I was never interested in writing an opinion article, but after hearing of the resignation of Aja Ellington and Lawrence Giden, whose position was terminated, I felt strongly about speaking on this. 

I feel as though we shouldn’t look at how many students look like me. We should be focusing on how many faculty I can go to that look like me.

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Now, if you don’t know who these people were then I truly feel sorry for you. They were both prominent figures in the black community here on the Goshen College campus. Ellington, being the previous director of the diversity, equity and inclusion committee and Giden being an admissions counselor for graduate students. 

They were both heavily involved in the community by assisting in events that had celebrated black excellence throughout last year. And now with an incoming class that is teeming with people who fall under the BIPOC category, these figures are vitally important. 

Currently, out of 227 total full-time employees, only 15% identify themselves as BIPOC. In contrast, the student body has a total of 895 with 45% of us identifying as BIPOC. 

This stark difference is drastic. And if you’re a visual learner and want to see this discrepancy, I dare you to look up the GC faculty photo of 2022. 

Now, I am not saying all of this to discredit all of the work that our current BIPOC faculty has done, I wish to do quite the opposite. The work that Jesse Loewen, Cyneatha Millsaps, and Gilberto Perez Jr. have done is important and should be highlighted to show how big of an impact they have on this campus. But it is when you shed a light on that ratio difference where it becomes apparent that this school is still struggling in the faculty diversity department. 

We do our best to claim that we are a diverse campus community, and the numbers don’t lie. The student body is thriving and we are a Hispanic Serving Institution, but it isn’t enough. I am a senior at GC and there have been times where I have needed help with a personal problem. 

I have gone to Jesse Loewen for help but since I have been here longer, there are other black students who need his support more than I do. And this is where my point lies. I feel as though we shouldn’t look at how many students look like me. We should be focusing on how many faculty I can go to that look like me. And the same thing can go for my peers who also have to push their way through to find any real semblance of home in this place. 

Obviously there are clubs that are present to help students cope with these heavy feelings like BSU, ASU, and the new Muslim Student Association. But there comes a point where you have to look at it objectively. 

You have this one BIPOC faculty member who probably feels responsible for the well-being of all the students that look like them. I can’t speak for them myself but I do worry that this is the way they feel. The feeling of loneliness and not knowing where you can go to find someone to help because they were afraid to talk to someone different. 

“So what, Dontaye? What do you expect us to do about the lack of faculty? We’re just students who go here.” Exactly. We’re students who go to GC, a campus that prides themselves on being inclusive and loving. So push them to love deeper and to try branching out a bit more. More diverse hiring so we can feel comfortable. looking at the photos on the walls. Maybe even push for a new theater professor while you’re at it. 

Dontaye Albert is a theater major from Orlando, Florida. He enjoys playing the drums and acting; he can be seen in Little Shop of Horrors at Goshen Theater, playing Audrey II October 18-20.

Editors note: In total, there are 847 students including graduate students. 54% of Goshen College students, undergraduate and graduate, are not white.