Introducing Angela Sells, PhD
Alumni Representative for the
Pacifica Graduate Institute Diversity and Inclusion Council
Greetings All! I am the newly appointed Alumni Representative for the Diversity and Inclusion Council (DIC) at Pacifica and the DIC liaison to the Alumni Association. Before I break down exactly what that entails, let me first introduce myself.
I earned my PhD from Pacifica in Mythological Studies with an emphasis in Depth Psychology. Before relocating to Grass Valley, I taught courses in mythology and literature through Santa Barbara City College. Now, I am the Co-Chair of the Goddess Studies Unit for the American Academy of Religion’s Western Region and am currently working on a book that explores the suppression of women’s autobiography. Side-note: I also love to play the drums and am currently in a Beatles/Rolling Stones cover band.
As a woman of color, I would love to see more extensive outreach to alumni that reflects the diverse student/alumni body and our community’s need for inclusiveness. By that, I mean speakers on campus and authors reflected on syllabi across a wide array of religions, ethnicities, sexual identities, and physical abilities. Our language on campus and online must also reflect that inclusiveness. I believe exposure to multiple perspectives benefits all and that a support system and a safe space for dialogue is imperative; I hope that with your input, I can address some of these needs as the Alumni Representative.
I also understand the need for alumni to be able to speak freely and confidentially to someone whose sole position is to advocate on your behalf on issues of diversity and inclusion. This is my role and rest assured that I will retain your anonymity at your request.
There is a small organizational structure in place on the Council for the purpose of best serving the larger PGI community. Please see the flow chart below for a clearer understanding of the process. In short, specific initiatives, ideas, personal experiences, and/or concerns sent to me or your specific representative will be presented to the Chair and Provost for review, which will then be presented to the Institutional Management Committee (IMC). When the feedback is filtered through the proper channels, the information can be relayed in the most precise and direct way possible.
The Student/Alumni Subcommittee represents the voices of the Student/Alumni Diversity & Inclusion Council (over 80 members). For your reference:
- Angela Sells, Alumni Representative, mythme23@yahoo.com
- Lizzie Rodriguez, Student Representative, lrodriguez@cscsb.org
The next meeting is scheduled for May, but let me share with you some of the action items discussed in March and ways to get involved:
- We need to craft and create a vision statement for the DIC. Your input and ideas are most appreciated!
- Task Group created responsible for investigating and recommending policies to create a 3rd gender/transgender inclusive campus – specifically related to admission and student forms. There is more than simply editing forms involved in applying such a policy so the Diversity and Inclusion Council recommended a Task Group to research how similar institutions are using diverse and inclusive gender identifications in admissions and students forms, what policies are used, why, and how they feel it is working for them. This way, the DIC can recommend these changes to the Institutional Management Committee (IMC) from an informed perspective. If you want to join this task group, let me know!
- Program specific concerns should be initiated from within individual programs. Students and alumni are encouraged to address concerns at the program level, then issues may be brought to Student/Alumni Subcommittee Chairs. Dr. Susan James is the Student Liaison for immediate issues related to Diversity and Inclusion. Dr. James can be reached at studentliaison@pacifica.edu.
- A syllabus request will be sent to all programs (developed by Rae Johnson):
As you choose readings for your course, please consider how best to bring culturally, ethnically and/or sexually diverse perspectives to the subject matter where appropriate. In particular, please strive to include the voices of those who represent minority, marginalized, misrepresented, or oppressed communities. The specialization chair and associate chair are available for consultation as needed. You may also wish to refer to the Diversity Resources section of the Pacifica Library website, at http://www.pacifica.edu/lib/diversity/index.html.
Additionally, I will act as liaison with Pacifica Graduate Institute Alumni Association (PGIAA) in collaboration and communication with Alumni Relations. E-mails sent to me directly regarding the current action items, your personal experiences, or other concerns will be categorized, compiled, and presented to the Council.
Very soon, the PGIAA website will offer a link devoted to diversity and inclusion where we may further dialogue through guest-posts, highlight alumni across underrepresented groups, and underscore work being done in the fields of depth psychology and mythology post-Pacifica.
Whew! I hope that was clear and that we can come together in community to create an inclusive experience for students, staff, faculty, and alumni.
Thank you and I hope to hear from you,
Organizational Structure of the DIC:
Provost, Joe Cambray
Student Representative, Lizzie Rodriguez
Alumni Representative, Angela Sells
DIC Chair (through August 2016), Nuria Ciafolo
Faculty Diversity Subcommittee: Rae Johnson, Chair (presents to the Academic Senate), and Jorge de la O
