By Brenda Wintrode
Over a dozen university staff members gathered in Stamp’s Jimenez Room last Tuesday to discuss their experiences and interest in starting fellowship groups known as affinity spaces on campus with colleagues of similar identities.
The Division of Student Affairs Diversity Initiative (SADI) hosted “Indaba: Affinity Spaces and Collective Convening,” facilitated by Assistant Director of the Department of Fraternity and Sorority Life Michael Goodman. Goodman, a doctoral student at the university, has worked with affinity groups in both higher education and K-12 grade settings for the past 10 years.
Goodman described affinity spaces as “communities that are self-managed conversation and activity-based groups” which can meet regularly around a shared connection or interest. In particular, Goodman discussed how affinity groups can create a “home base” for traditionally marginalized people by bringing them together in fellowship.
“We go out into the world, we exist with all those other folks, and then we come back to home base,” Goodman said. “This is where we can share those things that make sense to us together.”
Five university staff members that facilitate on-campus affinity groups discussed their experiences.
Nicole Garcia Diaz, a coordinator in the Office of Student Conduct, told the audience her affinity space called “Latinas in Student Affairs” has grown quickly from three members to 18. Diaz talked about the potluck the group had at her apartment.
“We sat down as strangers,” Diaz said. “We left, like, I knew everybody’s life stories.”
Tiffany Gaines-Ekwueme said the idea for starting “#Blackgirlsmeet” came to her when she returned to work from her maternity leave one month after the murder on campus of black Bowie State University student Lt. Richard Collins III. was fatally stabbed by a white University of Maryland student with social media connections to online white supremacist groups.
Gaines-Ekwueme said she felt fear after hearing the news of the murder and remembered telling a colleague upon her return that she desired a stronger connection with other black women in her department.
“I really wanted this space to be a space specifically for the women in resident life to come and talk about personal and professional challenges, and also to be an opportunity for personal and professional networking,” Gaines-Ekwueme said.
Goodman said he has a list of around 30 ideas for new affinity spaces, but often the obstacle in starting one is having a facilitator with the time to organize the group. Some of the ideas he named include “people who like plants” or “people who want to hike.” The reality, he said, is “people who are looking to have friends.”
Kia Weeden, a coordinator for the Department of Resident Life and member of the Student Affairs Diversity Committee leadership team, wrote in an email that SADI runs the monthly communal discussion groups, called indabas, for faculty and staff of student affairs on a different topic each month “to provide student affairs staff opportunities to discuss and learn about various diversity and inclusion topics that both inform our work with students and our interactions as colleagues.”
The South African word indaba, according to Webster’s New World College Dictionary, is defined as a convening of people to discuss a matter of importance.
Weeden said the indabas have been ongoing for seven years.
The next indaba event will occur on Nov. 20 in Stamp Student Union. Weeden said it will be an opportunity for student affairs staff to engage in conversation with Dr. Georgina Dodge, vice president for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.