Administration, students evaluate inclusivity goals under new diversity officer

In direct response to the Diversity Report that helped shape the strategic plan approved by the Board of Trustees in November 2013, Tufts created the new administrative position of chief diversity officer (CDO) which, it hopes, will provide a more strategic approach to addressing the university's diversity and inclusion issues. Recently, Tufts announced that Dr. Mark Brimhall-Vargas of the University of Maryland will fill the position.

According to Adriana Zavala, an associate professor of art history and the chair of the undergraduate working group for the CDO search committee, the establishment of the CDO position was based on one of the Diversity Report's main findings.

“We were all in entire agreement that not only did Tufts need a chief diversity officer, but also that this person needed to have a very clear and direct working relationship with the President, [and] also with the Provost's office,” Zavala said.

According to Tufts' description of the CDO position, Brimhall-Vargas will report to Provost David Harris and will work with the executive vice president, while also communicating with University President Anthony Monaco.

Brimhall-Vargas will be arriving on campus on April 6, as noted in a recent TuftsNow article. Zavala believes that Brimhall-Vargas' expertise in the field will be valuable.

“I’m thrilled that Dr. Brimhall-Vargas is coming,” Zavala said. “I think that he is going to be able to hit the ground running; he has [had] really extraordinary experience at the University of Maryland.”

According to Zavala, a search committee consisting of students, faculty and staff across the university worked for a period of 18-20 months to search for potential candidates.

Zavala said that the three working groups within the committee -- the Academic Policy and Structures group, the Graduate Professionals working group and the undergraduate group -- played an important role in the process of deciding how the Tufts community can be made more diverse and inclusive.

"It’s not just about necessarily including people, but it’s also something in analyzing and assessing if the structures are the best structures.” Zavala said.

The CDO's main task will be to address campus issues related to maintaining a culture of inclusion and diversity, especially those issues identified in the Diversity report, according to Dr. Keith Maddox, an associate professor of psychology and chair of the search committee.

“The CDO will be responsible for working to address the various concerns related to diversity, campus climate and inclusion efforts,” Professor Maddox told the Daily in an email. “The idea behind a CDO position is to make sure that these efforts go forth in ways that are consistent with university values and best practices, but are flexible enough to address the needs of a wide variety of stakeholders on campus.”

The degree to which the CDO would have an influence on policy was a central question on which the working groups, according to Zavala.

“The number one recommendation that came through from all working groups was the importance of having a chief diversity officer with real significant power," Zavala said.

Zavala said that although the position will be mostly focused on the Medford campus, the CDO will be responsible for working with Tufts' other campuses as well.

“The Grafton, Boston campuses, Fletcher, Friedman School of Nutrition, the Dental School -- this person is going to have to coordinate diversity initiatives across the University,” she said.

Though the position of chief diversity officer is new to Tufts, a number of other universities already have similar positions. According to Zavala, many of the candidates have had exceptional experience not only with research on diversity issues, but also with implementing the suggestions of that research.

The creation of the CDO position has been met both with optimism and questions by the Tufts community. According to TCU LGBTQ representative Renee Vallejo, cooperation between the CDO and already-existing Tufts student groups on matters of diversity and inclusivity will be necessary.

“I am not quite sure how Dr. [Brimhall-Vargas] will impact campus, but I do think the new chief diversity officer’s impact will really depend on how he views his position in relation to the student body,” Vallejo said. “There are many groups and students on campus that have been doing work in the advancement of diversity for a very long time, so engaging in dialogue with those students will really define what his impact will be.”

The job description also says that the CDO is expected to spend his or her initial time at Tufts meeting with students, faculty and staff in order to learn more about the Tufts community and to observe the cultures of each of the three campuses. 

The position reveals Tufts’ support for examining preexisting institutions in order to redefine diversity initiatives university-wide, but some people, like Vallejo, still question the motives behind the position.

“The issues that Tufts hopes this position will address are not just issues, they are the lives of many students every single day,” Vallejo said. “They are my life. I live those issues. So although they may not be just his work but his outlook on life, I hope Dr. [Brimhall-Vargas] understands that whatever he does should be a continuation on what is already being done here. His showing up to campus is not a new start, but a continuation of what students already do for themselves and for Tufts.”

According to Maddox, the creation of the CDO position shows that Tufts is moving in the right direction.

“The position should communicate to students that Tufts, as an institution, is ready to do the hard work to make this happen,” Maddox said.

At the same time, Maddox believes that the position should make students more aware of diversity issues, which will be helpful in students' personal lives and beneficial for the whole community.

“In the short term, this would mean that students develop greater awareness of diversity-related issues and their own role in shaping the campus climate in ways that can be productive or counterproductive,"  Maddox said. "In the long term, students should be able use this skill set to deal with, and hopefully avoid, future conflicts at Tufts and in their personal and professional lives that will serve them well in the future.”

Vallejo understands the need for a Tufts environment that is more inclusive for all students, but they are hesitant about the motives behind the creation of the new position.

“I would not say it is a bad thing ... I do not believe that Tufts has negative intentions,” Vallejo said. “The question is always, who is Tufts doing this for? Is Tufts doing this for the students or for their image? And that is one question that always gets evaded.”