BEE Newsletter

So many new connections, friendships, experiences, and moments of vulnerability and compassion have made this a memorable, joyful, and supportive year so far. We started the school year with our annual Magis First-Year Retreat in August, welcoming new students to SI and the Magis Program and building community for and around first-generation college-bound and Black, Indigenous, Latinx, students of color.

As we enter our second full year of on-campus learning, we wanted to be cognizant about how our community is re-entering learning environments and in some ways re-learning how to engage one another. Part of this re-engagement includes building systems and processes that support our teachers and enhance the student experience at St. Ignatius. 

Over the past few months I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with a variety of members of our community. The purpose of these meetings was to reemphasize the importance of belonging through highlighting our similarities, recognizing our differences as learning mechanisms, and to provide updates on the work we are doing.

If you're looking for books or articles to read, we have several suggestions for pieces that moved us in different ways.

In order to better serve our community and improve Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at SI, we are making adjustments to our current Magis Center for Equity and Inclusion and the overall DEIB organizational structure at the school.

History is contested because what we learn about the past often reflects who we are in the present and who we aspire to be in the future. SI's Ethnic Studies social science program embraces this tension. 

Beginning in March 2022, SI is implementing processes that more closely align the school with standards and benchmarks other Jesuit schools use to achieve inclusive hiring, which we believe will support the hiring and retention of the best faculty and staff available.

The Magis Center for Equity and Inclusion is pleased to announce we will be taking nine amazing students on the inaugural Magis Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) College Tour. From April 18–22, 2022, we will visit colleges and universities in Atlanta, including Spelman, Morehouse, and Clark Atlanta. This college tour is an important opportunity for our students who identify as Black and African American to witness and be exposed to a predominantly Black college and university experience and is designed to encourage, support and motivate students to pursue HBCU post-secondary education.