By: Megan Marron ’18, Staff Writer
After three days of fog and rain, the sun began to shine as Dr. Charles H.F. Davis gave the keynote address at the Fourth Annual Symposium for Inclusive Excellence at Lebanon Valley College.
According to the College’s website, the purpose of the symposium, held on Tuesday, Jan. 24, was to encourage “students and staff to learn, grow, and commit as a campus to comprehensive and continuing engagement with [LVC’s] diverse community.”
Keynote speaker Dr. Charles H.F. Davis is currently the director of higher education research and initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education. Davis travels around the nation studying and addressing campuses about social issues and student movements.
The opening address was attended by an estimated 1,000 students; Davis discussed issues of marginalized groups in communities all around the country. Davis challenged students and staff to take risks in order to create change in society.
“We can all live in a democratic society only if democracy is upheld by those that are in power recognizing that their power is to uphold and listen to the voices of the people and people who are continually and historically marginalized and oppressed,” Davis said.
Following the keynote, President Lewis E. Thayne addressed the student body on similar issues and restated the College’s dedication to equality and excellence. He also shared some of the areas of growth that had occurred since the 2016 Symposium of Inclusive Excellence. The expansion of recruitment services to continue in diversifying the campus, the instillation of a new Africana Studies program, the new Presidential fund for inclusive excellence, growth in the accessibility project on campus for those with disabilities, intercultural and cross-cultural training for all faculty of the College, and the presentation of plans for a Center for Intercultural Learning on campus.
“We are a college because of the social and cultural impact we can have on society,” President Thayne said.
Following his speech, President Thayne awarded the President’s service award to the Colleges against Cancer club, which organizes campus events such as breast cancer awareness week and Relay for Life.
This symposium is a point of pride for those who help to plan the event. Todd Snovel, the Director of Student Engagement, was proud to share that within the first 24 hours of registration being posted for the event, more than 400 students had signed up for the educational sessions.
Overall, the day-long symposium served its purpose by increasing awareness throughout the LVC community.
“My biggest takeaway from [the symposium] was that the best way to learn and to lead is to listen,” Erin Kingham, a junior physical therapy major, said.
Students are excited for the event to continue in the coming years.
mnm003@lvc.edu