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Message from the President
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One of the traits that we hope to inculcate in our students is that they would become lifelong learners. We aspire to send graduates into the world who do not view their education as something that is complete when they leave Bellarmine, college, or grad school, but rather, view education as a gift and a privilege that they will continue to pursue. At an institutional level, we are no different. While we have learned a great many things during our 170-year history, we are still learning, adapting, changing, and striving to be better. That is part of our mission as a Catholic, Jesuit school. Another part of our mission is the call to seek justice and truth. This past year, our nation and our school have seen a re-awakening to issues pertaining to racial justice, a reality that has asked Bellarmine how it will respond, grow, and change. This past year, alumni from across the years and across the land reached out at our request to tell us about their experiences at Bellarmine. Through this process, we have learned that: • While we have a common bond as Bellarmine alumni, experiences of the school differ significantly. • For some, their time at Bellarmine were some of the best years of their lives. • For other alumni, memories and experiences of Bellarmine are complicated, negative, or painful. • Some graduates indicated that neither they nor their friends experienced any race-based challenges. • Some graduates noted their experiences at Bellarmine were deeply shaped by race or class. The more we listen, the more we learn. And we have learned that as far as we have come and as much as we have done in the area of building a community of acceptance and inclusion, we still have work to do. As President, my leadership team and I are committed to holding ourselves accountable to the goal of cultivating a school community where each student can bring his whole, authentic self to the school each day. We want each student to know that we firmly believe that he is made in the image and likeness of God, and that we love and accept him for who he is. This inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion progress report is part of that accountability. By keeping abreast of trends in our data, listening to the voices of current and former students, and being inspired by our alumni who have committed their lives to justice, Bellarmine will lead with transparency, humility, and hope. We hope this report stirs questions within you; it certainly did for us. Thank you for being part of our journey to seek justice and truth here at Bellarmine and beyond. Sincerely,
follow: @bellarminebells
Chris Meyercord ‘88 President
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Listening Sessions
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The summer of 2020 and recent violence against communities of color have brought conversations about systemic racism to the forefront of society. Bellarmine’s community has not been immune to the injustices present in our society that affect communities of color. In July 2020, President Chris Meyercord ’88 and Principal Kristina Luscher convened a series of listening sessions with alumni of different backgrounds to hear about their experiences as students. This effort came from an authentic desire to assess the school’s past honestly so that we can do better in the future. After participating in a number of listening sessions, President Chris Meyercord offered some reflections: “I was humbled and moved by the opportunity to engage in listening sessions with our alumni. Some shared stories about incidents that had occurred when they were on campus that I was aware of, and knew were very challenging. Other stories came from alumni I knew and remembered fondly, and assumed that their experiences at Bellarmine had been very positive. I did not realize how challenging the time at Bellarmine had been for some of these students – how much they felt excluded, or felt they had to act a certain way, or couldn’t bring their full selves to campus. These sessions helped me realize that Bellarmine needs to develop a fuller understanding of the experiences of students of color, students of different faith backgrounds, students of varied socio-economic backgrounds; in short, to recognize that each student has a story that is uniquely his own. Being a member of the Bellarmine brotherhood does not mean conforming to one way of being, but rather, it means embracing one’s classmates for the rich diversity that they bring, which enriches our whole community. All of us who work at Bellarmine are committed to continuing to learn and doing the work. I hope you will join us.” We are grateful to all the alumni who came forward in candor and vulnerability to share their truths with us. Bellarmine seeks to continue this dialogue so we can further understand how to improve the Bellarmine experience for all students. We ask all our Bellarmine alumni to consider if their experiences at Bellarmine were similar or different to those of their classmates from different backgrounds. Below are some reflections alumni of all backgrounds shared with us:
“We have to do better on racism if we are truly a Catholic school. How can we not love, and treat equally, and fairly, every human being as our sisters and brothers who are right in front of us?” “I have heard stories throughout the years from many Bellarmine graduates of all backgrounds who felt unseen, unheard, and unvalued at the school. Does this categorization of people by race reinforce the very divisions you want to address?” “My Jesuit education at BCP in the 60s was great but rather narrow, especially with everything that was happening in the country with regards to race relations, gender bias, economic inequality.” “I graduated from Bellarmine in the 80s. It was a fantastic experience and one that has helped propel me to the successes I have been so fortunate to realize. Back then we really didn’t notice race or color. We just had friends and teammates.” “My education at Bellarmine was definitely a critical and challenging part of my life. I am Black and graduated in the 70s, and my experience may include some insights.”
As men and women for and with others, how are we being called to respond?
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Representation
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We believe that representation is an important marker for our school as we work towards an improved sense of belonging. As we reflected on the statistics on the following pages, questions arose for us around what the on-campus experience is for students and families of different backgrounds. We are using this data as a lens through which to view our programs, approaches, and curriculum so that we can do more to make the experience of attending Bellarmine as positive as we can for every student. The diversity of a community is often seen through multiple lenses. For this inaugural report, we are starting the conversation by examining race at all levels of our school organization and gender of our faculty and boards. On these pages, we present historical and snapshot data on the demographics of our student population, our governance and leadership, and our faculty and staff. As the demographics of our city and world are shifting, Bellarmine’s demographics shift with it. We embrace this evolution and recognize that in order to serve our community fully, we must see the entirety of our community. A review of student enrollment data over the past 25 years reveals that African American student representation is declining, a troubling trend. Asian student representation is increasing commensurate with County demographics, and Latino student representation increased slightly but still trails local trends. The ethnic and gender diversity of Bellarmine’s faculty and staff have both increased since the 1990s. Current academic year data is provided for school leadership teams – the President’s Cabinet and the Principal’s Council – and provide a baseline for future reporting. Over the past 10 years, our Boards of Trustees and Regents have seen shifts in their composition. Bellarmine’s President has led intentional work in recent years to add more laypeople, women, and people of color to the school’s governing and advisory Boards. Not only does Bellarmine wish to improve representation across all levels of the school, but we want every person in our community to see themselves here and to know that they are loved fully for who they are. BCP Student Demographics v. Santa Clara County
Student Demographic Trends (since 1995)
100
100
80
80 65.7 62.2
60
48.3 40.6
40
31.4
32.0
60
54.8 47.3
40
33.7
25.2
20
25.9
2.8
18.2 19.7
20
16.7 2.6
12.2 4.0
3.9
3.5
16.6 14.2 15.8
2.8
0
0 African American by percent:
Asian
Latino
Santa Clara County
White
BCP
Source: Santa Clara County Public Health (https://data-sccphd.opendata.arcgis.com/). 2018. BCP 2019-20 Data.
African American by percent:
Asian/API
Latino
White
Includes SE Asian
1995-96
2005-06
2015-16
2020-21
Faculty/Staff Composition by Gender (since 1995)
Faculty/Staff Demographic Trends (since 1995)
2020-21
100 87%
80
21% 79%
83% 78%
2015-16
72%
37% 63% 36% 64%
60
2005-06 39% 61%
40 1995-96 20 2
%
0
5%
5%
2
%
African American
2
%
3%
10%
10% 9%
Asian/API
13 13
Latino
White
Male
by percent:
Includes SE Asian
1995-96
by percent:
6%
%
%
2005-06
2015-16
Female
2020-21
President’s Cabinet (2020-21, n=8)
Principal’s Council (2020-21, n=12) 8%
13%
67%
25% 87% 62% 50%
38%
White
by percent:
Latino
Male
by percent:
Female
95
Multiracial
Female
Board* Composition by Gender (since 2010)
95
%
Latino
Male
Board* Demographic Trends (since 2010) 100
White
50%
%
2020-21
80
19%
74%
2015-16
60
18
%
12
%
2010-11
19%
5%
5%
77%
76%
40 69% 17%
20 0
0%
3% 3%
2010-11 by percent:
White
3% 3%
0%
2015-16 Latino
Asian/API
2%
7%
*Trustees and Regents combined.
2019-20
(includes SE Asian)
African American
by percent:
Jesuits
Lay Women
Lay Men
MEN FOR OTHERS MEN FOR JUSTICE
TOMÁS DURÁN ‘92 Tomás Durán has worked for the past 20 years to create opportunities and space for people from low-income communities to grow wealth for themselves and their families. Currently the Senior Vice President for Economic Resilience for Community Health Councils, Inc., he works in their Social Change Institute and partners with community leaders to build equitable systems. In addition to his work at CHC, Tomás is a partner at Concerned Capital, a social benefit corporation dedicated to helping private companies create and save jobs in Southern California. Called to be “a man for and with others” and guided by his faith to work for justice, he has made a career of developing creative solutions that produce jobs, redress inequity, and increase access to goods and services for working class families and communities. I was at Bellarmine when we learned about the massacre of the El Salvador Martyrs. The Jesuits’ response and their focus on justice, reconciliation, and peace made an indelible impression on me. I am still guided by their lessons and inspired by their faith in the face of evil. My commitment to social and economic justice is my faith in action and in my own imperfect way, it’s how I honor the mantra I first saw on a poster on Mr. Scherbart’s wall: “No justice, no peace. Know justice, know peace.”
DALE HO ‘95 Dale Ho is the Director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, and supervises the ACLU’s voting rights litigation nationwide. He has argued two cases before the United States Supreme Court: Trump v. New York, challenging the exclusion of undocumented immigrants from the population count used to apportion the House of Representatives; and Department of Commerce v. New York, successfully challenging the inclusion of a citizenship question on the 2020 Census, and which is featured in the award-winning documentary film The Fight. He also served as lead counsel in Fish v. Kobach, successfully challenging a Kansas law requiring people to show a birth certificate or passport when registering to vote, a case that has been described as “the most significant voting rights case this century.” As the Director of the ACLU Voting Rights Project, my job is to protect and defend the right of every American to vote, and to be treated equally in our democracy. In that role, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to argue two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court in recent years. Bellarmine helped make me the person that I am today. Being a member of the Bellarmine community inculcated in me a deep commitment to justice that has remained the defining principle of my life’s work. And the Speech and Debate team gave me the skills and confidence to try to make a difference in the world.
Bellarmine’s mission is to educate students to seek justice and truth throughout their lives, to become men who will use the talents in the service of others. We are proud to highlight some of our alumni who have committed their lives to pursuing racial and social justice. If you know a Bellarmine alum who is continuing to be a man for and with others by working for justice, please email Steve Connolly in our Alumni Relations office at sconnolly@bcp.org.
photo: Bebe Jacobs
MATT MAHAN ‘01 Matt Mahan is Councilmember for San José District 10, representing Almaden Valley and Blossom Valley. He previously co-founded and served as CEO of Brigade, the world’s first social network for voters. He has also served as CEO of Causes, an early Facebook application focused on issue-based organizing and collective action, taught middle school in the Alum Rock Unified School District through Teach for America, and did economic development work in Bolivia as a Michael C. Rockefeller Fellow. Matt grew up in Watsonville, attended Bellarmine College Prep on a work-study scholarship, and graduated from Harvard magna cum laude in Social Studies. My commitment to justice comes from the knowledge that I’ve been given many incredible opportunities in life, thanks especially to my parents, teachers and mentors and resources like Belllarmine’s Financial Aid program, not to mention a healthy dose of luck. I feel a responsibility for ensuring that everyone, especially every young person in our community, also has access to abundant opportunities to achieve their God-given potential.
SEAN MENDY ‘01 Sean is a Co-Founding Partner of Concrete Rose Capital, an early stage venture firm focused on capitalizing underrepresented founders, investing in companies serving underrepresented consumers, and helping startups build inclusive cultures and diverse teams at the earliest stages. The firm commits 50% of returns to its Foundation supporting nonprofits closing racial equity gaps in wealth creation. The Foundation is run by Co-Founder and fellow BCP alumnus Jason Norman ‘01. Sean previously spent a decade closing the local opportunity gap as an executive at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula in East Palo Alto. He is an Advisor to Sixth Street Partners and Next Play Ventures, and serves on multiple non-profit boards statewide. He earned a BA in government from Cornell University and advanced degrees in education policy and business administration from Stanford and USC. My commitment to social justice and driving impact is rooted in my experience at Bellarmine. My parents instilled the core value of compassion into me as a child, but Bellarmine is what molded me into a purpose-driven leader who thinks about my role in shaping a more just world.
VIET THANH NGUYEN ‘88 Viet Thanh Nguyen’s novel The Sympathizer won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and numerous other awards. His most recent publication is the sequel to The Sympathizer, The Committed. His other books are a short story collection, The Refugees; Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War (a finalist for the National Book Award in nonfiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award in General Nonfiction); and Race and Resistance: Literature and Politics in Asian America. He has also published Chicken of the Sea, a children’s book written in collaboration with his six-year-old son, Ellison. He is a University Professor, the Aerol Arnold Chair of English, and a Professor of English, American Studies and Ethnicity, and Comparative Literature at the University of Southern California. I was raised as a Catholic, and what I value the most from this education and upbringing is the image of Jesus Chris as someone who always stood with the poor, the marginalized, and the outcast. True Catholicism is, to me, a perpetual commitment to justice and a perpetual questioning of ourselves as to whether we are on the side of the weak or the strong. To be a “man for others,” as I was taught at Bellarmine, must always entail a recognition of the otherness within ourselves and a continual solidarity with the others in our lives and our communities.
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Final Thoughts & Next Steps
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As we noted in our opening letter, this report stirred questions in us, and we hope it did for you as well. We are grateful for the opportunity to consider what a truly inclusive school community looks like, feels like, and acts like. We recognize that at times in our school’s history, our efforts to include and engage diverse students, families, and alumni have fallen short. This report is one step among many that we are taking to address these shortcomings. In these pages, we presented data that spoke to our diversity. We reflected on the voices of our alumni who spoke to us about the work we need to do around inclusion. We celebrated alumni who are using their gifts and talents in the pursuit of creating a more just world, as our faith calls us to do. In the end, equity is what we strive for. Bellarmine wants to identify and understand the barriers in our community that keep students from being their full selves, that hinder our students from achieving their full potential. Bellarmine aspires to be the school of choice for young men of all backgrounds who will be our future leaders both locally and globally. We want every student to experience a profound sense of welcome and belonging from his peers, his teachers, and the larger school community. We wish for each student to see himself fully in our curriculum and always to know that he is accepted. Bellarmine invites each student to bring his whole, authentic self to school. Not only will our community be stronger as a result, but by enabling our students to be their full selves we are encouraging their development into the man that God has made him to be – men who cultivate their gifts and talents and put them at the service of others - men for and with others. Words alone are not enough. Action is needed to cement diversity, equity, and inclusion into our culture and systems. And so, we wish to be intentional with our actions. We will continue listening deeply to alumni of all backgrounds to gain a fuller understanding of how to walk more closely with our students during their time here at Bellarmine. We invite you to be a part of this effort by sharing your experiences and reflections with us here. This report is a new effort towards increased accountability and transparency around representation and access. As you take some time to reflect on everything that you have read in these pages, know that the work continues at Bellarmine. Going forward, we plan to release this DEI Progress Report annually, while posting periodic updates on this webpage. We will continue to diversify our governing boards and review our curriculum. We will continue to increase faculty diversity through major initiatives such as the Pinkston Fellowship and strive for greater inclusion through daily efforts by building relationships across communities. We will create affinity groups for alumni and provide ongoing professional development for our faculty and staff. These are just a few examples of the work being done. And there is still so much more to do.