A sub-committee of the Senate, responsible for developing programs and policies that advance social
justice and equity on campus and serves as a liaison between students and the university regarding
campus climate issues.
Social justice is both a goal and a process to ensure equity amongst all. The goal of social justice
is to create a society in which distribution of resources is equitable and all members are
physically and psychologically safe and secure. Social justice is manifested in the political,
economic, and cultural life of everyday people without distinctions between the three. The process
for attaining the goal of social justice is complex and should be democratic and participatory. It
is inclusive and affirming of human agency and capacity for working collaboratively with others to
interrupt and change oppressive patterns and behaviors. The nature of achieving these goals is at
time frustrating and overwhelming, but the presence of justice is an outgrowth of the very process
and struggle for a socially just society. Social justice then, entails endurance, poise,
compassion, empathy and is rooted in love, especially for those deemed not worthy or at the margin
of society. The Social Justice and Equity Committee exists to provide systematic support and a
space for growth and opportunity to students as they work to achieve social justice.
1The development of this definition utilized the
Avery Gordon’s Hawthorne Archive
MLK, Letter from Birmingham City Jail King, Martin Luther, Jr. (1963). Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Chapter that quoted Bell Hooks: Adams, Bell, & Griffin, P. (2007). Teaching for diversity and
social justice. NY: Routledge. Bell, L.A. (2007). Theoretical foundations for social
justice education. In M. Adams, L.A. Bell, & P. Griffin (Eds.), Teaching for
diversity and social justice. NY: Routledge.
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