New Affinity Groups Promote Multigenerational Support

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by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson

The second week of April is Black Excellence Week at Dickinson! Learn about the April 13 African American Alumni Association'info session.

Dickinson’s global alumni association and professional network are tried-and-true tools for alumni to connect, particularly with those in the same class year and those with like professional interests. But they don’t provide a formal framework to find fellow alumni and students whose personal identities and broad life experiences mirror one’s own. Dickinson’s new African American Alumni Association (AAAA) and LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) affinity group help fill that gap.

Initiated and led by alumni with assistance from Dickinson staff, these alumni affinity groups provide avenues to get to know and share expertise with fellow alumni who’ve encountered similar experiences and challenges and to help current students embarking on similar life paths.

Targeted and Informed

The AAAA was spearheaded by a group of about 30 Black alumni from the classes of 1972 and ’73. These friends have long advocated for greater diversity among Dickinson students and faculty as a way to provide more targeted and informed support for Black students. And some started on that work more than four decades ago, when they established the college’s first Black alumni association.

The group stayed in close touch over the decades, and in 2019 several members launched an email chain to discuss the ongoing global fight for racial justice and how it’s reflected on campus today. Last year, with assistance from Dickinson’s alumni relations office, that venture grew into a multigenerational affinity group for Black alumni.

“As we started to move beyond our core group, we asked ourselves, ‘What can we do to help current students?’ ” says Patrick Chang ’72, a founding member. “We felt that the current and recently graduated Black students at Dickinson could probably benefit from our collective experience and expertise.”

Now more than 85 members strong, the AAAA meets monthly on Zoom. And on Jan. 1, 2022, it was recognized as an official Dickinson organization, overseen by the Alumni Council, with its own bylaws and officers, including Chang (president), Kali Avans ’11 (vice president) and Leonard Brown ’92 (secretary). The AAAA president sits on the Alumni Council.

Avans got involved because, as a student, he often wondered about the experiences of Dickinsonians of color who came before him and how they adjusted to campus life.

“I can only imagine how much richer my Dickinson experience would have been if this association was in existence during my student days,” he says.

To get the word out among current students, AAAA leaders are in touch with Dickinson’s student-led Black Student Union. Together, they plan to connect Black students through virtual events this spring and in person, during Alumni Weekend. The AAAA is raising funds for scholarships.

Also in the works is an on-campus memorial for Ed Fletcher ’73. Well-known as Duke Bootee, composer of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s rap masterpiece “The Message,” Fletcher passed away in 2020.

Momentum and Mentorship

The LGBTQ alumni network, while not an official association, has seen increased momentum and interest. Launched informally in 2019 under guidance from Dickinson’s alumni relations and LGBTQ services offices, this group found footing during an Alumni Weekend LGBTQ workshop.

Fifty LGBTQ alumni have taken part in events geared toward building connections, sharing stories and supporting each other and the college. They include informational sessions aboutDickinson’s burgeoning LGBTQ archives, a workshop on how to build community and opportunities to speak at Dickinson’s annual reception for graduating LGBTQ students. Regional Pride events are on tap for 2022, along with an archives-focused Alumni Weekend event.

The archives work is important, says Ted Martin ’87, because LGBTQ life experiences, like those of Black Americans, were too often hidden or suppressed in the past. “It’s rare when life hands anyone the chance to reverse wrongs, and this is one of those moments,” Martin adds. “You can’t unwrite history, but you certainly can ensure that all sides are heard and contribute to the writing moving forward. Affinity groups like this one allow voices to be heard and respected—and most importantly memorialized.”

Like the AAAA, the LGBTQ group recognizes the need for mentorship, both for young alumni and current students. Alumni who attended college during a time shaped by homophobia and transphobia can offer guidance to students and young alumni on navigating the job market, finding a partner, raising children, connecting with family and other areas of life as an LGBTQ-identifying adult, says Todd Nordgren, director of LGBTQ services.

“Many students want to make connections that will help them find their way during college years and beyond,” Nordgren says, “and the students also get the chance to encounter models for what life can look like as an LGBTQ+ adult in different stages of life.”

Volunteer mentor Jessica Ozar ’09 was thrilled to discover that her mentee is already reporting the positive effects. “It’s hard for students to understand what postcollege life will look like,” Ozar says. “Allowing students to see alumni they can relate to can encourage them to positively look beyond Old West.”

Martin agrees. “I’ve had the good fortune of living a great and out life, and my years as a Dickinson student were among the best years,” he says. “If joining this group can make a positive difference to another Dickinsonian, then I’m happy I signed up.”

Looking Ahead

Liz Glynn Toth ’06, director of alumni relations, says that she expects to see more kinds of grassroots, alumni-sparked efforts going forward.

“We want to encourage groups of alumni who are excited to connect and support students in a personally meaningful way,” Toth adds. “Anyone who is interested in starting a new affinity group or joining one of the existing groups may email alumni@dickinson.edu.”

Read more from the winter 2022 issue of Dickinson Magazine.

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Published March 2, 2022