The President’s Advisory Team for Diversity and Inclusion (PATDI) is grateful that Chimes provides a place for students to share with our community. PATDI is three years old and supports the college’s vision for diversity and inclusion. Advising the college president and working with the executive associate to the president for diversity and inclusion, PATDI seeks to promote deep, pervasive, meaningful change in the college’s understanding and practice of diversity and inclusion.

We are thankful for opportunities to hear from students like Ms. Findlay. We recognize that her essay may reflect to varying extents the sentiments of others in our community. Prior to Ms. Findlay’s essay, PATDI and others on campus were working to develop a comprehensive response mechanism for the very catalyzing and provocative racial issues of our times.  Moving forward we hope to meet with Ms. Findlay to hear more from her.

PATDI is committed to serving our community. Our work includes, at times, hearing even painful criticism, which can reflect a limited vantage. We see the concerns raised about Calvin’s response to the incident in Charlottesville as an opportunity to pursue greater transparency and we invite student voices to the table to help shape our community.

Speaking in truth and with grace during this divisive time in our nation’s history is a challenge that leaves us likely to fall short; but when we do, we will own it and do better.  In this spirit, we are working to offer a longer statement in the near future that can contribute in good ways to this important conversation.

Together, Calvin College seeks to equip not only students but also our entire campus community to think deeply, act justly and live wholeheartedly as Christ’s agent of renewal.

President’s Advisory Team for Diversity and Inclusion,

President Michael Le Roy, Michelle Loyd-Paige, Christina Edmondson, Nygil Likely, William Katerberg, Pennylyn Dykstra-Pruim, Ruth Witte, Deirdre Honner, Rick Treur