Four individuals from the Dartmouth community whose work ranges from environmental justice advocacy to addressing the AIDS epidemic to increasing the diversity of the College received this year's Social Justice Awards on Friday. The Dartmouth chapter of Habitat for Humanity received the award for a student organization.
Environmental studies professor Michael Dorsey, Gregorio Millett '90, senior scientist in the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Jan Tarjan '74, former senior program officer for local service at the William Jewett Tucker Foundation and Holly Sateia, former vice president for institutional diversity and equity, were honored in a ceremony in Collis Common Ground, where the four honorees spoke about their work and their views on social justice at the College.
This year, a record number of student organizations applied for the student organization award, according to Chair of the Social Justice Committee Gabrielle Lucke, who is also director of Diversity Training and Educational Programs. This increase is largely due to the work of Ariana Almas '11, who spearheaded efforts to increase award applications by student organizations, according to Lucke.
Between four and six organizations typically applied for the award in previous years, but this year more than 20 organizations applied, Lucke said.
The recipient of the student organization award, Habitat for Humanity, was recognized for its dedication to addressing issues of affordable housing in the Upper Valley while incorporating environmental concerns and energy efficiency into its project designs. Over the past year, Dartmouth's chapter has helped build four houses and is currently working on a fifth, according to moderator and Vice President for Institutional Diversity and Equity Evelyn Ellis.
Students, faculty, administrators and alumni were all invited to submit nominations for the individual awards, and the honorees were then selected by the Social Justice Awards Committee. Each of this year's honorees received multiple nominations, according to Lucke.
Dorsey and Millett both received the "Ongoing Commitment" award.
Dorsey, who serves as director of Dartmouth's Climate Justice Research Project, was honored for his ongoing commitment to environmental justice. Dorsey has worked on environmental issues at the national and international level for over a decade, previously serving on former President Bill Clinton's Council on Sustainable Development.
In the panel discussion at the ceremony, Dorsey who also founded an organization that advocates for developing states affected by climate change encouraged students to work towards social change.
"I like to remind people that working on social change is something that uplifts you, it animates you in a psychosocial way," he said.
Millet, who serves as the senior policy advisor for the Office of National AIDS Policy, was recognized for his ongoing commitment to the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States. Millet has published several papers in peer-reviewed journals addressing the disparities in HIV along racial and ethnic lines.
Millet said he was inspired to pursue this research and become involved with the fight against HIV after losing 15 friends to the virus by the time he was 20 years old. He said the epidemic in the United States does not receive enough attention, despite its devastating impact on many communities.
Tarjan was recognized for her involvement at the Tucker foundation, where she has led several community service initiatives and helped students engage in community service projects, Ellis said. Tarjan, who retired from her position at the Tucker Foundation last June, was awarded the Lester B. Granger '18 Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Tarjan said the goal of her work was to try to "exercise the inherent idealism in students."
Sateia was awarded The Lifetime Achievement and Service Award for her dedication to increasing diversity at the College among students, faculty and staff. Sateia began working at the College admissions office in 1974, where she helped increase the number of women at Dartmouth in the early years of coeducation. Her subsequent involvement at the College included several initiatives to increase the diversity of the student body, according to Ellis.
Sateia said she aimed to "change the face of Dartmouth" and increase the accessibility of the College to students of a variety of backgrounds during her tenure. She said she also hoped to help ensure that students were able to reach their full academic potential at the College.
Sateia helped create Dartmouth's Office of Pluralism and Leadership and served as Dartmouth's chief diversity officer in 2007.
At the end of the ceremony, the panelists spoke about their visions for the future of the College in relation to social justice. Several panelists said they would like to see continued improvement in faculty and staff diversity at the College.
Four additional student organizations Students Taking Action Now Darfur!, Assisting Special People through Integration, Recreation and Education, The Real Beauty Initiative and the Rockapellas also received special recognition for their contributions to social justice.
The awards ceremony included a performance by the Rockapellas.
The Social Justice Awards Committee, which was responsible for selecting the honorees, also included John Brett '00; Michelle Chamley, assistant director of student affairs and student services for Dartmouth Medical School; Christine Crabb, assistant director for the Office of Conferences and Special Events; Timothy Duggan, assistant director of the Collis Center for student involvement; Linda Martin, administrative assistant for the Dartmouth Medical School Office of Student Affairs; Kurt Nelson, assistant chaplain for the Tucker Foundation; Toni Pippy, finance manager for the Tucker Foundation; Maghan Porter, administrative assistant for the Office of Conferences and Special Events; Molly St. Sauveur, programs assistant for diversity and equal opportunity and affirmative action in the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity, and Paula Therrien, who works in development for the College.
