In the midst of an administrative push from College President Phil Hanlon to increase faculty diversity and retention, a new group for women faculty and staff of color called EmpowHer is aiming to create a community to support its members, both personally and professionally.
Assistant director for equal opportunity and affirmative action Beatriz Cantada, who serves as the advisor for EmpowHer, said that the organization was created last fall after several Dartmouth staff and faculty felt a need to organize a resource specifically for women of color.
“This started because a few people have been a part of a certain network in their previous institutions, wherever they worked, but also they are currently involved in other groups and seeing the success of other groups,” she said. “They wanted a group specifically for this category.”
EmpowHer operates under the umbrella of the Employee Resource Network, which accommodates affinity groups comprised of faculty, staff, families and Upper Valley community members and attempts to contribute to the social and personal development of its members. The recognized groups on campus are the Black Caucus, Native American Council, Latino Council, GLTBQA network, International Employee Network, Veterans Network and Pan Asian Caucus.
Arlene Velez-Galan, a counselor in Counseling and Human Development, said she joined EmpowHer while searching for a safe space in which she could share her experiences and build a sense of community in the area.
About 10 Dartmouth staff members were at the first brainstorming meeting for EmpowHer last fall, Cantada said, where the group discussed their vision for EmpowHer as well as who among the members in the meeting would be interested in volunteering for the organization.
River Cluster community director and EmpowHer member Echelle Avelar wrote in an email that she joined EmpowHer so that she could have an environment where she could build friendships and feel included. Having grown up in Southern California surrounded by diverse communities and cultures, she found the transition to Hanover difficult and lonely at times, she wrote. She added that she feels as though many minority students, staff and faculty struggle to maintain their individual culture in this environment.
Each organization in the Employee Resource Network receives a budget of $500 each academic year. The presidential steering committee for “Moving Dartmouth Forward” suggested in their final January report that this funding be increased significantly “to encourage more robust and innovative programming within these networks.”
Asian and Middle Eastern languages and literatures professor Hua-yuan Li Mowry said that EmpowHer is an initiative in which she would love to take part, although she added that her busy schedule makes it difficult for her to commit time to the group.
“The problem is we are all so busy, and I sometimes even debate whether I should go to a faculty meeting,” she said. “We’re all so overwhelmed by various tasks, duties and requests both from the College and the students, but I think it’s a wonderful initiative. It’s a new thing, and I do hope there’s some sort of funding.”
EmpowHer is currently meeting on a regular monthly or bi-monthly basis and is still social in nature. The group had its first event — a wine and cheese event — in January, she said. Staff members bought the wine and the Employee Resource Network funded the cheese and crackers.
“Right now it’s community building, getting the word out and coming together as a group, but ultimately they would like to serve as a networking resource for folks on campus and a network of support to help navigate through Dartmouth culture,” Cantada said.
In its current state, Cantada said, the group provides career advice, networking, mentorship and support for any personal or professional concerns.
“If you’re not a woman and you’re not a person of color that doesn’t mean you can’t be part of this,” Cantada said. “You’re more than welcome to join us but this is primarily support for the women who self-identify as such.”
Cantada said that once EmpowHer has more financial resources, the group would like to expand and incorporate an educational component, which would include inviting speakers to campus and holding events with other Employee Resource Network organizations.
EmpowHer and other Employee Resource Network groups want to become a voice for campus issues, she said.
“The President or the Provost, if there are campus issues, can utilize any of these groups...for their advice and for their counsel to help address any issues particularly if it’s related to diversity,” Cantada said.
Avelar said that she hopes that EmpowHer can provide unity and support for any professional women on campus.
She said that EmpowHer’s existence demonstrates that there is a need to support faculty and staff of color on campus and that there are people who are proactively seeking such a resource.
“I’m sure there are other faculty and staff we haven’t reached out to,” Cantada said. “If they’re craving or wanting support, I’m sure there are other pockets within the College that are also wanting that too and may not know that it exists.”
She said that the main ways in which EmpowHer advertises its resources are through word of mouth, Facebook and Vox Daily emails.
Currently, EmpowHer is comprised of about 12 staff members and zero members of faculty. After advertising via Vox Daily, seven additional people expressed interest in EmpowHer, Cantada said.
EmpowHer member and Tucker Foundation service and education coordinator Danise Olague said that she is looking forward to collaborating with more resource networks to create events that can facilitate community building among the different groups. She added that the purpose was not only community building and social events but also events about development and diversity at the College.
Cantada said that the affinity groups under the Employee Resource network are built-in resources for faculty and staff members who have just begun working at the College.
“People feel that they belong and that they have a sense of community, and the fact that our groups are growing and EmpowHer was a new group that recently formed, it really goes to show that there is a need and desire to build a sense of community and to come together and be recognized for the College,” she said.
Cantada said that EmpowHer is planning to meet together four more times before the fiscal year ends in July, and one of these meetings will be a collaboration event with the Black Caucus and GLBTQA in March.
