Dear Kent State University Students, Faculty and Staff,
We hope this message finds you successfully winding down your academic year and looking forward to a restful and enjoyable summer.
Throughout the 2022 Spring Semester, we have been diligently working on several projects to foster a greater sense of belonging for everyone in our university community and to cultivate an even stronger climate of inclusion.
Our Anti-Racism Task Force made great strides in its endeavors this spring, including the creation of its website and dashboard, through which we can promote transparency and track the progress of our goals. Our university-wide diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategic planning process is another ongoing effort that has made significant progress this year to help advance our DEI goals.
As the semester comes to a close, we are pleased to announce that one very important project has come to fruition: Our Unity Walkway at Manchester Field on the Kent Campus is now completed.
The Unity Walkway honors the rich history and legacy of Kent State’s Black and Latinx sororities and fraternities, which for more than 70 years have made up our Integrated Greek Council (IGC).
The founding of these organizations occurred in an era when racial segregation and isolation at predominately white colleges and universities necessitated that Black and Latinx people come together to find community and belonging, to discover their collective voice in the quest for equity and to provide educational awareness to the broader society.
Over the decades, these fraternities and sororities have made vast contributions to the communities they serve. Their strong and demonstrated commitment to brotherhood and sisterhood, service and scholarship has withstood the test of time. At Kent State, these nine culturally based organizations have added to the richness and vibrancy of our campus life. Their members have gone on from Kent State to great success in all walks of life. Our university is certainly a better place for having these IGC organizations on our campus.
You may have noticed the beautiful pedestals and stone benches that now line Manchester Field. These plinths carry the sacred insignia of each IGC organization and list the charter members of each chapter at Kent State. The motto of each organization is inscribed on the front of the benches. In addition to being a physical representation of the pride our university feels in having these organizations on our campus, these monuments offer a prime educational opportunity for our entire community to learn and reflect upon the history and values each organization brings to Kent State.
We salute and honor our IGC organizations and thank their members for their many contributions to Kent State and our greater society. Before you depart for the summer, we hope that you will visit the Unity Walkway and become more acquainted with the legacies of our IGC chapters.
Thank you as well to each of you for the role you play in making Kent State a more welcoming and inclusive university. Together, you make us who we are. Together, you make us Kent State.
We know that summer is a busy time for many with work, internships or summer classes. We hope you all find some time to relax, spend time with family and friends and pursue your favorite interests.
This has been an exciting semester for Kent State, filled with enriching experiences and great accomplishments for our students, faculty and staff. We look forward to the fall semester and all the success that is yet to come.
Sincerely,
Todd Diacon
President
Lamar R. Hylton, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President for Student Affairs