Benedictine College’s Intentional Culture of Inclusion

June 29, 2020

Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, greatly appreciates the concerns brought to the college about matters of race on campus. We are committed to responding in as forthright a way as possible.

We are painfully aware that the institution and its members have sometimes fallen short of the college’s goals, as letter-writers have made clear. Racial bigotry has no place at Benedictine College. It never has and never will. At the same time, we know that structural contributors to racism exist even when they are not intended, and that it is harder to be a person of color at a majority-white institution than it could or should be.

Our commitment to fostering a community of love, in which each person is valued and cherished, is deep, extensive, and firmly founded on the mission and values of Benedictine College. This is why President Stephen D. Minnis thought it important to respond directly to one student who posted on social media using a student club’s account (See APPENDIX ONE below). The present document is meant to help spread the word about the efforts of so many Ravens who have tirelessly worked to make Benedictine College a place of welcome and respect.

We are grateful for the appreciative notes, calls, and letters testifying to the way in which the Raven community supported them while they were here and prepared them to succeed in the diverse society in which they live and work:

Said one note: “I established some of the most impactful, loving, and Christocentric relationships during my time there. These relationships are with students coming from many different ethnic backgrounds (African, Black, Hispanic, White, Middle Eastern, and more). My brothers and sisters are all speaking out now in support of the college and in opposition to recent letters being sent to the campus regarding racial relations and tension on campus. During our time there, this was not something we experienced or saw.”

“I strongly disagree with [critics’] portrayal of our Raven culture,” said another. “I wouldn’t ever deny painful experiences described by other students or alumni that might have been caused from lack of empathy and inclusion of diversity. Education about empathy and improved discipleship is always a good move, but I pray no one from Benedictine is ever bullied into acknowledging a negative and false depiction of our community because of social or political pressure. … Benedictine College’s culture of equality — a culture that loves and values all souls indiscriminately — is one of the school’s most valuable assets. I believe so strongly in that value system that I entrusted Benedictine with my own daughter’s education.

Benedictine College’s Structural Efforts to Build a Culture of Inclusion

Benedictine College’s culture can and must be improved, and the need to attract and support students from all backgrounds has been a point of emphasis for many years, leading to a number of initiatives intended to make the campus more inclusive and welcoming.

New Strategic Plan. The college recently completed an extensive, two-year strategic planning process, focused on bringing its transformative Benedictine mission to the world. This plan was developed by the Board of Directors working through discussions with faculty, staff, students, alumni and outside experts, in which hours were spent discussing racial inclusion, in some cases with national African-American leaders.

• The first initiative in the Transforming Culture in America plan states that “the global Catholic Church which embraces the world’s races and cultures is our model for diversity. The college will develop initiatives to attract students, faculty, and staff from all backgrounds and cultures who can benefit from and contribute to its mission.”
  • Catholic Church, Model of Diversity. Benedictine College’s Catholic identity is the crucial center of its culture of racial inclusion. The Catholic Church is the most diverse organization in the world. More than two thirds of Catholics worldwide are nonwhite, and Africa and South America are the dynamic heart of the contemporary Church, places of great growth and exciting developments. Benedictine College strives to be more rooted in its Catholicity, and to work to become a school that looks more like the universal Church.
  • As a Catholic college, Benedictine is grateful for the historical leadership the Catholic Church in America has provided in the pursuit of racial justice (including excommunicating Catholic public officials in New Orleans who supported segregation), and especially grateful for the role of Benedictine’s sponsoring institutions in racial integration and civil rights advocacy. The Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica bravely integrated schools here in Atchison, Kansas, and sponsor Donnelly College in Kansas City, Kansas, which serves a largely minority and immigrant student body.

Recent efforts. When President Minnis made a statement calling for prayer and action to end racism (APPENDIX TWO below), what follows are the efforts he had in mind. Initiatives the college has undertaken in recent years to provide Benedictine College students with experiences of diversity include:

Seymour Institute Partnership - Dr. Jacqueline Rivers and Rev. Gene Rivers of The William Seymour Institute for the Black Church and Policy Studies are leading experts in race, community policing, and poverty. They spoke in Sept. 2016 on black men and violence (Hope and Struggle: Black Men and Violence). Dr. Rivers was our Convocation speaker in 2018 and her speech was featured in the college’s Gregorian Speech Digest. In 2019, Rev. Rivers was an active participant in our Transforming Culture in America process, which resulted in a strong diversity plank in our Strategic Plan.

The Black Student Union – after several years of dormancy, the Black Student Union was restarted after the initial visit of Rev. and Dr. Rivers, and has developed into a thriving leadership organization on campus, providing programming for its members, the college community, and the broader Atchison community. This summer, the college obtained a grant of $20,000 to the Black Student Union for programming and efforts to promote racial understanding on campus. In addition, Benedictine College has submitted other proposals for funding for BSU programming and initiatives.

Some current and pending BSU initiatives include:

• Lecture Series – the group has welcomed civic, religious, educational and media personalities (e.g. Dr. Bernard Franklin, John Harris Sr., Cristal Watson, Dr. and Rev. Rivers, Rod Wheeler)
• Film Series –films are shown on campus with guided discussions following (e.g. Roots, 12 Years a Slave, I am Not Your Negro)
• Mentoring/Outreach – The Black Student Union piloted a mentoring program between the college students and the alternative high school in Atchison. The BSU officers will continue to work with the principal of the alternative school to establish a metric for success for this academic year, 2020-2021.
• Book Clubs – The Black Student Union will continue their intellectual development through a series of book club sessions. The outcome of these sessions will be greater interest and confidence in scholarly reading and learning.
• Professional Workshops – The BSU is developing workshops for the upcoming academic year. Working in conjunction with the Career Services Office, the Black Student Union will use these opportunities to develop skills such as: financial literacy, interviewing, networking, finding internships, professional etiquette, and career exploration.
• Social Events – The establishment of a campus-wide cultural event is the goal for Benedictine College’s Black Student Union this academic year.

King Program - Dr. Jacqueline Rivers, in addition to her work with the Seymour Institute, is a fellow in the Multidisciplinary Program in Inequality and Social Policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. She and her husband, Rev. Gene, created the King Academic Summer Program in Boston to work with the inner-city poor. Thanks in part to a generous alumnus’ donation, Benedictine College has sent students to Boston the last several years to participate in this program, and two more will participate this year. The Rivers’ personal witness and teaching have transformed their work in the Black Student Union.

SGA Diversity Task Force – A few years ago, Benedictine College’s Student Government Association created a diversity task force to provide cultural and social events that reflect the college’s diverse student body. President Minnis has met with the president and vice president of the SGA to discuss how the SGA and other student groups can address the topic of racial injustice. The SGA helped author and sign a statement against racial injustice with other student governments from several Newman Guide institutions.

Student Life Mentoring – Student Life established a first-generation student peer mentoring group; many of our minority students are first-generation college students.

Academic Focus – There are a variety of academic courses that have a focus on developing a clearer understanding of the role of race and ethnic difference in today’s world. For example, The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King interdisciplinary course is offered each fall. Additional courses on Race and Ethnicity in America to provide academic exploration of the many dimensions of racial issues in contemporary society. Collegewide, each academic program assesses how and how well it prepares its students to live and work in a diverse and multicultural society.

Hispanic and International Student Outreach – To assist Hispanic students or other minority groups on campus, Benedictine College hosts a Hispanic Latino Club, an Organizacion de Alumnos Lationoamericanos (OLA) group and an International Club.

Refugee support. The college has also initiated efforts to serve refugees.

• Benedictine partnered with the Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica Monastery and the monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey to sponsor a refugee student fleeing the war in Iraq.
• Various campus speakers and events have been held to draw attention to the plight of refugees and the needs of immigrants. For example:
  • Campus speakers such as Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso are at the forefront of opposing immigration restrictions. Bishop Seitz spoke on campus after celebrating a simultaneous Mass with Pope Francis on either side of the Mexican border.
  • The travelling exhibit “A People, A Face, A Newness in Everyday Rubble,” (documenting the plight of Syrian and Iraqi Christians fleeing ISIS) was hosted here; the journalist who created the exhibit skyped in to discuss the situation with our students.
  • The Gregorian Fellows sponsored the Christians in the Middle East panel in conjunction with Communion and Liberation University and Catholic Relief Services University. The panel explores stories of persecuted Iraqi and Syrian Christians who fled their homeland and are now refugees in various camps and churches in Amman, Jordan and its neighboring areas.
  • Benedictine’s Knights of Columbus sponsored a Ukrainian refugee who spoke about her experiences during Ukraine’s civil war, her efforts to bring relief there, and her travels within the United States.
  • The Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica sponsored lectures on campus about immigration issues, including Sister Norma Pimentel, refugee advocate and Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley (Texas) and Dr. Carolyn Woo, former head of Catholic Relief Services.
  • Social Justice Week on our campus has a significant refugee/immigrant focus each year, with speakers, films and other events giving our students the opportunity to learn about the issue from the perspective of Catholic Social Thought.
  • The college has featured members of the campus who serve refugees, including Dr. Edward Mulholland who spent a summer at a Greek refugee camp, and student work with Project Uplift, Catholic Relief Services, Communion and Liberation, and the Knights of Columbus.

Admission outreach. Benedictine College’s Admission office has created several programs to help create a climate welcoming to all students.

• The college is a National Hispanic Institute partner, offering full tuition scholarships for National Hispanic Scholars and National Achievement Scholars, providing targeted scholarships to high-achieving Black and Hispanic students.
• The college provides an International Student Services Team to support international students.
• Benedictine recruits students in Central and South America and SE Asia.
• The college is a member of the Cristo Rey network (an affiliation of urban high schools dedicated to educating underserved populations) as a national sponsor.
• The college has established a special donor fund to support scholarship assistance to low income Hispanic/Latino students, and benefits from the Atchison Community Foundation Scholarship.
• The college has focused Spanish language advertising on Univision in the Kansas City market.

Future Plans to Preserve Benedictine College’s Culture of Inclusion

Benedictine College recently established a GA position for Diversity Initiatives, and hired Tyler Shephard (former BSU president) in that position, to help coordinate and amplify the college response to issues related to race and inclusion.  The college is focusing on two general objectives for Fall Semester, 2020:

1) support and engage Raven students of color by creating a culture where they thrive and

2) equip white Raven students to better understand and correctly respond to racism.

Orientation presentation – The GA for Diversity and Dr. Joseph Wurtz, Dean of Students, are developing a presentation for all new freshmen to help them understand the importance of these two objectives.

Throughout the year, the GA for Diversity Initiatives and the Student Life staff will hold sessions with African-American students, starting early in the fall semester. Student Life will work with Benedictine College Sociologist Karen Wood to develop a series of questions to guide these interviews. 

2020 Lecture Series:  a series of speakers will help the entire community engage with issues of race and justice in the fall.

• William Allen is emeritus dean and Professor of Political Philosophy in the Department of Political Science at Michigan State University, and 2008-09 Visiting Senior Scholar in the Matthew J. Ryan Center for the Study of Free Institutions and the Public Good at Villanova University. He also served previously on the National Council for the Humanities and as Chairman and Member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. He was the Ann & Herbert W. Vaughan Visiting Fellow in the James Madison Program on American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. He is an expert on liberal arts education, its history, importance and problems. He is also chairman and co-founder of Toward A Fair Michigan, whose mission is to further understanding of the equal opportunity issues involved in guaranteeing civil rights for all citizens, and to provide a civic forum for a fair and open exchange of views on the question of affirmative action.
• Deacon Harold Sivers, noted author and inspirational speaker, will make a visit to campus to speak to the Student Life staff, the Black Student Union and the community as a whole. One of his presentations is titled: Building a Civilization of Love: A Catholic Response to Racism. One of the other topics he will address is the life and story of Fr. Augustus Tolton – the first black slave to become a Catholic priest in America.
• Luke’s Productions’ Tolton performance. Tolton is a powerful multi-media live production, filled with music, drama and inspiring performances. It brings a message of hope and healing for the wounds that plague America’s culture. Benedictine plans to host a production of this performance in October.

Beyond the fall semester, Benedictine College and the Black Student Union will continue to invite leaders to campus to support them and encourage their ongoing formation. The establishment of an annual Visiting Fellow, in collaboration with the Seymour Institute, is a future goal for academic year 2020-21.

Community Policing with Atchison Police Department – In collaboration with Atchison’s chief of police, Mike Wilson, Benedictine College and the Black Student Union have scheduled discussions/listening sessions to promote mutual understanding regarding what Atchison is doing in this area and how students can participate in meaningful action.

Counseling Center preparation – Tyler Shephard will meet with the Director of Benedictine College’s Counseling Center to share insights about the African-American perspective on campus services and what may be most helpful. In addition, the Counseling Center is taking the following steps:

• Its staff will annually receive cultural competency training and training on the impact of racism on mental health.
• Its staff will seek to be representative of the student body population demographic by hiring staff and contracting with interns that are persons of color when possible.
• The center will provide programming and opportunities for students of color to share their experiences and voice concerns, such as small group Compassion Circles and Courageous Discussions panels.
• The center will meet with current students of color as well as alumni to gain input on adapting mental health services to meet their needs.
• The center will ensure that applicable resources are visible and available to the black students on our campus. 

Leadership training – Several members of the Black Student Union participated in the annual Benedictine College Leadership Seminar last year, and the president of the BSU was hired as a resident assistant, which is one of the most selective leadership positions on campus. A goal of the BSU agenda is to encourage and support more of its members to participate in the Leadership Seminar and attain leadership positions.

In short, the college’s goal is to increase the number of African-American leaders on campus, increase the number of African Americans on the academic honor roll, increase their retention and graduation rates, increase their religious involvement, and increase their internship and career placements.

Raven Athletics Efforts to Build Benedictine College’s Culture of Inclusion

In addition to the activities listed above, Raven Athletics has taken a leadership role in promoting a culture of inclusion, simultaneously running programs of its own.

Raven Athletics – The Benedictine College Intercollegiate Athletic Department affirms a holistic approach to education intended to promote intellectual, social, physical and spiritual growth of student-athletes, and has a long history of helping form the character of young women and men, regardless of race. The testimony of Tyler Shephard, from Chicago, is a good example of the outcome Raven Athletics is built to deliver:

“Out of my eighth-grade graduating class, I know that I’m the only male to even graduate from a traditional high school setting. ... [Benedictine College Athletic Director] Coach Gartenmayer came to my high school. The things that he talked to me about really stood out to me. Unlike every other coach I got an offer from, he talked to me about becoming a better individual, obtaining a quality education and developing lifelong friendships. That’s what truly intrigued me. ... [On campus,] I felt like I was different from everybody else. But as time went on and with the help of mentors on campus — the seniors, the coaching staff, and my professors— I was able to flourish in this environment. … Benedictine has taught me that you’re not reaching your full potential if you aren’t helping other people maximize theirs.”

Fr. Ryan Richardson’s work with athletes – A group of team leaders has been meeting biweekly with Benedictine College associate chaplain Father Ryan Richardson on relevant topics for leaders. The meetings continued in the summer and addressed the George Floyd murder, recent riots and race relations. One Raven athlete shared how in these times, African-American athletes on campus most want to be listened to. It was helpful for all of them to share how they are processing this moment and hear Benedictine College’s commitment to fostering unity. The core group includes 10 black athletes.

Coaches’ check-in – In the wake of the George Floyd murder, Benedictine College Athletic Director Charlie Gartenmayer asked all coaches to check in with their African-American student-athletes to see how they are doing, what they are feeling, etc.

Future plans in athletics – Athletic Director Charles Gartenmayer said the focus for the year ahead in Raven Athletics is “Awareness, Understanding, Education, Listening and Love.” Dr. Joseph Wurtz and the graduate assistant for Diversity Initiatives are working to create and organize a virtual roundtable discussion with students, staff and Atchison Community members to listen, gain greater understanding and enact meaningful change where needed. Coaching staffs are meeting over the summer to develop additional programs.

Mission, Vision and Values

All these plans and programs are the fruit of hard work, reflection and commitment to building a robust and inclusive community. Benedictine College’s values call us to treat each individual person, every member of the Raven family and every guest, as the image and likeness of God. Does the community fall short of that goal? Of course it does. Benedictine College is a community made up of sinful humans. But the college will never stop trying to create this community of love.

We know that people’s experiences differ, and that these different backgrounds, cultures and experiences can both add richness to the college’s common life and contribute to tension and misunderstanding. If these tensions and misunderstandings manifest themselves in acts of disrespect or mistreatment — on the basis of race or any other characteristic — we will respond when the facts are made known to responsible authorities.

But the Benedictine College community still strives, and will continue to strive, to treat each person as a uniquely valuable member of the community. When someone falls short — which will happen in the future as it has in the past — community members should bring incidents to the attention of faculty or staff. Our goal is, and will remain, to create a community in which everyone accepts the responsibility to follow the guidance of St. Benedict, treating each other as if they were Jesus Christ himself (Rule of St. Benedict, 53:1).

It is best to conclude with the words a student of color sent to President Minnis.

“I came from a high school where racism was regularly an issue for me. My high school was largely white and I was one of three or four people of color in my class. I expected degrading comments relating to my ethnicity almost daily,” said the student. “When I was choosing a college, I was very scared to go to a college where I would relive the same experience. I wanted a college where the races were equally balanced … I was completely hesitant [about Benedictine] because I knew the majority of the student body was Caucasian.

“However, when I came to visit Benedictine College my senior year of high school, I felt something inside of me change. My heart softened and I began to see that Benedictine was not a place like my high school. It was a place where I would be loved and listened to, despite the color of my skin or my ancestry. … I could go on and on about both faculty and friends from Benedictine who have allowed me to be both confident and joyful in who I am. But the simple point is this: You were involved in hiring these wonderful people. I believe that you have always done your best to combat a problem that is not a Benedictine problem, but a cultural one. And I believe that you have done a beautiful job. I consider Benedictine College a second home, a place where I grew to love both myself and my story.”

APPENDIX ONE

President Minnis’ Statement on Student’s Historically Inaccurate and Offensive Post

June 17, 2020

Stephen D. Minnis, President of Benedictine College, issued the following statement on Wednesday, June 17, 2020.

Benedictine College was deeply disturbed to see that a member of the student Chapter of TPUSA posted an historically inaccurate and offensive graphic on their Instagram account.

This meme asserted that the first slave-owner in America was black. That is factually wrong. But more perniciously, it seems to imply that enslavement was not an institution imposed on black people by white people. This is wrong in every sense of the word.

Very occasionally you find references to a black person owning slaves. This doesn’t mean that slavery was not a race-based system imposed on black people by white people. To deny it seems like an attempt to deny the historical reality that racism has caused suffering that continues to this very day.

Even if this was not the intent of the student who posted this meme, it was nevertheless an act that could only cause needless pain, especially to our black Raven family members. The Dean of Students is currently evaluating the appropriate response to this club in light of the rules governing student organizations, and is working with our GA for Diversity Initiatives to develop programs for the fall that will emphasize how we can better address the sad legacy of slavery and racism in today’s society (and on campus). However, the real response to this is not about rights and programs. The real response is based in our principles and values, and our call to each, individually, commit ourselves to embracing them and living them out.

The great promise of America—a promise obscured, but not obliterated, by the terrible stain of slavery—is contained in the words of the Declaration of Independence—that we are all equal, each of us, of every race and circumstance, equally created in the image and likeness of God. It is to achieve that promise that we must keep striving, not to divide by race but to embrace this great challenge—to lift the burdens from all our neighbors and fellow citizens, to aim toward healing and peace rather than provocation and aggravation. 

St. Benedict reminds us that we should treat everyone we encounter as if they were Jesus Christ himself. Posting images or messages that are hurtful to our fellow students and fellow citizens is antithetical to our community. Now is a particularly sensitive time in our nation’s history, and words and images that carry unsettling implications are even more hurtful than usual. Let us not cause needless pain with careless remarks or social media posts. Our only hope for healing and progress is love—love for those God has put in our path, by making them fellow Ravens. Abraham Lincoln shows us the way: “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds…”

UPDATE

It is a sad fact that slavery existed on the North American continent long before the foundation of the United States, and before the court case that was referred to in the article in question. Here are some facts that are not in dispute:

• there were slaves in Florida as early as the 1520s; Spanish law, which operated in Florida at the time, enforced slavery
• there were slaves in Virginia dating from 1619 —although without a legal ruling about their status, but they were bought and sold and punished for trying to run away
• there were slaves in Massachusetts from the 1630s
• Massachusetts officially recognized slavery as legal in 1641
• Anthony Johnson, whose case was heard in 1654, was definitely NOT the first slaveowner in America, however, he could more accurately be described as the first person whose status as a slaveowner was specifically recognized in a court decision in Virginia.

APPENDIX TWO

President Minnis’ Call for Prayer and Action to End Racism

June 2, 2020

Stephen D. Minnis, President of Benedictine College, issued the following statement about prayer and action to end racism in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests in American cities.

This Wednesday, June 3, please join me to pray for an increase in faith, hope and love in this difficult time at our weekly 7:30 a.m. Rosary, livestreamed on Facebook.

June 3 is the feast of Charles Lwanga and the Ugandan martyrs. In 1964, their canonization was a timely reminder that the global Catholic Church, which embraces the world’s races and cultures, is a model of diversity. We pray that through the intercession of Our Lady and St. Charles and companions, all people will grow in mutual respect and love, and that our hearts will be touched to eliminate the scourge of racism.

In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, we join the U.S. bishops’ plea that “Too many communities around this country feel their voices are not being heard, their complaints about racist treatment are unheeded, and we are not doing enough to point out that this deadly treatment is antithetical to the Gospel of Life.”

At Benedictine College, our mission is to educate within a community of faith and scholarship. The searing images —of the murder, of the violence, of the rage and pain — remind us that this mission needs to be embraced as both a challenge and an aspiration.

As a Catholic college, we are called to transform culture by honoring the infinite dignity of every human person and the sacredness of every human life.

As a Benedictine college, we are called to greet everyone we meet as Jesus Christ himself.

As a community, we can and we must recommit to heeding these calls, overcoming our differences and treating each person we encounter as a child of God.

Join us in prayer and action for hope and healing in America.