Meeting President Susan Scrimshaw

After the first forum meeting to discuss the hate mail (see previous posts) sent to a Simmons professor, I made an appointment to meet President Susan Scrimshaw. Only ten minutes were allotted for the time with the President, so I wanted to have at least three points to bring up from my side of the table. This is what I came up with:

1. The library is not an unwelcoming place, at least, not fundamentally. I have observed with my own eyes and ears how every librarian from the top down to student workers strives to make the library inclusive and easy-to-use. So, if there's a negative perception about the library, I wanted to zero in on what was causing the perception and change it.
   
2. A forum such as the one that happened the previous week needed to be repeated for students. The response at the forum was extremely positive and displayed strength--not the intended result of whoever authored the hate mail.
3. The culture of micro-insults that exists in the hallways wasn't limited to just race and gender--ageism exists at Simmons, too.

With those talking points burned into my brain, I met President Scrimshaw. She's awesome. We discussed what was said about the library. She clarified that she believed the unwelcoming attitude and atmosphere were being created before guests were entering the library. The guests in questions were teenagers participating in a summer program using Simmons' facilities. I remember that Upward Bound used the library a lot during the summer; and foreign exchange students made their home at Simmons at the same time. Usually, these groups are given an orientation and tour before their programs begin--much like the admissions tours that go year-round. My suggestion was that the tour guides feel free to stop at the circulation desk and introduce their group to the desk workers. Especially during the summer, the patron traffic is infrequent. Stopping for a moment to exchange greetings with new patrons wouldn't be a big deal.

Then, I reiterated that a forum for students should be organized. Lo, and behold! The Diversity Council and the Office of Multicultural Affairs were hosting a forum the next day. President Scrimshaw mentioned green fliers around campus (yes, I saw them afterward--easy to pick out by the color, but teeny-tiny type and not easily scanned). After the meeting, I noticed that the event was posted on the Announcements web page on MySimmons. That one was easy.

The rest of our meeting turned to more personal topics. Honestly, I was impressed. I was cautiously hopeful about how the incident was going to be handled after talking to President Scrimshaw. Cautiously--because I'm big believer in waiting for action and not betting the rent on just talk.

The coolest thing about the meeting was the example of leadership that President Scrimshaw provided. She was open, confident and ready to exchange ideas. It was very different from the last experience I had with a college president. I "hung out" with the president of my former college. We tipped a pint back together--he was awfully diffident, awfully British. I definitely wasn't inspired, just disconcerted. I was a true freshman back then. Back to the future, President Scrimshaw gave me a template of the kind of leader I want to be.

Before attending Simmons, I sort of pooh-poohed female colleges. My take was you eventually have to join the world of men upon graduation, so you might as well get used to them. I've changed my stance a bit. At a women's college, you get to see women leaders close-up not compromising themselves or accommodating the male prerogative that is embedded in US society. And, a light goes on, "Oh! That's how you do it." I don't think I would single-sex my kid's entire education, but I definitely see how there's an advantage for girls to get rid of the boys for a while.

[I will post about the student forum soon.]