Do we know enough about DEI?

Do we know enough about FSC DEI?

FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK: Farmingdale State College's diversity, equity and inclusion program seeks to strengthen FSC’s culture by broadening our understanding of others with an emphasis on education. Farmingdale offers a variety of resources for students within minority communities.

LGBTQIA+ students make up a percentage of the minority student body at FSC. Farmingdale State College offers LGBTQIA+ specialized resources such as confidential medical offerings, mental health services, and a process for name changes. However, it is important to ask ourselves, how much do the students really know about the policies and resources provided for them? 

I met with River Harrison, President of the FSC LGBTQIA+ PRIDE club. River works hand in hand with the DEI department and the Farmingdale Title IX coordinator. The FSC Pride club hosts events and aims to create safe spaces on campus for the club and queer students. I asked River about whether they believed that Farmingdale educates students enough on the resources and policies available. They responded with, “I feel like, cause I work so closely with them, I know these things… but I feel, like, if you don’t know that Pride (the club) exists and you’re not in our community, you probably wouldn’t know those things.” I then asked if they believe Farmingdale provides enough protection and resources to their students. River responded with, “I definitely feel like they try to.” They then followed up with, “I think there’s a lot of times where they’re just like, I don’t know what to do.”

Then, I met with Jaclyn Janus, a current junior at Farmingdale State College. Jaclyn is a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and  part of the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority. I asked Jaclyn how her experience has been at FSC so far as a queer student and she responded by saying that, “There hasn’t been anything negative, especially when I’m on campus.” When asked about the safety at FSC she states that, “Yeah, I would say it is.” After getting positive responses from Jaclyn's FSC experience, I asked her the same question I asked River; whether she feels there is enough protection. Janus responded with, “The fact that I don’t know them and I am queer and I am on campus and apart… of organizations kind of shows that…maybe there aren’t enough protections because why weren’t they loud enough?” 

Finally, I spoke with Jason Jacobsen, a transgender FSC alumni who graduated in spring of 2023. I asked Jason the same question I asked Jaclyn, whether or not FSC was a safe space. Jason responded with, “I don’t believe it felt safe”. He then shared, “My Freshman year, when I tried to explain to them (registrar) that I was trans without, like, outing myself… they just kind of made it very uncomfortable for me and weren’t understanding.” He then stated that, “...When I tried to contact the school about it, they tried to change my name on the roster to my preferred name… and every single semester I had issues with them putting my birth name back on the roster.” Jason also mentioned that he had no idea about Pride events on campus. Our interview concluded with him saying, “I didn’t know anything LGBTQ… related that went on at Farmingdale… I had my experience when I first came to college and that… just put me off…”

While Farmingdale State College has DEI initiatives and policies in place, many students are not fully aware of them or the educational resources available to support these efforts.