Classicists of Color
Classicists of Color is a group for faculty and graduate students dedicated to creating a safe and informal space for self-identifying people of color affiliated with the Classical field. The group was created as a support network for those who are a minority in a historically white field and may want a space to voice opinions and concerns without worry. Typically, Classicists of Color meets two-three times a semester for coffee. Some meetings are informal with no agenda, while others may contain a discussion around a specific topic. We are co-run by a faculty member and a graduate student in order to create a space that values equality, safety, and varying identities, experiences, and opinions.
Diversitas
Our purpose is to facilitate diversity and inclusion in Classics as a discipline. We believe that diversity includes, but is not limited to: race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, immigration status, ability, parental status, and socio-economic status. We provide support for marginalized graduate students in Classics, raise issues, make announcements, and communicate with the DGS.
In the past year, Diversitas has facilitated the creation of a graduate handbook, campaigned for workshops on teaching difficult topics, and held informational meetings on such topics as mental health leave for graduate students.
All Classics graduate students are welcome, and there is no formal process to apply for membership. If you would like more information, please contact us at cornelldiversitas@gmail.com. If you would like to send suggestions or questions anonymously, you can do so on our Diversitas Suggestion Box Google Form.
The Anti-racism and Anti-colonialism (ARCO) Interest Group
We are an organization geared toward uprooting systemic racism in archaeological practice and pedagogy by facilitating productive discussions and providing anti-racist programming for the community of CIAMS (Cornell Institute of Archaeology and Material Studies). ARCO is structured to be able to constantly evolve and adapt to new ideas, issues, and opinions. We strive to create a safe and open-minded space where we can work together to better ourselves as academics charged with educating and transmitting historical knowledge to the next generation. Most importantly, we are a space to have fruitful and productive discussions, including making mistakes and learning along the way. Typically, ARCO meets once a month for a student-led reading group during which we read one or two articles on a topic of interest. In addition, the group has been involved in editing and hosting a podcast season (SAPIENS Talk Back: Changing Archaeology’s Stories and Who Tells Them podcast) with RadioCIAMS, creating a Behavioral Compact for Archaeological field and lab work.