Students socializing in student union

Campus Life

Diversity & Inclusion

Through various organizations and activities, our involved students gain broader respect for cultures they previously knew nothing about. Join us as we look to make the future brighter and more inclusive.

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Office of Student Affairs

Keirstyn Reynolds

Director of Multicultural Programming & Engagement

Long Student Center 203

Our nation as a whole is changing, and Baker University aims to reflect this diversity.

The Office of Diversity & Inclusion seeks to prepare students for our diverse world by providing experiences and opportunities for cross-cultural interactions that serve to increase understanding and respect for our differences.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Working Group

The DE&I Working Group plans events throughout the year that foster education, self-exploration, and unity. These events challenge participants to expand their awareness and knowledge of the historical contexts of race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexuality, and class to gain an understanding of how these issues are visible today

The group works for common understanding and empathy among the Baker community that will lead to unity. But there can be no unity without accountability and action.

Follow us on social media: @BUnity1858

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Three students on Hartley Plaza.

Mission

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group will guide Baker University in mapping out what a more diverse, inclusive, and innovative university will look like in the immediate future and for years to come. The team is made up of members from across the university as well as local community organizations. Each member has a passion for creating a more fair and just society, and that begins right here in our university community. Specifically, we believe that awareness of issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion will lead to wider perspectives, and we intend to start meaningful conversations that will lead toward that goal.

Objectives

Diversity: To encourage and support diversity in the Baker community, by embracing personal characteristics, including age, culture, race, ethnicity, disability, religious or spiritual beliefs, and gender and sexual orientation/identity.

Equity: To provide student-, staff-, and faculty-centered experiences that are equitable and both meet and value the social and cultural needs in the Baker community.

Inclusion: To ensure that all people within the Baker community feel a sense of belonging in the workforce and learning environment.

Members

         
         

Mungano | Brothers & Sisters United

Mungano is a student-run diversity organization on the Baldwin City campus of Baker University. The word Mungano is derived from the Swahili phrase “Mungano Wa Wanafunzi Weuzi,” meaning brothers and sisters united. It translates simply to united, which is the message that we, the members of Mungano, strive for: a world of many cultures, united.

#DiversityAndDiscussion is our goal.

MLK Day of Service Virtual Competition

This year Mungano will raise funds to help members of the Baldwin City community who are food insecure. Make an online donation and designate who you are giving on behalf of (e.g., academic department, sorority or fraternity, athletic team). We will update totals daily in the lobby of Harter Union so you can see your team’s progress.

Help us meet our goal of raising $1,000 for the First United Methodist Church’s food pantry.

All donations are due Monday, January 18 at 4:30 p.m. 

Give Now

Activities

Martin Luther King Chapel Service

Mungano sponsors the first chapel service of the spring semester to reflect on and remember Martin Luther King Jr.’s ideals of equity, diversity, and inclusion. Special guest speakers and musicians create this amazing celebration as students jump into the spring semester!

Tunnel of Oppression

The Tunnel of Oppression is an interactive tour that engages students in scenes in which they experience firsthand various forms of oppression. The tour includes interactive acting, monologues, and multimedia presentations. Participants directly experience the following aspects of oppression: ability, class, body image, immigration, homophobia, religion, relationship violence, and race.

Male student walking under an iron arch that says Baker University

Officers | 2022-2023

Patty Salazar head shot

Patty Salazar
President

Lee Marshall head shot

Lee Marshall
Vice President

Ryanne Ham head shot

Ryanne Hamm
Public Relations

Zach Bejarano head shot

Zach Bejarano
Secretary & Treasurer

         

Mission Statement

We, the members of Mungano, strive to encourage and promote cultural awareness and diversity through education at Baker University and surrounding communities by reaching out to everyone regardless of race, creed, ethnicity, nationality, gender, or sexual orientation for a better understanding of humanity

Student Experience

01/02


Mungano has opened my eyes to diverse perspectives.
I’m blessed to be a part of such a blended organization that has really supported me and pushed me to break boundaries I wouldn’t typically approach. Mungano continues to challenge me to find new ways to exceed expectations.

Jasmine

I went to some of the events — they’re all really cool and informative and just stuff that you wouldn’t normally think about. It’s really interesting.

Marissa

Total Equality Alliance

The Baker University Total Equality Alliance is a body of LGBT+ students and allies, committed to building community and safer campus for all. As a relatively new group, TEA was formed to create a space where students can be relaxed and fully self-expressed without having to fear feeling uncomfortable, unwelcome, or unsafe. Throughout the year, the group hosts a variety of events, from presentations from Equality House to Trans Visibility Day.

Students painting house for Baker Serves

Officers | 2022-2023

Annika Munch
President
Major: Secondary Education and History
Affiliations: Women’s Soccer, School of Education Ambassadors

Student Experience

01/02


TEA has been a great place for LGBTQ+ students of Baker to come together and do great stuff. It’s a place where I, and many others, can feel safe and included. TEA does things like raise awareness of LGBTQ+ issues and hosts a Drag Show every year. It’s been amazing being a part of TEA every year!”

Tess Cotter

My experience with TEA has been life-changing, to say the least. I love belonging to a student organization with so much diversity and care for all of its members. It has brought me a sense of community with all the different meetings and events on campus. I love TEA and all that it has brought to my life and experience at Baker.”

Ashanti Minnenhall

TEA Campus Events

  • TEA Break! Bake Sale
  • Trans Visibility Day
    During Trans Visibility Day, TEA members provided information and conversation about the contributions of the trans community. Sharing information is an important way the organization fights transphobia.
  • Day of Silence
  • Drag Show
  • International Pronouns Day
Two people standing behind a table and smiling at the camera at a Total Equality Alliance event

All-Gender Restrooms

Single-use, all-gender restrooms have been added to campus through efforts of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the student-led group Total Equality Alliance, and supportive faculty and staff across campus. They have worked together to designate restrooms across campus as all gender for all members of the Baker University community regardless of gender identity or expression. Being able to safely use a public restroom isn’t a privilege; it is a right.

Our goal is to offer safe and comfortable places for members of the campus community to use the restroom. We are particularly concerned in offering these restrooms to people who are transgender, gender nonconforming, and queer, and to people with disabilities who have an attendant of a different sex or gender, and to parents with young children of another sex or gender.

What is an all-gender restroom?

  • A lockable restroom designed for use by a single person. It has floor-to-ceiling walls.
  • A restroom that is not gender specific (e.g., designated for men or women), rather it is neutral and any gender can use it.
  • Likely similar to the restroom you have in your house or apartment. It is a small, lockable room with a toilet and sink for use by one person at a time, regardless of gender.

As Baker University continues to create an environment that is conducive to all people, we will continue to update the list of all-gender restrooms as they come available and accessible to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests of Baker University.

Contact

Office of Diversity and Inclusion: diversity@bakerU.edu

All-Gender Restroom Locations

Safe Zone

Baker University Safe Zone training is a great way to learn more about ways we can work together as a community to promote an environment that is accepting and affirming of LGBTQ people. There are numerous opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to attend the open trainings listed below, or your student group or department can schedule one!

Whether you’re new to these topics or you want to deepen your knowledge, Safe Zone training is a place for us to come together and learn in a supportive and nonjudgmental space.

If you have questions, contact Macy Warburton, assistant dean of students, at macy.warburton@bakerU.edu.