A truly diverse faculty is one in which a variety of perspectives are heard, dis - agreement is welcome, and no one’s voice is silenced,” says Acting Dean Giovanni Jones ’21, a sociology major from of the Faculty and Vice President for Hartford, was president of Trinity’s Student Government Association (SGA) and Men of Color Academic Affairs Sonia Cardenas. Alliance (MOCA) when the Umoja Coalition was formed. He helped to dratf the demands and worked “That’s when we realize the full value with college administrators on developing them into actions. “Representation matters,” Jones says of being a vibrantly diverse and innova- of the importance of hiring more faculty of color. “At tive intellectual community.” a predominately white institution, students of color on campus may not have people to connect to, who understand our experiences, or who will call out microaggressions in the classroom. Everyone wants a As a way to increase the diversity of Trinity’s perma- voice and is deserving of one.” FACULTY nent faculty, the college’s Special Opportunity Hiring Jones says the demands on the faculty were sup - DIVErSITY (SOH) initiative will welcome 18 tenure-track faculty ported by research on the composition of the faculty, BY THE members over three years. Six of those faculty mem- how professors are hired, and why they leave. “It was NUMBESr bers began their new positions in July. alarming to learn that there were only nine Black ten- Trinity College’s searches “The SOH initiative we launched, alongside our ured faculty at the college,” Jones says. “We saw some have yielded the following ongoing practices and training around diversity, holes in the faculty structure and wanted to address it year-to-year increases in equity, and inclusion, have made a real difference,” head on. We didn’t want to just ask to add 10 faculty tenure-line faculty, from Cardenas adds. “We’ve moved the needle in just one of color; we wanted to make sure they were perma- fall 2020 to fall 2021: year, as is evident in our data and in the exceptional nent and on a tenure track. 21% ↗ 24% set of faculty members we’re adding to our ranks.” The college adopted its SOH initiative in the 2020– FACULTY OF COLOR (U.S.) How did this successful SOH initiative get its start? 21 academic year following further discussions about 6% ↗ 8% Thanks in large part to the demands and work of the plan’s details with Umoja Coalition members, fac - Trinity students. ulty, staff, and administrators. It came at a time when BLACK FACULTY In the summer of 2020, with Black Lives Matter higher education institutions across the country were 7% ↗ 8% protests around the country calling urgent atten- using SOH initiatives and similar processes that offer ASIAN FACULTY tion to police violence and racial inequity follow- speed and lfexibility to achieve the goals of greater ing the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, faculty diversity and an enhanced curriculum. 9% ↗ 10% the Trinity administration pledged to take steps to “This [initiative] was in direct response to the work INTERNATIONAL FACULTY address systemic racism at the college. In a letter to of students who were part of the Umoja Coalition,” 18% ↗ 24% students, faculty, and staff, President Joanne Berger- says Cardenas. “We wanted to respond to this Sweeney and Vice President for Diversity, Equity, national moment in a way that was not just incremen- FEMALE FACULTY OF COLOR and Inclusion (DEI) Anita Davis wrote, “We have tal but that accelerated and prioritized diversity as a 45% ↗ 47% made progress in creating a more inclusive commu- central value.” nity at Trinity … but our work has only just begun.” Davis notes that the SOH initiative is aligned with FEMALE FACULTY They asked all members of the Trinity community for the overall mission of the Oiffce of Diversity, Equity, 27% ↗ 29% their help. and Inclusion, which is to ensure that all members STEM FACULTY OF COLOR The newly formed group of Trinity students called of the Trinity community feel included and have the the Umoja Coalition—composed of members of seven resources and support they need to thrive. “A diverse 46% ↗ 49% student organizations—issued a set of demands to faculty gives students evidence that they too can pur - STEM FEMALE FACULTY the college administration and Board of Trustees to sue—and excel in—a variety of roles on a college cam- 5% ↗ 10% consider as tangible actions to improve the campus pus, regardless of their backgrounds,” Davis says. climate. Each of the articles in the document sup- Associate Professor of History and American STEM BLACK FACULTY ported the Umoja Coalition’s stated mission of “trans- Studies Scott Gac served as chair of the faculty’s 8% ↗ 10% forming this institution into an inclusive, accessible, Educational Policy Committee (EPC), with which all STEM INTERNATIONAL and safe environment for all Black students.” long-term faculty hiring originates, until his term FACULTY Among other points, the coalition called on the ended on June 30. He says that the EPC has been faculty to increase its size and to reserve positions working for years on ways to diversify Trinity’s faculty for Special Opportunity Hires to boost the number of and curriculum and has embraced the recent drive to tenure-track Black faculty, especially in STEM ifelds. increase the speed of these efforts. “This bigger push 22 THE TRINITY REPORTER