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Working to Dismantle Systemic Racism

At Trinity, our mission is to prepare bold, independent thinkers who lead transformative lives. It is time for us to live our mission and to embrace our position in the community and in the world as a powerful force for change. 

  • We bear witness to the recent and recurring murders of Black people
  • We hurt as we grapple with the continued acts of racial violence that pervade the entire country
  • We acknowledge that systemic racism limits educational opportunities for Black, Indigenous and People of Color
  • We see the trauma of current students who we have thoughtfully invited to join our community
  • We refuse to ignore our role in upholding systemic racism

Unequivocally, we affirm Black Lives Matter. We are listening and we are ready to act.

Moving forward,

We will continue to:

  • Champion and support students who are advocating for justice and protesting against systemic oppression
  • Remove barriers to higher education for students by meeting the full, calculated need of every student admitted to Trinity and upholding our policies to have a test optional admissions process
  • Maintain meaningful working partnerships with more school communities and community-based organizations that support the access and success of Black, Indigenous, and Students of Color in higher education
  • Collaborate with colleagues at partner institutions through the American Talent Initiative, and develop action plans to recruit more students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in higher education

We know we will not progress in dismantling systemic racism without additional action. In addition to the above, we also commit to the following actions:

  1. Purposefully and formally educate ourselves as individuals and as a team on systemic racism and anti-racist action. We will do this by engaging with common readings and resources and participating in group discussions within our teams and with our broader community. We will post our common reads and discussion notes as they come together.
  2. Expand the work of building an anti-racist community to everyone on the admissions and financial aid teams. Although our Multicultural Recruitment team continues to provide excellent leadership, it is incumbent upon every member of our division to contribute to the recruitment and success of Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color.
  3. Carefully evaluate our admissions and financial aid practices and policies to ensure that they appropriately and justly serve our applicants and current students. This includes:
    1. Identifying and building relationships across the globe with counselors, mentors, pastors, coaches, etc. who are committed to helping Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color get to and through college. We each commit to reaching out to 5 new schools or organizations this cycle and will report on our progress by the end of the academic year.
    2. Developing programs and resources to ensure students, especially Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color, are well supported to fully access and engage with higher education. We will launch our College: Decoded seminar series no later than September 1.
    3. Reallocate internal resources so that we educate more families on the finances of college and opportunities available for students.
    4. Evaluate the application timelines for admission and financial aid so that we are maximizing opportunities for students to gain admission and needed financial support. Our goal is to publish any changes to the upcoming cycle by August 1.
  4. Follow the guidance of Trinity’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team to re-shape our policies and practices

Visibility and accountability will keep us moving forward. Visibility and accountability ensure we are continuously serving as change agents, working toward a more just future. Redefining our processes will take time, but we are in it for the long haul. We will continue to update you on our progress as we move through our actions and develop additional steps to take. We welcome your feedback.

Thank you for holding us accountable.

We are Bantams. Together and apart, a flock is still a flock.

In partnership and in solidarity,

The Trinity College Offices of Admissions and Financial Aid