Hun School Strategic Plan for Cultural Competency

THE HUN SCHOOL OF PRINCETON’S

STRATEGIC PL AN FOR CULTURAL COMPETENCY 2020 - 2024

PUBLISHED: JULY 2020

INTRODUC TION We would like for every member of the Hun School of Princeton community to feel as if ‘Cultural Competency’ is relevant and relatable to their experience at Hun. Through increased and strategic programing, community assessment, and community outreach and relationship building we hope to implement strategies that will create a mutually beneficial community of cultural exchange and learning.

This strategic plan was drafted in 2020 with the help of numerous faculty and student leaders.

Otis Douce Director of Equity, Inclusion, and Global Diversity

CONTRIBUTORS CULTURAL COMPETENCY COMMITTEE (CCC) EXECUTIVE BOARD: Otis Douce, director of equity, inclusion, and global diversity Dayna Gash, ninth grade dean Chantille Kennedy, Middle School counselor Dara Martin, faculty, NextTerm co-director Meghan Poller ’95, associate director of resident life HUN SCHOOL CHAPTER OF SEEKING EDUCATIONAL EQUITY AND DIVERSITY (SEED): Dayna Gash, ninth grade dean Rory Hart, history and global studies faculty, director of John Gale Hun Program for Civics Education Davirah Timm-Dinkins, associate director of college counseling Black Student Union Group Black Student Union Parent Group Gender and Sexuality Awareness Group Student Government

SNAPSHOT OF STUDENT DEMOGRAPHY AT THE HUN SCHOOL 2019

55%

20%

56%

GENDER IDENTITY

RACE

42%

44% 2%

  

BIPOC

  

NON-WHITE WHITE

9%

FEMALE NON-BINARY MALE

8%

4%

6% 2% 2%

9%

SEXUAL IDENTITY

RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION

15%

58% 87%

  

HETEROSEXUAL

      

LGBTQ SELF-IDENTIFYING

CHRISTIAN NON-AFFILIATED JEWISH HINDU ATHEIST BUDDHIST MUSLIM

GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY

Home States

18

Home Countries

*The Hun School does not compile admission data on race or religion. The statistics above were generated by an anonymous Student Culture Survey, completed by 94% of Hun School students in 2019.

24

FOUNDATION The Hun School has a robust Cultural Competency curriculum, with several pinnacle programs currently in place. These programs have been designed to help create a mutually beneficial community of cultural exchange and learning. As a community there is a strong understanding that the creation of an equitable campus community is an ongoing commitment that requires continual learning and periodic assessment and reevaluation of the changing needs of students, faculty, and staff.

THE CULTURAL COMPETENCY COMMIT TEE Established in 2014, The Cultural Competency Committee is an advocacy group that identifies, recommends, and supports creative strategies for promoting and supporting campus diversity, inclusion, and equity. It works to establish effective and collaborative working relationships between departments, offices and student groups that will assist in fostering a supporting and equitable environment for Hun community members.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Named for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and established at Hun in January 2015, the MLK Leadership Summit is a three-day leadership-development institute for students. Participants in the MLK Summit have the opportunity to examine and develop their own leadership potential within a multicultural context.

FOUNDATION

The retreat is held annually at The Hun School for Upper School students who are interested in gaining a better understanding of diversity and working towards social justice at their respective schools and beyond. Trained facilitators provide a framework and opportunity for students to create a greater sense of community, explore critical issues related to social inequality, and expand their own potential for multicultural leadership in an emotionally safe environment.

The Summit is grounded in the Social Change Model of Leadership which believes leadership development is embedded in collaboration and concern for fostering positive social change.

The model examines leadership development from three different perspectives or levels: The Individual, The Group, and The Community/Society.

PROGRAMS IN PL ACE AT THE HUN SCHOOL TO ADVANCE STUDENT AND FACULT Y CULTURAL COMPETENCY EDUCATION: 

MLK Leadership Summit - Established 2015



National SEED Project, training for faculty, staff, and students



Bystander Training - Established 2017



Sexual Assault Training - Established 2017



Facilitating Difficult Conversations - Established 2018



Cultural Appropriation Training



Young Women’s Leadership Program



Establishment of the Cultural Competency Committee (CCC) - Established 2014



Anti bias training for all faculty/staff with Lee Mun Wah



The Hun Way, Middle School Cultural Competency/Anti-Racism, Positive Psychology, and Team-building Orientation Program - Initiated Fall 2019



White Ribbon Campaign



International Week and various cultural celebrations



Annual Day of Silence

FOUNDATION

PRINCETON COMMUNIT Y EVENTS HOSTED OR SUPPORTED BY THE HUN SCHOOL’S CULTURAL COMPETENCY COMMIT TEE: 

CCC and Community service: Hunger Banquet at Hinds Plaza in Downtown Princeton



Unity Walk



Ally Training for Princeton University students



Training for Princeton community members in conjunction with

Princeton Public Library and Not In Our Town Princeton (NIOT)

on difficult conversations and engaging in intergroup dialogue



Waking Up White Presentation with Debby Irving, in collaboration with PPL and NIOT



Sonia Nazario at Princeton Presbyterian Church, hosted by CCC



Facilitators for Princeton University Incoming Freshman Discussion



Princeton Slavery Project, facilitated and hosted by CCC and NIOT



The Germination Project in Philadelphia



The Princeton Migration Project



Angst at Princeton Garden Theater

DIVERSIT Y-BASED CLUBS AND AFFINIT Y GROUPS 

The Asian Culture Club



Gender and Sexuality Awareness Club



Black Student Union



Jewish Studies and Culture Club



Buddies without Borders



Latin American and Culture Club



Diversity Club



Masala Club



Gender Equity Matters Club



Middle Eastern Society

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Cultural Competency Programs are broken into three main areas.

INTRA-COMMUNITY INTER-COMMUNITY COMMUNITY ADVANCEMENT

INTRA-COMMUNIT Y: Intra-community work focuses on constituency-based support and education, particularly for historically and socially marginalized and underserved communities.

Programming and resources can include exploring the intersections of multiple identities within a community, learning about the history of social oppression and how it affects a community, and celebrating the experiences and heritage of a group.

INTER-COMMUNIT Y: Inter-community work focuses on cross-cultural dialogue and building bridges with others across communities. Programming and resources that fall within this area encourages community education and collaboration among different communities and supports the forming of allies groups.

COMMUNIT Y ADVANCEMENT: Building upon both the intra-community and inter-community, community advancement speaks to the work to change individual, cultural, and institutional actions and policies that may discriminate or marginalize any group. An integral part of this area is strategically engaging, working, and collaborating with many areas of the Hun community, including faculty and alumni. Programming and resources may include cultural competency education and training across campus as well as advocacy on the institutional level.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Process 1. Develop a rolling four-year strategic plan that reinforces Hun’s

commitment to the core theme of Diversity and Inclusion; 2 . Discuss frameworks, strategies, initiatives, programs, and actions Hun

could proactively implement that can address issues of inclusion, access,

diversity, and global engagement; 3. Monitor external trends, national, local and community dynamics,

uncertain budgetary forecast, etc., that could threaten or create setbacks

in Hun’s diversity efforts.

Summary of Goals and Priorities 

Develop a common language and focus.



Develop a culture of accountability on issues of inclusion and equity.



Create a culture of collective responsibility around inclusion.



Create a framework for on-going internal programming and continued

assessment and reevaluation of programming and curriculum.



Create systems for reporting and tracking and responding to bias incidents on campus.

AC TIONS Specific actions and approaches that will be taken and implemented by The Hun School in order to create a more inclusive campus community in practice and in policy.

1. Structure and Accountability a. Express commitment to diversity and equity through the inclusion of diversity

position in Administrative Team, Completed June, 2020; b. Ongoing Board of Trustees commitment to enlisting diverse Trustee

candidates and participating in equity training;

c.

Expansion of the Cultural Competency Stipend positions; d.

Faculty evaluations to include Identity Standards and how well they are incorporating

those standards into the curriculum during year end review;

e.

Policy on language in-person and online that reinforces School values and

commitment to address behavior that can erode community standards;

f.

Administrative team sets a goal of 100% of the faculty going through SEED training

in the next five years;

g.

Student survey on diversity and equity once every four years.

AC TIONS

2. Programming and Curriculum a. Support club and affinity group space and structure; i.

Ensure appropriate time is established for clubs to meet regularly

ii. Support and provide structure for advisors

1. Training

2 .

Stipend

3.

Program management iii.

Support student leaders through training and assistant with club management b. Introduce and develop scope and sequence of Social Justice Standards and

benchmarks in programming efforts;

i.

The Hun Way, Middle School Cultural Competency/Anti-Racism,

Positive Psychology, and Team-building Orientation Program, Initiated Fall 2019

ii.

SEED student training, Initiated Fall 2019 iii.

Student club activities and Intra- and Inter-Community programming c. Intentional and conscious efforts to broaden representation in School assemblies

and speakers;

d. Support of and collaboration with Residential Life ; i.

Work with director of residential life and team to support and create

intentional programming that creates community and intentionally works

to create equitable spaces.

ii.

Increase interaction between domestic and international students. iii.

Mitigate the barriers for community building. iv.

Tailor programming to support the specific needs of boarding students.

Create a Middle School Cultural Competency Committee;

e.

i.

Create programming more flexible and responsive to the needs of

6-8 grade student development.

ii.

Develop Middle School faculty leaders through training internally and

externally, that will help drive curriculum development and responsive

programming. f. Increase attendance and visibility at Cultural Celebrations; i.

Partner with department heads to connect curriculum to cultural programing g. Increase online outreach and visibility to reach students quickly and implement

passive programming; i. Keeps parents, faculty, staff and alumni engaged and informed in events on campus.

AC TIONS

3. Inclusive and Equitable Climate:

Introduce new processes to strengthen the focus on diversity, inclusion, and the broader climate a. Introduce departmental- and division-based Diversity and Values Statements

and specific annual goals;

b. Conduct a departmental curriculum audit: How are different identities represented

in the curriculum and what stories are either being told or left out;

c. Commitment to regular surveys and reviews of climate, workload, and experience; d. Establish an Exit Interview Process for capturing testimonies of faculty who depart; e. Regular review of discipline data and update handbook policies regarding bias language,

including the use of social media on and off campus;

f. Parents Association to consider the addition of a DEI position to the Executive Committee.

4. Faculty Development:

Increase the capacity of faculty and staff to identify and respond to bias, harassment,

and problematic language, through internal and external training. a. Offer workshops for chairs and others in leadership positions on diversity, inclusion,

and equity:

i.

Having difficult conversations ii.

Responding to bias and problematic language iii.

Personal identity work and self-reflection iv.

Bystander training v.

Teaching English Language learners b. Faculty assessment to include cultural competency benchmarks; c. Adopt percentage goals for Hun faculty and administration to complete SEED training.

AC TIONS

5. Diversity Recruitment a. Human Resources and Admission included in internal and external trainings.

Unconscious bias training and standard for hiring teams as well as the development

of a standard for hiring for all search committees;

b. Hiring and expanding diversity outreach for positions at Hun; c. Develop long-term recruitment plan and promotional tools to attract diverse and

culturally competent candidates;

d. Support retention for faculty of color through the development of mentoring programs

to support new teachers;

e. Active and ongoing recruitment for diversity on The Hun School’s Board of Trustees

(gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion, etc.)

f. Partner with Admission on student recruitment including panels, student interviews,

leveraging alumni and parent relationships.

g. Assist with student retention through mentorship and identifying students who

could have trouble transitioning to Hun. This could include race, social class, gender

identity, nationality or other identities.

6. Establish a Community Engagement Team a. Breakdown silos in programming around critical service learning; b. Create common language and goals around critical service-learning: i.

A social change orientation ii.

Working to redistribute control iii.

Developing authentic relationships c. Develop long term skill building through service, diversity, and global

programming partnership.

ANCHOR STANDARDS IDENTIT Y ANCHOR STANDARDS 1. Students will develop positive social identities based on their membership in

multiple groups in society.

2 . Students will develop language and historical and cultural knowledge that affirm

and accurately describe their membership in multiple identity groups.

3. Students will recognize that people’s multiple identities interact and create unique

and complex individuals.

4 . Students will express pride, confidence and healthy self-esteem without denying

the value and dignity of others people.

5. Students will recognize traits of the dominant culture, their home culture and

others cultures and other cultures and understand how they negotiate their

own identity in multiple spaces.

DIVERSIT Y ANCHOR STANDARDS 1. Students will express comfort with people who are both similar to and different

from them and engage respectfully with all people.

2 . Students will develop language and knowledge to accurately and respectfully describe

how people (including themselves) are both similar and different from each other and

others in their identity groups.

3. Students will respectfully express curiosity about the history and lived experiences

of others and will exchange ideas and beliefs in an open-minded way.

4 . Students will respond to diversity by building empathy, respect, understanding,

and connection.

5. Students will examine diversity in social, cultural, political and historical contexts

rather than in ways that are superficial or oversimplified.

ANCHOR STANDARDS

JUSTICE ANCHOR STANDARDS 1. Students will recognize stereotypes and relate to people as individuals rather than

representatives of groups.

2 . Student will recognize unfairness on the individual level (e.g., bias speech) and injustice

at the institutional or systemic level (e.g., discrimination).

3. Students will analyze the harmful impact of bias and injustice on the world,

historically and today.

4 . Students will recognize that power and privilege influence relationships on

interpersonal, intergroup and institutional levels and consider how they have been

affected by those dynamics.

5. Students will identify figures, groups, events and a variety of strategies and

philosophies relevant to the history of social justice around the world.

AC TION ANCHOR STANDARDS 1. Students will express empathy when people are excluded or mistreated because

of their identities and concerns when they see bias.

2 . Students will recognize their own responsibility to stand up to exclusion,

prejudice and injustice.

3. Students will speak up with courage and respect when they or someone else has

been hurt or wronged by bias.

4 . Students will make principled decisions about when and how to take a stand against bias

and injustice in their everyday lives and will do so despite negative peer or group pressure.

5. Students will plan and carry out collective action against bias and injustice in the world

and will evaluate what strategies are most effective.

“It is a power, the way of peace, the way of love, the way of non-violence.

We are trying our best to inspire another generation of young people not just in America, but around the world, to stand up, be brave, to be courageous.

And, when you see something that’s not right, make a little noise.”

– THE L ATE CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIS AT THE HUN SCHOOL IN 2015

THE HUN SCHOOL OF PRINCETON 176 EDGERSTOUNE ROAD PRINCETON, NJ 08540 (609) 921-7600

HUNSCHOOL .ORG