SUNY Brockport held an open forum with Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) candidate Jessica Guzman-Rea on Thursday, Feb. 25. The meeting was guided by Interim CDO, Lorraine Acker, who asked Guzman-Rea questions about her experience with equity, diversity and inclusion, and her vision for improving the social climate of the college campus.
Guzman-Rea is a licensed master social worker and has been working in higher education for over 15 years. She began the forum with her philosophies and her ideas for uniting the SUNY Brockport campus.
“My number one priority will be the strategic plan,” Guzman-Rea said. “Being a thought partner in that process, collaborating with folks across campus in order to define, reframe, adapt and implement this collective vision I think is really important to me.”
Guzman-Rea also spoke about being a resource for people during times of crisis, and being an active, accessible person on the campus.
“Part of my job is making sure that we have a diverse table, that folks are being invited,” Guzman-Rea said. “Then when we’re sitting at the table to make decisions, we look around to see who is not at the table, and once they’re there, making sure they have a voice at the table.”
Guzman-Rea also said at the meeting that, if given the position, she hopes to bring the SUNY Brockport together using the strategic plan and working collaboratively.
She mentioned her previous experience of addressing issues on another college campus with transgender use of bathrooms, training dining service staff members and opening up conversations to resolve the situation and to create change in the campus social environment.
“Sometimes you have to do the hard, slow work,” Guzman-Rea said. “This position will give me a different perspective. If something needs to be rewritten, we can rewrite it, we can work together.”
There were also concerns of having a new CDO due to budgetary constraints that the college is currently facing. Guzman-Rea said she believes that the role is vital to help build a united community on the college campus.
Frank • Feb 28, 2021 at 1:58 am
aren’t indebted for 20+ years
Frank • Feb 28, 2021 at 1:57 am
Would be pretty cool if they laid off all these race hustlers from these diversity scams in order to lower tuition. For that matter probably 85-90% of the admin and all the sports and optional BS, give the kids some value for their money so they are indebted for 20+ years after graduating.