Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access (IDEA)
Statement of Purpose
The Jordan College of the Arts community pledges to create a fully inclusive environment for our students, faculty, and staff.
We recognize that the arts have the power to initiate difficult conversations, highlight injustice, promote peace, and enact equity, sustainability, and intercultural communication. As an arts institution, JCA is uniquely positioned to positively impact our campus and community in the areas of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA).
JCA’s ongoing efforts in IDEA include:
- Inclusive, diverse, and accessible arts programming
- Pedagogical support for curricular transformation
- Inclusive recruitment and retention practices
- Faculty and staff IDEA training and workshops
- Support for student, faculty, and staff-led IDEA initiatives
The JCA SJD Task Force is comprised of students, faculty, and staff members of JCA organized into several committees (listed below). The Task Force at large aims to convene in person at least twice per academic year with individual committees meeting as needed.
JCA SJD Task Force Committees include:
- Campus Connection (task force connection with campus services like BU Be Well, SDS, CFV, Counseling Center)
- Diversity Center Connection
- Student Government Association Connection
- External Communications (i.e. JCA SJD Task Force webpage, social media, etc.)
- Admission and Entrance Process (i.e. recruiting methods, audition and application process, etc.)
- Curriculum and Course Offerings
- Library Support (Lib Guide creation and related resources)
- The JCA SJD “Story Bus” (collecting stories of student, faculty, and staff lived experiences on campus)
- Dialogue Groups
- Related Programming (related film screenings, trainings, book discussion groups, etc.)
- Community Outreach/Programming
- Identity (creating statement of purpose)
- Founder’s Day
JCA students, faculty, and staff interested in joining should contact the Associate Dean for IDEA, Courtney Elkin Mohler, at ccmohler@butler.edu.
JCA includes this statement in the programs for all of our events:
JCA LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT STATEMENT
We acknowledge that we gather here at Butler University on the traditional land of indigenous peoples including the Potawatomi, Miami, Delaware, and Shawnee.
We honor with gratitude the land itself and the indigenous peoples past and present who have stewarded it throughout the generations.
This calls us to commit to continuing to learn how to be better stewards of the land we inhabit, while also acknowledging that some were brought to this land not by choice.
JCA is proud to host an online gallery of art created by Butler students, faculty, and staff, and inspired by injustice. Please note: the content of this exhibit will necessarily engage with injustice, racism, and oppression; therefore, content will be emotionally and intellectually challenging and may be triggering for some. We will do our best to place appropriate warnings on especially graphic or intense content.
Victoria Hadrick: “Alex Monologue“
Artist Statement: I’m Victoria Hadrick, an upcoming sophomore at Butler University. In the fall semester of my first year, I enrolled in a scriptwriter’s class (PCA-TH 253). For this class, I wrote a script about different teens discussing their experiences regarding social issues while in therapy. With everything occurring in the world right now, I reread my script and realized I wanted to share it with others to help bring light to these important perspectives. View video here.
Diane Timmerman and Indy Shakes: “Past Words Present Times“
Diane Timmerman, Chair of the Butler University Department of Theatre, is also the Artistic Director for The Indianapolis Shakespeare Company, an Equity theatre company here in Indianapolis. Indy Shakes has created PAST WORDS PRESENT TIMES, a free online offering created in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. In addition to Diane, the Company includes Butler Theatre alumni, and one alum—Isaiah Moore—who is in this PAST WORDS presentation.
PAST WORDS PRESENT TIMES will run for one month, beginning Saturday, June 20. Audiences are asked to donate to local Near Northwest-side non profits that support our NNW neighbors: Aspire House, Flanner House, and also computers for kids at Ignite Academy. Also please do visit Cleo’s Bodega & Cafe, an awesome café that has terrific smoothies and grilled cheese!
Join the online event here.
Sandbox Student Productions: “African Americana“
Butler’s very own student organization, Sandbox Student Productions, has released their response to the Black Lives Matter movement with African Americana, a play by Aurin Squire. Please support Sandbox—and the organizations THEY support—by watching their work which is posted here.
Sandbox Student Productions statement: “We at Sandbox Student Productions are dedicated to continuous conversations about the injustices we see around us. African Americana offers an exploration of racism and police brutality to further our individual understanding and facilitate dialogue within our student body. We encourage you to take time to educate yourselves, as we have also been doing, and to share your passions with those around you.”
Xan Korman (Butler student)
Artist Statement: I was at the protests for almost a week straight; I just missed one day. On Saturday, I was tear gassed and shot in the foot with a pepper bullet. On Sunday, I was tear gassed again, and I saw police throw flashbangs because people weren’t allowed to walk across a street in the city and they were upset about it. All of these photos showcase emotion through writing or facial expressions. I have been so moved by some of the speeches I’ve heard at these protests. I’ve received nothing but kind words by protestors, because as one of them said that I’m on the front lines with them, putting myself in danger, to tell the story. I believe that it’s right for media to be at the protests to show the events that happen, which might not be showcased by the mainstream television/news outlets.
Attend an Event
JCA is committed to bringing diverse artists, scholars, and events related to equity, inclusion, and access to Butler and the surrounding community. View a full calendar of events on the Butler Arts Center website.
Follow us on Social Media
Like and follow JCA on Facebook and Instagram!
Questions?
Contact JCA Associate Dean for IDEA, Courtney Mohler, at ccmohler@butler.edu
Learn more about how incidents of bias are addressed on campus. If you would like to report an incident of bias, reporting options and explanation of processes are available online, or you can go directly to the Bias Incident Reporting Form.
If you wish to report something that concerns you directly to the JCA Associate Dean for IDEA, Dr. Courtney Mohler, you may do so here. Reports are anonymous unless you choose otherwise.
The Diversity Center is located in the garden level of Atherton Union (AU 004). It serves as an open and inclusive symbol to the Butler campus with lounge and study space, prayer/meditation room, office space for professional staff and student organizations, and more. Learn more about the Diversity Center.
The following lists of readings and resources have been compiled and linked below. These resources are meant to inspire reflection and motivate further study. Please contact Associate Dean Mohler with additional resources and materials.View the full, compiled list here OR access specific subjects via the title links below:
- “The Anti-Racist Reading List” by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
- Anti-Racism Resources for White People compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker and Alyssa Klein in May 2020
- Critical Pedagogy and Critical Theory compiled and annotated by Dr. John Perkins, Associate Professor of Music at Butler University
- Music and Critical Pedagogy and Theory compiled and annotated by Dr. John Perkins, Associate Professor of Music at Butler University
- Additional Books
- Additional Articles, Blogs, and Websites
- Watchlist Via Kanopy (free Kanopy subscription with Butler account, learn more here)
- The Desmond Tutu Peace Lab at Butler University Statement and Resources Regarding Recent Police Killings and Confronting Racial Injustice (downloadable PDF)