GROUPS PURSUE SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES; ‘DIVERSITY IS ONGOING,’ SAYS DIRECTOR

ZACH HINEY, TRUMPET GUEST WRITER

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council focuses on the well-being of the student body and having a healthy campus overall.  

The council is made up of various faculty and staff members across campus. One of those members, Krystal Madlock, is the multicultural student services director on campus. 

“Diversity is ongoing and should be a guiding principle for people. We want everyone to feel included and welcome on campus,” Madlock said.  

The group was founded during President Jack Ohle’s tenure from 1998 to 2008. 

The group has changed a bit, but the purpose remains the same: creating a welcoming environment for all students. The group tries to achieve this by doing multiple things. 

“We do campus climate surveys, address campus bias incidents and are big advocates for ‘See Something, Say Something,” Madlock said. 

While it may not always be obvious, the council is putting in a lot of work to improve life on campus. 

The student body is an important part of the council as well, even if they’re not officially a part. 

“We can’t act on issues if they aren’t reported to us,” Madlock said. She continued: “It’s important for students to report any issues they see, get involved and support all the organizations on campus.” 

One of those organizations is the Student Social Justice Council. This group is led by third-year social work and political science major Victoria Dietz. It was started over the summer and currently has around 30 members. The group is a “coalition of students who aim to promote social justice, equity and inclusion on campus,” Dietz said.  “Our goal is to coordinate with both students and the administration to enact positive change on campus and generate solutions for identified barriers.” 

The group puts on programming and events focused on social justice.   

Dietz believes that this group has many positive effects. 

“We work to generate solutions that can leave a positive impact long after we’re gone,” Dietz said. 

If interested, email at victoria.dietz@wartburg.edu or attend the next meeting at 2 p.m. on November 14 in Cardinal Commons.