Lessons from Missouri

"I am only one. But still I am one.
I cannot do everything, but still I can do something;
And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do something that I can do."
American author and Unitarian clergyman, Edward Everett Hale (1902)

"Campuses around the nation might want to start having some difficult conversations about what it means to cultivate environments that are based on foundations of inclusive excellence and equity. As our country becomes more diverse, our institutions must respond to, engage, and reflect that diversity or risk facing similar consequences." 
Sam Museus, Associate Professor Indiana University

Colleges and universities are a microcosm of our society and we are in a modern civil rights movement. Recent events at Mizzou and the unfolding discussions at Yale remind us that a focus on social justice and inclusion continues to be integral to our work in student affairs. As educators, we must be diligent in designing environments that support students in challenging conventional thought, fighting against institutional and systemic oppression, and developing communities that value every person’s contribution.

NASPA believes that we must work collaboratively to change the structures that limit opportunities for our students. We must ensure that our students are able to have opportunities to thrive and engage in environments where every person – regardless of race, ethnicity, faith, gender identity, income level, or political affiliation – has the opportunity to be heard.

#Blacklivesmatter and other movements will continue and student affairs must stay at the forefront of the social justice and inclusion conversation. It is fundamental to our values and our work as educators. With the demographic shifts in our nation, the sustained focus on the achievement gap, and  affordability of higher education, we have to be more diligent about how we approach the educational process and what impact our campus policies and procedures have on our changing communities.

Our principles of integrity, innovation, inclusion, and inquiry must guide our work. The student affairs profession has been at the center of responding to student’s civil and legal rights on campus and also to supporting their academic and intellectual pursuits. We must continue to be advocates for their success in postsecondary education and support their activism so that they may graduate and become active and engaged citizens in the communities we wish to build.