On Aug. 1, 2018, Hamilton College welcomed Maria Genao-Homs as its new Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion. This new position was created to support and advance the College’s diversity initiative in line with its strategic planning goals for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Of this initiative, the College said: “Our success must be measured not just in attracting a more diverse community; we must also do more to ensure that every member of our community has the opportunity to take full advantage of what Hamilton offers.”

Genao-Homs will focus on the second piece of that goal, making sure that all students feel comfortable at Hamilton and are able to get the most out of their experience on the Hill.

“The role was specifically created to develop, enhance, and work with others on issues that are specifically student-created,” says Genao-Homs. She will be working with students, specific departments, and the institution at large to enhance the student experience as it relates to diversity and inclusion.

She will also be working in the Dean of Students office under Dean of Students Terry Martinez, who created the new position. She will, however, also collaborate with the director of the Days-Massolo Center, the chaplaincy, and Allen Harrison, Dean of Accessibility and International Students.

Genao-Homs hopes to make Hamilton feel like home for all students regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, socioeconomic status, or ability.

She notes, “This [the College] isn’t just for one or two specific groups.” Since identities are multifaceted and complex, especially for college-age students, she wants to have conversations about “the full gamut of what diversity and inclusion looks like.”

Another one of her main goals is to ensure that everyone at the College is a good steward of community by taking care of each other in an honest way. She says this will be achieved through dialogue and trainings, in and out of the classroom.

Currently, she is exploring and learning more about Hamilton in order to create meaningful and targeted initiatives to reach these goals. However, many of her ideas will come from student input since the role is meant to be student-centered.

With this in mind, she will hold office hours throughout the week around campus during the school year to interact with students and listen to their concerns. She also encourages students to have conversations with her whether it is about a serious concern or a small success.

“Please invite me into your spaces,” she said. “I’m here to have lunch, breakfast, dinner, whatever works for you all. Let’s really engage in meaningful conversation around what community means and what it means to take care of each other around these pieces.”

Additionally, Genao-Homs wants to give students the opportunity to challenge themselves and hopefully leave Hamilton more secure in their identity from all angles. She was drawn to Hamilton because of the concept that students can “create their own experience” through the open curriculum.

She explained that this is “incredibly unique,” and “frees students up to do what they want to do, make mistakes, and develop [themselves] as a whole person.” She hopes that students at Hamilton will question their commonly-held beliefs and ask why they feel the way they do and what in their background shaped these viewpoints.

Genao-Homs hopes that students will strive for an open-mind and make an effort to become kind to everyone, regardless of their identity.