Whittier College

In response to the Supreme Court decision on affirmative action, the College's President stated "The Justices’ decision will be viewed as a setback for efforts by higher education to improve experiences for students to participate in a diverse, thriving student body" and continued, "Rather than dampen our spirits, the ruling will serve to sharpen our own focus on supporting student success through diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging."  

The School is now "test-blind" meaning it "does not consider SAT or ACT test scores in admissions decisions." The College states the change "underscores Whittier’s commitment to inclusive excellence."

Whittier College hosts programming such as the "Anti-Racism and You" conference. The college states that "the goals of this session are to further your individual and collective understanding of anti-racism, increase your comfort level when talking about racism, and strengthen your practice of anti-racism."

The college will "increase racial equity and justice training" as well as partner with another institution's Race and Equity Center to provide "equity training."

On June 3, 2020, Whittier College responded to the death of George Floyd by stating, "Our curriculums will change—both inside and outside the classroom; our systems, structures, and strategies will change; our community culture will change. We will be a better, more equitable institution."

There is a plan to adjust the curriculum to reflect "the inclusion of Black voices."

The General Education requirements include several "Cultural Perspective" classes. Furthermore, Cultural Perspectives are integrated into Co-curricular life as "virtually all activities on campus work toward this end, but some programs make diversity issues their central focus."

A Rubric and Resource Guide titled "Advancing Inclusion and Anti-Racism in the College Classroom" was released for instructors. The guide includes sections with titles such as "Orient curricular materials explicitly toward social justice," "Focus curricular materials toward anti-colonialism," "Make curricular materials anti-racist," and "Include Indigenous perspectives."

The college plans to "develop meaningful methods of holding faculty, staff, and students accountable when they commit acts of racial bias."

Students "who have seen, heard, or experienced bias" are encouraged to utilize the bias incident reporting form. The form includes definitions of "bias incidents," "hate crimes," and "hate speech."

Whittier will provide funding for "scholarships aimed at new and current Black students."

The college will also "increase budget for Africana and Black Studies Minor."

The School received a $493,000 "Inclusive Excellence Initiative Grant," to be dispersed over a six-year period. A large portion of the grant will be used "for faculty development, training, adjusting courses, and analyzing inclusive teaching in courses."

The College received a grant from the Annenberg Foundation "to help fund scholarships for Black students."

On June 4, 2020, Whittier College held a session titled, "Addressing Anti-Blackness."

Whittier College provided many resources for anti-racism relating to the BLM movement.

Whittier College also provided resources on CRT, including resources from the Director of the Center for Critical Race Studies at UCLA.

In August 2020, Whittier College announced its Racial Justice and Equity Action Plan. The college leadership stated that it will improve "mentoring processes and programs' for "Black Board of Trustee members."

As part of the Racial Justice and Equity Action, Whittier College will also create a new position for the Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Academic Affairs Division. This Associate Dean will work in the Inclusion and Diversity Committee, change faculty development, and "advocate for structural changes."

The College provides Inclusive Teaching resources and states "Inclusive Teaching provides equal opportunities for all students to have successful learning experiences." The statement continues that Inclusive Teaching means "treating students equitably, which is related to, yet distinct from, equally."

The Whittier College Equity Summit 2024 was held to build "an equity-minded culture on our campus." Resources such as an "Equity-Minded Syllabus Review," "CTL Anti-Racism Teaching Resources," and "CTL Inclusive Teaching" were included. The key speaker was Dr. Tia Brown McNair, the executive director for the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers in Washington D.C.

An "Anti-Racism and You" event was held for faculty, staff, and students. Jordan Curry Carter, who "is an antiracist practitioner" who works "with individuals, groups, and organizations on antiracism knowledge through an intersectional lens," was the speaker for the event.

The Social Justice Coalition is a student alliance that brings "awareness and promotes social, economic, and environmental justice within the College community." The Coalition hosts an annual "Social Justice Week" on campus.

The Diversity Council is a group that "promotes awareness, understanding, appreciation, diversity, learning, culture, human rights, social justice, and respect for diverse identities, cultural differences, and interfaith groups" on campus. The Diversity Council represents a number of clubs and hosts "Diverse Identities Week(s)" every March.

The college stated it will, "undertake a Whittier College history project, examining the Quaker founding of the institution and its influence on racial equity and social justice at the College."

Whittier College plans to "develop a speaker/entertainment series highlighting expressions of Blackness in Southern California."

The College hosts "Cultural Graduations" which include an "Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Graduation," a "Black Graduation," and a "Latinx Graduation."