Te’Asia Martin, the new Assistant Director of Diversity and Campus Engagement, is originally from Michigan. Her hometown is about 30 minutes west of Grand Rapids, which is her favorite city in her home state. When I asked if it had been difficult to adjust to the southern culture of Kentucky, her answer was simple, yet nuanced.

“It’s actually been a really nice blend of some Southern culture and still some Midwest tendencies,” she said. Martin  explained that her sorority included Kentucky within their Midwest conferences, while most definitions include Kentucky as a southern state.

Martin joined Sigma Gamma Rho, a historically black sorority, in 2011 while she was getting her undergraduate degree at Grand Valley State University. While she wasn’t able to pay the dues of her sorority in her last three years of her undergraduate years due to financial difficulties, she has been able to pay her dues in the four years after graduating.

After earning her Bachelor’s degree in vocal music with an African American Studies minor, along with pieces of experience in education working as a preschool teacher’s assistant, she took a gap year to work at the Michigan College Access Network. Working there, she said realized she needed to go to graduate school, and continued on to earn her Master’s degree in higher education at Grand Valley State University.

The road to Transylvania began after finishing graduate school in April. She moved to Virginia to work at Hampton University’s Talent Search program, to make sure that high school students have the resources they need to go to college. While she was there, she saw an open position at Transylvania University.

Martin explained that she has a few goals for campus, and detailed one of them. While fraternities and sororities are still finalizing their members, Martin said she is doing her best to introduce historically black and multicultural Greek life to campus. She hopes to teach students, faculty, and staff about other experiences that they should keep in mind as they interact with people inside and outside campus.

Martin was happy to share the ups and downs of her college experience, such as immediate family deaths, juggling full-time jobs with full-time classes, and maintaining friendships. At the time, she had a great support group willing to help her through whatever she needed, and said she she hopes to act as a pillar of support for Transy students.

“That’s the kind of resource that I want to make sure that I am to the students that I interact with,” she said with a smile.

Martin recognized that Transylvania has many ways to check on their students. To properly become a part of that community, she said she has opened her office to any student who may need support. She has not only a comfortable couch, but also snacks, open ears, and wise advice.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the timeline related to Ms. Martin’s membership in Sigma Gamma Rho. The article has been updated to reflect the correct timeline. 

Changes in the student handbook are bound to happen year by year. However, after a student was targeted online last year and her case received national attention, the handbook was substantially revised.

Dean of Students Dr. Michael Covert said that this year’s update to the student handbook was one of the more substantial edits, although the handbook is reviewed before each academic year and then periodically updated on an ongoing basis.

Dr. Covert said that this year, the handbook reviewing team added a student forum where students could come and read over the handbook, then tell administrators what they thought needed changing. “The students helped to make it more user-friendly,” says Dr. Covert. He added that from now on there will be a student forum every year to look for updates that might be needed.

Core Values

The student conduct system has been radically restructured. In previous versions of the handbook, the conduct system divided offenses into Level 1 and Level 2. Smaller offenses such as disorderly conduct or minor vandalism would have been categorized as Level 1, while more serious issues like sexual harassment or possessing alcohol while under 21 would have been classified as Level 2.

Dr. Covert said this system worked well for a while, but needed revamping. Over time, some offenses did not fall directly into a specific category laid out in the handbook. “The old system did not communicate what we [Transylvania] valued. We need to treat each other like we are trying to develop a community and keep up expectations around that.” Dr. Covert says this was part of the reason for the major change.

The new system is based on the core values that Transy wants every student to possess. These are Integrity, Community, Social Justice, Respect, and Responsibility. Every student must uphold these values, and by doing so will not break any conduct rules.

Dr. Covert says the new system is meant to show the University’s intention to keep everyone safe and to protect the interests of the entire community, not merely to punish.

Student Conduct Board

The Student Judicial Board, now referred to as the Student Conduct Board, has been changed to track with the new Core Values. Previously, the Board could hear only cases for Level 1 violations. Since that system is gone, the Board will now hear more cases, as Dr. Covert deems appropriate.

The text is now easier to understand, Dr. Covert said. He added that there are better descriptions of the roles the members play, and that words such as “shall” have been switched to the more modernized “will.”

The qualifications to be on the Conduct Board have not changed, nor has the number of students on it. The new handbook says that students who want to join the board must have completed 15 credits, have at least a 2.0 grade point average, good conduct records, and have gone through University training.

Protest Policies

In the previous student handbook, the rules about student protests were short and unspecific, Dr. Covert said. Protests were prohibited outright, and it was broadly defined.

The new subsection, found on page 32 and entitled “Free Speech, Activism & Demonstrations,” explains that the University promotes free speech and the exchange of opinions among those who might not share the same ideas. Dr. Covert says that he views that as the main purpose of a university. It adds that with this freedom comes a responsibility to act civilly to those who do not share the same beliefs, and to remember that the right to protest does not mean the right to engage in any activity that hurts another person.

Alumni Plaza, located behind Old Morrison, is now the designated area where students can stage demonstrations. Students who want to protest must contact the Dean of Students and explain the event, their security needs, the time they plan on having it, and anything else that would be important for the administration to know in advance.

Dr. Covert said that “this system was put into place to help students have a safe and successful protest about issues important to them. It’s like forming a partnership.”

The handbook says demonstrations also must not interfere with academics or another campus event in any way. If a disruption does occur, the Department of Public Safety will get involved.

Dr. Covert said he hopes to create a workshop this year, where students can come to learn how to properly hold a protest.

Bullying

This year’s handbook added a detailed section on bullying, cyber and otherwise. Previously, prohibitions on bullying were implied throughout the handbook, in sections like the code of conduct and the nondiscrimination policy. Dr. Covert says that while the new section seems small for such an important issue, the paragraph gets straight to the point and leaves no room for interpretation.

“The changes in this section were mainly for clarification purposes,” says Dr. Covert. The section makes it clear that bullying speech or actions will not be tolerated, and are not protected as freedom of speech.

Transylvania’s Diversity and Inclusion Office kicked off a new initiative last Friday to expand understanding of diversity on campus.

Hosted by Associate Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, Taran McZee, the Diversity & Dialogue luncheons are a new, “hopefully monthly” event to be held in the President’s Room in Forrer. Students, staff, and faculty will all come together to discuss issues relating to diversity and understanding of all forms.

The event is part of the Project One initiative, Transylvania’s mission to foster an “environment of understanding, ethical compassion, and social responsibility.”

This week’s subject was the controversy surrounding Colin Kaepernick’s Nike endorsement. In 2016, 49ers player Colin Kaepernick protested police brutality against African-Americans by kneeling during the National Anthem. Although many claimed he was disrespecting the American flag, Kaepernick insisted this was not his intention.

In the next season, Kaepernick went unsigned by any NFL team. But Nike recently featured Kaepernick in an ad campaign, reigniting the controversy.

McZee made clear beforehand that all respectful viewpoints were welcome, and while there was little disagreement, what difference in opinion there was during the discussion was always civil, in keeping with this year’s theme. McZee brought in historical influences on Kaepernick’s protest, as well as the inspiration and meaning behind his act of kneeling during the Pledge, illuminating the true issues behind his message.

According to McZee, the goal of these discussions is to raise awareness and promote discussion of diversity issues on campus. He said everyone is who is associated with Transylvania University is welcome to the events. He said that at his previous institutions, he has organized these events before with great success. He encourages everyone to keep an eye out for future initiatives from the Diversity office.

Student Ashley Chindo expressed that she initially had concern with diversity on Transy’s campus. Asked why she was drawn to the event, she said she “didn’t expect Transy to have anything for diversity, and not care for students of color. And I wanted to see what this event was about.”

When asked why she was interested in the event and discussing diversity overall, Chindo said that she was interested in “making an impact” on campus to change Transy for the better.

The next two Diversity & Dialogue events will be on October 19th and November 30th. McZee said he would like future events held on a monthly basis, and also to include a partnership with UK’s LGBTQ+ organization.

October’s discussion will be on costume appropriation as Transylvania gears up to celebrate Halloween. Once again, everyone is encouraged to come out and join in the discussion to learn more about diversity and how it affects us and our campus family as a whole.