Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

About

The Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee collaborates with students of underrepresented and marginalized communities, backgrounds, and identities to addresses discrimination and oppression and to advance equitable and inclusive community practices.

COMMUNITY Partners

Anderson Freeman Resource Center
Chellis Resource Center
Disability Resource Center
International Student & Scholar Services
Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Scott Center for Spiritual & Religious Life

Committee Leadership

Madison Holland '21

SGA Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

I joined SGA because I believe that we as students have the power to shape our community and have a say in the issues that matter to us, including and especially what DE&I looks like at Middlebury. Issues of DE&I on Middlebury’s campus are deeply important to me and I believe in our ability to address them and improve as a community, which is why I’m invested in enabling dialogue and establishing initiatives that promote concrete change. I'm most interested in questions of access and inclusion, thinking about the areas in which Middlebury as an institution can self-evaluate and take steps to improve every student’s sense of belonging and ability to succeed here. My goals as Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion this year include facilitating more conversations that increase transparency between the administration and students, opening up conversations around physical and financial access on campus, creating more social opportunities for students on campus over breaks, supporting and collaborating with the Anderson Freeman Center, and bringing a wider section of students (not just those involved with SGA) to the table surrounding discussions about DE&I on campus.

Hometown: Medina, New York
Major: Sociology
Interests: Omega Alpha; The DREAM Program; Middlebury College Access Mentors; JUNTOS; Long Ross Dinners; Existential Proc Conversations; Playlists without a theme; The Great British Bake Off; Apple Cider Donuts; Laurie Patton's dogs
Previous SGA Positions: Institutional Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee

Francoise Niyigena '21

SGA Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

I joined the SGA because I care about creating positive impact in regards to the issues that affect students on our campus. So what better way to do what I care about than be part of a great team of like-minded student leaders!! I believe that every student deserves to find a home away from home and a sense of belonging on this campus. However, I do know that this is not true for every student here and that to me is quite disturbing. My hope is that with my team this year, we can work towards supporting and advocating for different groups of students who are often underrepresented, unheard, and really struggle to feel like they belong here. This is your home, like it is for anybody else and you deserve to be in a school that makes you feel at home and services that cater for your needs. As the school works towards creating a student center, I would like that to be a space that each student enters in and immediately sees themselves in it. I would also like to work towards making ADA accommodation services more accessible to students who may not have had prior diagnosis or don't have the resources to get the diagnosis. I think this process has been particularly difficult for international students and low-income students which makes navigating everything else extremely difficult.

Hometown: Kigali, Rwanda
Major: Neuroscience; Psychology
Interests: Spending time with people; Meeting new students; Residential Life; Innovation Hub; BOLD Women's Leadership Fellowship; Psychology Student Advisory Council; Language in Motion; Center for Community Engagement; Umoja; Middleground; Middlebury Alternative Break Trips