Diversity & Inclusion
Our nation as a whole is changing, and Baker University aims to reflect this diversity.
Our nation as a whole is changing, and Baker University aims to reflect this diversity.
The Office of Multicultural Programming and Engagement 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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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Officers | 2025-2026
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.
Ryanne Ham
President
Sophia Summers
Vice President
Linda Shine
Public Relations
Tabari Johnson
Secretary
Jasmine"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."
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.
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Tess Cotter"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!"
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
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Single-use, all-gender restrooms have been added to campus through efforts of the Office of Multicultural Programming and Engagement, 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 Multicultural Programming and Engagement: diversity@bakerU.edu
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- Alumni Center: First floor
- Bennett Art Building: Main floor
- Boyd Science Center: Fourth floor
- Collins Library: First floor near the archives
- Counseling Center
- Irwin Hall
- Gessner Hall
- Long Student Center:
- Student Affairs suite on the second floor
Dining Hall - Mabee Memorial Hall: Bottom floor
- New Living Center: First, second, and third floors
- Osborne Memorial Chapel
- Owens Musical Arts Building: Main floor
- Parmenter Hall: Third floor
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 Gavin Curless, director of student life at gavin.curless@bakerU.edu.
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