About 30 faculty and staff members gathered October 15 for the first Asian Affinity Group meeting.
It’s the second affinity group established at Grand Valley for faculty and staff members of color. The Latin@ Faculty and Staff Association began organizing in the spring semester; it is chaired by Carlos Rodriguez and Natalia Gomez.
Connie Dang, director of Multicultural Affairs, said her office has worked closely with the Division of Inclusion and Equity to create these groups. The catalyst to do so, Dang said, came from recommendations outlined in the 2011 campus climate study and efforts to increase recruitment and retention of students, faculty and staff members of color.
“We looked at models of faculty and staff groups at other universities,” Dang said. “The affinity group model supports recruitment and retention efforts and helps create a sense of community.”
Shaily Menon, CLAS associate dean and professor of biology, said the next steps for the Asian Affinity Group are to establish working groups and appoint chairs and officers.
The meeting was held at the L. William Seidman Center. Other event
hosts were Kin Ma, assistant professor of geography and planning, and
Patrick Shan, associate professor of history.
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