What You Need to Know About SGA’s Diversity Committee

The Student Government Association has opened a new seat in the Student Senate for the Diversity Committee Chair, Daphne Nateras. Nateras is a Cross-Cultural Business Administration double major with a minor in Counseling. She is a senior this year and hopes to work with an organization that focuses on community development. Nateras was drawn to TFC because it is a Christian college close to her home with a small, close-knit community.

Though she intended to pursue academic excellence and a deeper spiritual life with the TFC community, there were some difficulties. The student population of Nateras’ high school had primarily been Hispanics and African Americans. To see the roles so reversed at TFC came as a culture shock. 

“When Hispanic Heritage Month came around and nothing was done or even recognized, I felt forgotten and not valued. My culture has been something that I have been proud of, and it’s part of my story. So, when nothing was done to celebrate, I just didn’t feel like TFC was home,” Nateras says. 

Feeling different and experiencing microaggressions from others made her want to transfer, but the Lord told Nateras  to wait. In her second year, Nateras served as a Fant RA and organized the Hispanic Heritage Festival for the first time in TFC history.  It was a small event for Fant and LeTourneau hosted at the baseball pavilion, but it prompted many questions and discussions among the girls such as, “How can we as a Christian campus promote racial reconciliation and cultural awareness?” 

Last year, Nateras set out with recent TFC alumnus  Zach Garcia to make a permanent change on campus. Clubs don’t always garner much attention and can easily fall apart once their leaders graduate, so what about SGA? Convincing administrators that TFC needed a Diversity Committee was hard and even discouraging, but they  made it happen. Now, the Diversity Committee meets together under Nateras’ leadership to discuss ways to make campus more inclusive.

“I have been in situations where I didn’t know how to respond or even interact with someone who was different than me. I know there [have] been times that I have said something that was offensive, and I didn’t even realize,” Nateras says. “But the important thing is acknowledging the mistake, apologizing, and then changing. Even now I am still learning, and I recognize that I don’t know everything, so I am willing to acknowledge when I am being ignorant.”

Nateras realizes that God makes every individual special with unique similarities and differences. However, if we are brave enough to approach the conversation, diversity can unite instead of divide Christians and human beings. 

The Diversity Committee is planning events to bring awareness to student athletes, racial and ethnic groups, commuters, students with disabilities and international students. 

Although many events are still in the planning phase, the Diversity Committee hopes to celebrate these students through events like a Native American Heritage Festival in November.  They also hope to host events throughout the month in which Native Americanstudents and speakers can share stories about their heritage and experiences. 

Similar to last year’s “Embrace Your Story” series, the Grace Chapel team will be presenting a “Loving Our Neighbour” series where guest speakers and panels are introduced during chapel, and students can hear the struggles and journeys of diverse people. Don’t forget to check your iAttended app to see when the “Loving Our Neighbour” series starts.

The Diversity Committee also plans to celebrate athletes through Athlete Appreciation Activities, because they are often away for games or practice and are therefore disconnected from the rest of the community. Showing support through events such as Soccer-Players Appreciation Day, wearing school colors, attending sports games and cheering on fellow students are encouraged. Another popular idea involves writing notes of encouragement for each athletic team and presenting them with gift baskets prior to their final match or tournament.

If you’re interested in supporting the Diversity Committee, be on the lookout for signs around campus and on social media (@tfc_sga) about their upcoming events!