Antioch MFA Student Affinity Groups
Antioch MFA Student Affinity Groups (SAGs)
Student Affinity Groups (SAGs) are voluntary, student-led groups of Antioch MFA Program students who come together based on a shared interest, identity, or experience. These student-led groups are open to all members of the community and are meant to provide opportunities to form meaningful connections amongst students.
Each group is a place to find belonging around shared experiences, ideas, and identities; as well as an opportunity to learn perspectives that may be different from your own. Antioch MFA students may join more than one SAG and organize meetings, activities, and other events as you deem appropriate. Based on student surveys, we are launching with the following SAGs. Each SAG will be a Google Group that students can sign up for.
BIPOC: A student-led safe space for BIPOC writers to dialogue, share resources, and create community.
JOIN HERE
Group posting email address: mfa-bipoc@antioch.edu
LGBTQIA+: A student-led safe space for LGBTQIA+ writers to dialogue, share resources, and create community.
Group posting email address: mfa-lgbtqia@antioch.edu
Writers with Disabilities: A student-led safe space for writers with disabilities to dialogue, share resources, and create community.
Group posting email address: mfa-writers-with-disabilities@antioch.edu
Parenting: A student-led safe space for writers who are parents to dialogue, share resources, and create community.
Group posting email address: mfa-parenting@antioch.edu
Mental Health: A student-led safe space for writers dealing with mental health issues to dialogue, share resources, and create community.
Group posting email address: mfa-mental-health@antioch.edu
How to use Google Groups
Using Google Groups is easy: Follow the join link and click "Join". If you see an error message, make sure you're logged in on Antioch account. This is a common error when more than one Google account is used at the same time.
When you click "Join", you will be automatically approved. You can create a new post by emailing to the group's email address. Each group email address is listed above. Each group email will have a link at the bottom to view the group on the web, or to opt out.
SAG Conduct Guidelines
Group Responsibility
All participants in any group should take collective responsibility to establish a safe and generous discursive space where multiple, respectful perspectives can arise. All members should approach any discussion aware of their privileges (in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, class etc.) How might this privilege inflect our responses? If discussion becomes heated, take a collective breath as a group. If you’re feeling uncomfortable, you might choose to listen to other responses and comments before you speak yourself. If disagreement or conflict arises, think of this as an opportunity to explore this mindfully, safely, bravely, and in a spirit of self-reflexive generosity.
Group Agreements
As a group, you may choose to create a group agreement and modify as you see fit. One example is by McKensie Mack, an Anti-Oppression Consultant:
We agree to:
We agree to struggle against intersecting prejudices and biases, including against racism, sizeism, transphobia, classism, and ableism;
We agree to examine our (mis)conceptions of our own identities and the identities of others;
We know that no space can be completely safe, and we agree to work together toward harm reduction. We know we can't agree to safety but we can agree to harm reduction;
If you are generally quiet, step up and practice speaking more. If you are generally a talker, practice stepping back and listening more;
We agree to sit with discomfort that comes with having conversations about race, gender, identity, etc… we agree to try our best to not shame ourselves for the vulnerability that these kinds of growth conversations require;
We are open to value the viewpoints of other people that do not challenge or conflict with our right to exist;
We agree that it's okay to have feelings. It's okay to feel uncomfortable when we are discussing complex topics about accountability, equity, relationships, justice and care.
Seeking Help
Sometimes, even with the best of intentions and preparation, things don’t go according to plan and challenges arise. If at any time you feel the need for help, please reach out to the MFA Team to step in and provide support. Sometimes it’s useful to have a third party join in and help support a struggling group. Please reach out for help anytime and sooner rather than later. We are all here to support you!