Our advocacy on behalf of marginalized students and ensuring equity is one of the core tenets of our platform. We have worked to establish a strong relationship with Multicultural Organizations and other affinity groups. Being minority students attending a PWI, we know that building trust with other marginalized students is important in ensuring good representation and sound policymaking. We know that DEI does and absolutely should include the needs of students with disabilities, FGLI students, women, LGBTQIA+ students, and students of other marginalized backgrounds. Above all, we know that terms like "diversity" and "inclusivity" are constantly thrown around without any real policy or meaningful impact behind them. We, too, are tired of being used as opportunities to score brownie points and know that we have the knowledge and experience necessary to make a real, positive impact on the lives of our marginalized community members.
Previous and Current Work:
Wrote legislation funding and supporting:
The first-ever (and second) QTPOC Formal
The upcoming Art & Hatsuye Ball
The Asian Centennial Ball (2022)
Mock Mehndi 2022
Holi Celebration 2022
Wrote legislation funding Iftar meals for the Muslim community on campus for the past three years
Pushed for MCO-specific finance help sessions
Policy Moving Forward:
We plan to continue to fund, support, and promote cultural events on campus, as well as get students across many campus communities involved in upper-level decision-making meetings. We will build on strengthening our existing relationships with university departments, such as the CSD.
Supporting and uplifting the capacity of and restoring funding to the Committee for Contextualization of Campus Landmarks & Iconography (CCLI). The committee is currently tied up in financial complications and we're working to restore funding. We understand the significance of our school's history and the weight it holds not only for our campus, but for the surrounding community. We want to hear and amplify the voices of students and work in conjunction with student and staff representatives, the CCLI, and academic departments to allocate funds and resources towards relevant research.
Protecting the student right to protest and organize. William & Mary has always been a politically active campus, with demonstrations and protests happening for a variety of causes, especially in the last year. We support and understand the importance of these actions, and we also know that certain groups of students and organizations have been penalized for organizing, while others have not. Our team fully supports our students' right to protest, and we want to make sure that they are protected. We will continue to advocate for these rights both to higher administration and to the broader campus community.
Advocate for the rights of LGBTQIA+ Students, especially LGBTQIA+ students of color. We know that a lot of queer spaces and voices on our campus are overwhelmingly white, and we want to ensure that Queer people of color feel welcomed and heard both within and outside of their own communities. We plan to create working groups with QTPOC, the Student Assembly Department of Diversity Initiatives, the CSD, and academic departments to ensure that these identities are seen and heard. We will also sponsor initiatives in conjunction with academic departments to educate people about LGBTQIA+ history.