Crafting a Musically Diverse Learning Environment
Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA Takes Steps Towards Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
The Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA is taking significant strides to address issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion within its community. Here are some key developments:
Leadership Changes
Arturo O'Farrill has been appointed as the Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, while Eileen L. Strempel serves as the Inaugural Dean of the school.
Anti-Racism Action Committee
An Anti-Racism Action Committee is being established to critically examine the school's practices and offer a concrete plan of action. Co-chairing the committee are Arturo O'Farrill, graduate student Chloe Swindler, and Donor Relations Manager Eshon Allen. The committee will meet throughout the summer and share regular updates with the school community.
Focus on Diversity
The school is aiming to recruit, hire, support, and retain a more diverse faculty, staff, and student community, especially focusing on attracting and hiring BIPOC candidates.
Commitment to Anti-Racism and Inclusion
Anti-racism, equity, diversity, inclusion, and access are to be at the forefront of the school's actions and central to realizing its mission. The school stands in support of requests for immediate action, including examining its relationship with local law enforcement and UCPD's practices and policies.
Education and Awareness
The school is working on educating its community about implicit bias, prejudice and discrimination, structural racism, white supremacy, and cultural sustainability.
Financial Support for Underrepresented Students
The school is considering offering increased financial support for historically underrepresented students, especially African American students, through emergency funds, scholarship funds, and continued support of dedicated scholarship funds.
Dialogue and Partnership
The school is also creating forums for dialogue on racial justice and inclusion, and partnering with community organizations to broaden its impact.
While the specific and current action plan for the Anti-Racism Action Committee is not publicly available at this time, based on typical initiatives in academic and arts institutions, this committee's work may involve reviewing and revising curriculum to include diverse perspectives, facilitating workshops and training on anti-racism and cultural competency, promoting recruitment and retention of underrepresented faculty and students, and establishing policies to address discrimination and microaggressions.
For the most accurate and current information, it is recommended to consult UCLA’s official School of Music website, committee announcements, or contact their administration directly. Members of the school's community may also report incidents or contact UCLA Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, or [email protected] or (310) 825-3935. Staff, students, and faculty may reach out to the school's ombudsman, Associate Dean Arturo O'Farrill, confidentially if they have concerns or witness acts of discrimination.
- The Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA, with a focus on diversity and inclusion, is committed to increasing financial support for underrepresented students, especially African American students, to foster a more inclusive environment in their business.
- In an effort to bolster education and self-development, the school is establishing an Anti-Racism Action Committee, which aims to critically examine their practices and offer a concrete plan to address matters of equity and diversity within the music industry.
