Bored of Trustees
On November 11, the Evergreen Board of Trustees met from 9 am until 3 pm. At 2:30, the board opened up for public comment. The public comment time is short and at the end of a six hour meeting. This creates a small window in which students can address concerns to the board.
The Board of Trustees has almost total control over the school’s long-term policy and plans. However, many on the board are not involved with Evergreen, nor do they have a deep understanding about Evergreen culture and student history.
It is important to maintain the student spirit and the general enduring philosophy of Evergreen. These board members don’t know what is going on at Evergreen; they come to campus once per quarter and sit in the president’s boardroom, making decisions about the path of Evergreen without fully understanding the path we are on. The Board of Trustees’ agenda is put together by Art Costantino and Dr. Thomas L. (Les) Purce, and only at public comment can other campus members enter into the debate.
During the Nov. 11 public comment time, someone gave a presentation to the board on the removal of barriers to access. He covered the lack of consideration and the work towards making Evergreen a more accessible campus for all community members. The board members sat there, slightly moving their heads as to appear deep in thought.
Next, the Geoduck Union made a statement about the Diversity and Equity Standing Committee and the President’s Diversity Fund. The Union found many faults with the progress report—mainly that the college is not making any progress. The progress report discussed programs Evergreen has had in place for a while and focused only on race and first generation college students. Below is the statement made to the Board:
As the Board of Trustees faces a progress report on the President’s Diversity Fund and its efforts for an increased recognition and awareness of diversity issues and multiculturalism in Evergreen communities, the Geoduck Union would like to advocate for those students who feel that progress is lacking. Working towards a space in which anti-oppression and diversity are active topics of conversation is difficult, and the Diversity Fund faces more challenges in working towards this than a congratulatory tone provides.
There are actions that can be taken for Evergreen this year that can produce a concrete, positive change for transgender individuals, those with disabilities, and students with low-income status; to not work towards an increase in gender neutral bathrooms, increased access to services on campuses, and reduction in prohibitive tuition costs is to do a disservice to all Evergreen students.
The Geoduck Union has a challenge for the President’s Diversity Fund: to listen to the student body, and to take action—not only in the form of dialogue and conferences, but in real, tangible changes. We challenge the Fund to become involved with at least 5 projects this year that reflect this commitment to anti-oppression, our diverse student body, and bettering Evergreen in tangible ways. This will require increased student input, and this will require Evergreen to reflect not only on where it has been able to take positive steps towards diversity, but also to where we have been stepping backwards.
While sitting in the room I felt the statement falling on deaf ears. During the next talk by another member of the campus community, who also expressed concern with the lack of diversity, the presenter asked the board to “at least look interested.” So while there is a space to address the Board of Trustees, a single student will have a challenging time getting the Board to listen and change a policy. After all, the Board of Trustees is there to stamp off on good PR for the school.