ALES Proposal Calls for More Faculty of Color
The Afro-Latino Exonian Society (ALES) wrote a proposal that highlights a number of changes that the school can make to remedy a systemic exclusion of Black and Latinx students at Exeter. The proposal calls for the hiring and retention of more Black and/or Latinx teachers in order to create a faculty as diverse as the student body. It also demands required cultural competency training for faculty members. The organization is also calling for the creation of a required ethnic studies course, a unit on racial sensitivity that would be added to health classes and a more inclusive curriculum across all disciplines. In addition, the club’s proposal requests increased funding for the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs and the creation of “a space that celebrates multiculturalism.” Although the Office of Multicultural Affairs has been billed as this type of space, according to ALES, students want a separate building for this purpose.
“Seeing someone in a position of power similar who looks like oneself, be it a teacher or coach, helps that student visualize themselves in that same position, which helps them achieve.”
In 2012, a third party conducted a study on Exeter’s social climate, entitled the Equity and Diversity Climate Assessment Report for Phillips Exeter Academy. According to this study, the experience of Black and/or Latinx Exonians was vastly different from white students’ experiences. Students of color were “statistically significantly more likely than white students” to feel threatened at Exeter, and experience racism from their peers, online and in person. Students of color were also more likely to feel pressure to change their mannerisms to “fit in” at Exeter. Students of color were also “statistically significantly less likely than white students at Exeter” to trust the adults in the PEA community.
The report ended with recommendations to improve the community, similar to those currently proposed by ALES, but those recommendations were never implemented. As a result, the ALES board decided to propose their own changes and hold the administration accountable for the pursuit of the proposal’s demands. Sami Atif, a faculty advisor to the club, said, “Independent council was solicited, recommendations were made and little has resulted. If Exeter, the community and institution, is to remain true to its own ideals, then the contents of the proposal should be celebrated, and action should be expedited.” Upper and co-head of ALES Charlotte Polk agreed with Atif’s sentiment. “A big selling point for this school is that we have youth from every quarter,” she said. “Although that may be true, the Academy can’t claim to care about diversity if it doesn’t make sure that students of color are well provided for and taken care of on campus.”
Senior and co-head of ALES Kelvin Green noted that racism on campus may not be apparent without close examination. “If you ask a Black and/or Latinx student how they are disenfranchised, it may be harder to pinpoint a specific occurrence since the ‘casual racism’ is mostly happening in the dorm and academic setting,” he said. “If you asked how Black and Latinx students are disrespected on campus, that would prompt the student to think.”
ALES has had two Friday night meetings with Principal Lisa MacFarlane—one with the board and one with the entire club. The group is optimistic about progress. Athena Stenor, an ALES board member and life editor for The Exonian, said, “We already talked the proposal over with Principal MacFarlane, and she said most of the points in the proposal were doable within a relatively short period of time and that all of our ideas were reasonable.”
Despite Principal MacFarlane’s apparent willingness to enact the proposed changes, however, ALES members spoke about the importance of continuing to hold the administration accountable. In the past, another such proposal was given to the previous administration, which was led by former Principal Tom Hassan. However, that administration failed to pass on the proposal to the incoming principal, and the proposal was not prioritized, according to the organization. The school’s purported unwillingness to address issues of racial injustice on campus is a recurring frustration of the young activists. “Going forward, I'd still like to see more of an initiative from the side of the administration and faculty because it's an extremely taxing process, both emotionally and intellectually, for us to constantly create proposals and push for such crucial changes,” Stenor said. Still, Polk emphasized the club’s dedication to ensuring that progress continues. “We'll have to hold Ms. MacFarlane accountable so she doesn't go back on her word. We're looking for her to lead with her power,” she said.
ALES members unanimously agree that the proposed changes to our institution are necessary if Exeter wants to support its diverse student body appropriately. ALES noted the racial imbalance among PEA’s faculty: the science department, for example, is all white, except for Computer Science Instructor Ranila Haider. Polk said, “Our faculty is mostly diverse, but it's especially lacking in the STEM fields. The need to recognize that diversity is important not only within the student body, but within the faculty as well." The proposal stresses the need for a more diverse faculty: “The Academy’s inability to retain Black and/or Latinx faculty contributes to a faculty hierarchy in which Black and/or Latinx faculty are permanently in an inferior position because they lack seniority in the PEA community. This leads to a collective feeling of disempowerment among Black and/or Latinx Exonians, adults and students alike.” ALES believes that a diverse faculty body is essential to cultivating a healthy self-image in students of color. Green referenced multiple studies which showed that “Seeing someone in a position of power similar who looks like oneself, be it a teacher or coach, helps that student visualize themselves in that same position, which helps them achieve.” According to ALES, for an institution like Exeter, which acts in loco parentis, students’ well-being should be of utmost importance. Green explained, “The ALES proposal seeks to hire faculty who are more diverse because it helps the students, which is who the Academy should really be looking out for.”
Another important step towards ensuring the safety of Black and/or Latinx students at Exeter, ALES leaders argued, is instituting mandatory faculty training in cultural competency. “A lot of the racism that the ALES group talked about came from the dorms, and I think that could've been dealt with better if faculty were better educated about handling these issues,” Polk said. The club stressed the need to build a community of adults who have the skills necessary to mediate the tense conflicts that can arise when a diverse group of students are brought together, and who feel empowered to lead difficult discussions about race. “Students of color need to be able to trust the adults here, especially since we're at a boarding school and there's no home for us to go to,” Stenor added, pointing out the urgent need for these measures detailed in the proposal.