On September 9-10, the College of Letters & Science invited its alumni of color back to campus for a historic weekend of community-building and in-depth conversations about how to create a sense of belonging at UW-Madison. Kicking off with a breakfast gathering of Dean Eric Wilcots’ DEI alumni advisory group—including L&S Board of Visitors members Lou Holland, Jr. (BA, ’86), Cora Marrett (MA, ’65/PhD, ’68) and PJ Jayachandran (BA, ’95)—the two-day reunion featured special tours of campus, a panel discussion on thriving (rather than just surviving), a reception and, on Saturday, a lively tailgate at Union South featuring D.J. Martinez White (BA, ’10) and Bucky Badger.
As the sun blazed from a blue sky on Friday afternoon, alumni met Aaron Bird Bear for his First Nations Cultural Landscapes tour in Alumni Park near the Ada Deer (BA, ’57) quote, emblazoned on one of the walls: “You don’t have to collapse just because there’s federal law in your way. Change it!”
It was an inspiring starting point for a tour that encompassed the government’s infamous termination policies (which Deer fought against, and helped abolish), Ho-Chunk burial sites, and often-overlooked signage and building motifs that reflect the university’s lack of respect or acknowledgement of indigeneity over the last 175 years. Alumni on the tour were visibly affected. “I found it very moving,” said Cynthia Knox (BA, ’73), who traveled back to UW-Madison with her husband, Dr. Daryl Knox (BA, ’73), from their home in Houston. “[Bird Bear] gave an excellent overview of a history we never learned."
A second tour took alumni through the Hamel Music Center, on the corner of Lake Street and University Avenue. Led by Mead Witter School of Music director Susan Cook, alumni viewed the Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall, with its spectacular choir loft, the Collins Recital Hall, with its iconic, colorful wallpaper designed by Tandem Press founder and printmaker William Weege, and the Sing Man & Florence Lee/Annette Kaufman Rehearsal Hall, a flexible space for all sorts of pre- and post-concert activities.
Alumni who chose to join the tour of the new Chemistry Tower, led by Emeritus Professor of Chemistry John Moore, were wowed by spacious new classrooms, digital library services and, best of all, state-of-the-art organic chemistry labs. The imposing structure on University Avenue opened to students in January 2022.
Next on Friday’s menu of choices for the [RE]Connect event: a panel discussion about the Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) student experience at UW-Madison. “Moving Beyond Survival to Thriving at UW-Madison: Past, Present and Future” was designed to recognize and discuss some of the tough issues non-white students encounter during their time here. Panelists included Karma Palzom-Pasha, a Tibetan-American student who participated in the Pre-College Opportunity (PEOPLE) program; Abdullah Marei (an L&S Dean’s Ambassador majoring in psychology); Dominic Ledesma, Chief Diversity Officer for UW-Extension; Joe Maldonado, Community Development Program Manager for UW-Extension; and Pamela Elubiaozor, a Black biology major involved with the L&S Center for Academic Excellence (CAE).
Friday evening’s reception featured UW-Madison leaders who spoke about the importance of creating a culture of belonging.
“[Dean] Eric Wilcots helped me understand the difference between being welcomed and feeling like you belong,” said UW-Madison provost Karl Scholz.“He said, ‘Karl, when you invite me to your house, I feel welcome. But it’s still your house.' We have to make sure that UW-Madison is everybody’s home.”
Wilcots talked about his priorities for diversity, equity and inclusion in the college, mentioning the STEM Scholars program, which offers first- and second-year students in traditionally underrepresented groups a network of support as they pursue majors in science, technology and mathematics. He ended with these words to the assembled alumni, community members, faculty and staff: “We need you all on this journey.”
The tailgate in Varsity Hall II in Union South on Saturday drew alumni who planned to attend the football game (Badgers vs. University of Washington). They came for their tickets and stayed for the food, the music and the fun—right up until kickoff time. DJ Martinez White (BA, ’10) brought energy, lights and style to his role, playing classic favorites, from Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough” to Marcia Griffiths and Bunny Wailer’s “Electric Boogie” (better known as “The Electric Slide”). Bucky Badger showed up to join alumni on the dance floor, and for photos—at one point, he overexerted and fell to the floor, only to be “resuscitated” by Dean Wilcots. Alumni enjoyed a catered spread of brats, barbecued chicken, side dishes and an open bar.
[RE]CONNECT is an ongoing initiative by the College of Letters & Science that will change and grow over time. This year’s inaugural events—July's evening event for local alumni and September’s football weekend—were the first steps toward creating the sense of belonging that many alumni of color say has been missing in their UW-Madison experience. As Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion DeVon Wilson said, “Welcome home. We want you to come back again and again.”