Arms Open WIDE

Warren Wilson College’s Inclusion Diversity and Equity (WIDE) office supports students through the points where their ethnicities, genders, (dis)abilities, ages, sexual orientations, religions, and other identities begin or intersect, and is especially intentional about supporting and reaffirming the students in our community specifically identifying (generally or in part) as African/Black, Latiné, Indigenous, Asian (ALIA), and/or Multiracial, as not only the integral stakeholders that they are, but also as essential shapers of our campus’s short and long-term vision.

How does WIDE do it?

Programming

  • WIDE facilitates heritage month programming, promoting awareness, celebration, and dialogue throughout the year, including Latine heritage, Indigenous and Native American heritage, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, Black History Month, Chinese New Year, Asian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and Juneteenth.
  • WIDE also hosts meetings for the WIDE ABC (Antiracist Book Club) and features general programming addressing matters pertaining to diversity impact areas.

Education

  • WIDE provides a number of educational opportunities for the Warren Wilson community, including classroom/crew presentations, conferences, trainings, and workshops.

Community Building

  • WIDE oversees the Engage Living and Learning Community at Sutton Hall – a space devoted to supporting student advocacy for African, Latine, Indigenous, and Asian (ALIA) communities. Its leadership team includes four Peer Advisors (PAs) and the Resident Assistant (RA). Residents not only learn experientially as they carry out their advocacy but they also participate in programming devoted to the development of those advocacy skills, whether they are utilized on campus in greater Asheville or the communities they reside in. Toward that end, WIDE also collaborates with organizations and colleges/universities in the Asheville, Black Mountain, and surrounding region.

Student Advocacy

  • WIDE provides an open-door policy and supports all students in development of their multiple identities. The WIDE Office is also an advocate and response unit for student reports of bias.

Intentional Learning

The WIDE office produces intentional and varied learning opportunities for our campus community such as:

  • Consulting 
  • Training & Workshops
  • Advisement of Identity-Based Clubs
  • Crisis Management
  • Student-Centered Programming
  • Building out Inclusive Spaces

Students in the Asian Culture Club Smiling for a Picture in front of a table with a sign saying `Asian Culture Club`.

Partnerships on Campus

WIDE works with a number of student groups and offices including:

  • Asian Culture Club (ACC)
  • Black Student Union (BSU)
  • LatinX/e Student Collective (LSC)
  • Indigenous Student Association (ISA)
  • Queer Resource Center (QRC)
  • Spritual Life
  • First Generation and First Year Students
  • Disability Office

Educating Activists

On June 27, 2015, James Tyson, ’07, and Bree Newsome were arrested after participating in one of the most visible acts of civil disobedience in recent memory—the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the South Carolina State House. James credits his years at Warren Wilson with helping to shape the person he has become. “The drive that Wilson has toward diversity is something that is absolutely critical. We have to get over all of the stereotypes that we’ve been dealing with, and we have to create the most open, equitable society. We have to create the world that we want.”