further implied threats that would disproportionately affect targeted groups of students (i.e. cutbacks on financial aid, redistribution of current cultural spaces, etc.) We demand that the claims of student prioritization and diversity be cemented through the implementation of the actions previously outlined. Anything short of this would perpetuate institutionalized oppression. If we want to be an academic institution of unparalleled quality, we cannot compromise our standards for equity, justice,academicrigor,andfairrepresentation.

WeareaskingtheadministrationtotaketheIMMEDIATENEXTSTEPS:byTuesday,April22,2014. Each addressee to sign the attached contract and email them separately to waamslam2@gmail.com Write a response clearly outlining your commitments and send it to The Wellesley News and waamslam2@gmail.comRelease said response to the Wellesley community via the College Announcements space on MyWellesleyandonthewww.wellesley.edufrontpageScheduleameetingwithstudentsfromWAAMSLAMIIbytheweekofApril21.Should the administration fail to commit to these demands, we, the Concerned Asian, Black, Latin@, Native, DifferentlyAbled, FirstGeneration and LGBTQidentified students at

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Wellesley College pledge to take escalating physical actions. We are prepared to continue to dowhateverisnecessarytoensureabetterfutureforourcommunityandinstitution.Sincerely,The Concerned Asian, Black, Latin@, Native, DifferentlyAbled, FirstGeneration and LGBTQidentifiedstudentsofWAAMSLAMII.

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CONTRACTI pledge to immediately work towards meeting the Demands of WAAMSLAM II listed below forTransformativeJusticeandTransformativeEducationatWellesleyCollege.I. REIMAGINETHEACADEMYTOINCLUDEETHNICSTUDIES&LATIN@

STUDIESII. PHYSICALMULTICULTURALSPACE:LATIN@HOUSEANDASIAN

AMERICANHOUSEIII. COMMITMENTTOINCREASINGDIVERSITYINSTUDENTBODY

ADMISSIONSANDFINANCIALAIDIV. COMMITMENTTOMEETINGTHENEEDSOFSTUDENTSWITH

DISABILITIESV. COMMITMENTTOMEETINGTHENEEDSOFLGBTQSTUDENTSVI. COMMITMENTTODIVERSITYTRAININGOFFACULTY,STAFF,CAMPUS

POLICE,ANDADMINISTRATIONVII. COMMITMENTTODIVERSIFYFACULTYTHROUGHHIRINGAND

RETAINMENTOFFACULTYOFCOLORVIII. COMMITMENTTOCHALLENGINGANDERADICATINGSOCIOECONOMIC

INEQUITYATWELLESLEYCOLLEGEIX. COMMITMENTTOSUPPORTTHEDININGHALLWORKERSAND

CUSTODIALSTAFFX. DIVESTMENTFROMFOSSILFUELS

Anythingshortofthesedemandsisperpetuatinginstitutionaloppression._________________________ Laura Daignault Gates, Chair of the Wellesley College Board of Trustees_________________________H.KimBottomly,PresidentofWellesleyCollege_________________________AndrewShennan,ProvostandDeanoftheCollege_________________________DebraDeMeis,DeanofStudents_________________________JenniferDesjarlais,DeanofAdmissionandFinancialAid_________________________BenHammond,VicePresidentforFinanceandAdministration_________________________CameranMason,VicePresidentforResourcesandPublicAffairs

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_________________________ Robbin Chapman, Associate Provost and Academic Director of DiversityandInclusion_________________________RichardFrench,DeanofAcademicAffairs _________________________KathrynLynch,DeanofFacultyAffairs

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