(Photo by Vaughn Wheat.)

As we reported on Feb. 28, Johnson County Community College closed the Office of Inclusion and Belonging. In a letter sent to JCCC staff, Interim President Dr. Judy Korb explained that the reason behind the closing was to “comply with all federal requirements and ensure our admissions, hiring, resource allocations and scholarships are not out of compliance.” She continued by saying that “failure to comply could risk federal financial aid funding for our students, and that is not an option.” The office served JCCC students, employees, and the Johnson County community, by holding “collaborative programming and events,” providing “specialized professional learning and development,” as well as “guidance on navigating intercultural dynamics.” In her letter, Korb, assured that the decision was not taken lightly, and that the college will continue to “focus on those actions that create a positive environment rather than on labels or words that could be misconstrued.” 

We were able to ask Interim President Dr. Korb a few questions about the closing of the office.

You cited “Failure to comply could risk federal financial aid funding for our student” as the reason for the closing of the Office of Inclusion and Belonging, could you explain what that financial risk would be?

“Recent federal guidelines indicate that failure to comply could cause colleges to lose all federal funding. For JCCC, that includes approximately 22 million dollars each year that is awarded to our students in federal financial aid. There are other federally funded grants or programs that could be at risk, but the largest amount is in financial aid support for students.”

What was the process of coming to the decision of closing the Office of Inclusion and Belonging like?

“The process of coming to the decision of closing the Office of Inclusion and Belonging was emotional and extremely difficult. We, meaning senior leadership, gathered as much information as possible regarding the new federal guidance and we consulted with legal counsel, the board of trustees and legislative experts. We also had conversations with the employees in the Inclusion and Belonging Office to help prepare them for the decision.

We waited for clarification on the vague guidelines prior to a compliance deadline of Feb. 28. When clarification didn’t come, we took the step to disband the Office of Inclusion and Belonging to comply with the information we currently have. This decision was not a collegewide shared decision. This is an undesired internal decision, driven by external factors beyond our control. It is a legal/compliance decision that we are responsible for as a leadership team.” 

 What is your plan to “create a positive environment rather than on labels or words that could be misconstrued”?

“We are continuing to evaluate the full implication and interpretation of the federal guidelines. As a college, we are still committed to creating an environment where all students and employees are welcome and supported. Together, we create the environment for our students and employees. It will take all of us working together to make sure we keep a positive environment, even though we may not have a designated office. So, it’s not ‘my’ plan – it’s ‘ours’ and we will have to build it together for it to be successful.”

What is going to happen to the employees of the office?

“The employees that worked in the office of Inclusion and Belonging have been reassigned to areas of the college focused on student success and employee engagement.”

As Korb mentioned, it was not a collegewide shared decision, we tried to interview the president of the Faculty Association, Andrea Vieux, to get her point of view on the closing, but she replied stating, “The Faculty Association does not have a comment at this time.” 

We talked to JCCC students to ask them their opinion on the closing. As no official press release was issued by the college, many were not aware of the closing, but the general opinion was understanding, mixed with disappointment. 

Imani, a student in graphic design, declared “I feel like the college closing [the office] is kind of insane because, like, I understand that Trump is our President and everything, and he could shut down as many things as he wants to. But, shutting down something that makes everyone feel included is just doing too much at that point.” 

While Joseph, who is majoring in journalism said, “The fact that the college has to now abide by that, I mean, I understand, but I feel that it’s not fair. I think that it’s going to hinder a lot more people than it’s actually going to help, and it’s probably even going to hurt a lot more people who are in need of actual assistance on campus.” 

Finally, Jason, a student in general studies, thinks that the state should take over for the federal money that the college could lose by keeping the office open. 

“That’s why I think that the state of Kansas should step in and help, because Kansas, thankfully, we are run by a Democratic governor, so he can help push legislation to help fund these programs and initiatives.” 

According to Read Lion, this year, JCCC’s budget for the office is about $438,000.

Interim President Dr. Judy Korb finished her letter by saying, “We will share additional information as it becomes available and will offer appropriate opportunities for dialogue as we work through these changes together.”