Kindred Murillo stepped in as President of Southwestern College at a tumultuous time.
SWC’s accreditation was almost revoked. An investigation into the racial climate on campus unearthed many unpleasant truths. And a shift in cultural rhetoric has endangered the lives of SWC’s undocumented students. Murillo has not solved these problems in her two years at the helm, but she remains dedicated to tackling them.
Respect and inclusivity are two aspects that Murillo said she cares deeply about. Known to many as “the clean-up president,” Murillo was hired by the board in hopes of mending some of the racial, cultural, and financial problems that have plagued previous SWC presidents. Murillo spent her beginning months addressing the grievances felt by faculty in an effort to usher in a new campus culture. She also mentioned that many faculty members shared stories of PTSD from incidents with former presidents.
“You have to listen your first six months,” Murillo said. “And that’s what I did. I basically had people in and out of this office all day, everyday and I listened to what people had to say.”
Murillo’s first significant accomplishment came during the first month of her presidency, when she and her team successfully saved Southwestern’s accreditation.
SWC was handed a warning from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), in 2016. The school was given 18 months to correct 15 areas that were deemed insufficient by the ACCJC.
“I came in January, we were reaffirmed in June,” Murillo said. “Most of the work took place before I got here. One of the things you learn as a leader, never take credit for the things you didn’t do. It’s always the team cause it’s a team effort.”
Accreditation was not the only issue Murillo faced upon entering office.
Rumors of anti-black rhetoric had been spreading across campus long before Murillo arrived. Increased tensions culminated with Murillo reaching out to Shaun Harper, the director of USC’s Race and Equity Center. Harper’s report shed light on a plethora of alleged discriminatory behavior aimed towards black employees at the hands of white and Latinx employees.
The report alleges Southwestern College had the worst anti-blackness climate Harper’s team had ever seen.
“Unfortunately Southwestern’s climate is one of the 2-3 most toxic – many of our discoveries there are especially troubling,” the report claimed.
In the aftermath of the shocking allegations, Murillo held a series of meetings in which faculty, administrators, and governing board members came together to discuss the outcome of the report.
For years, SWC has found itself in hot water. In addition to being burdened with the task of fixing the complex issue of race relations, Murillo was saddled with 28 open Title IX investigations.
Title IX prevents educational institutions from discriminating against students on the basis of sex.
Recently, Betsy DeVos, the U.S. Secretary of Education, unveiled a new set of rules that would make it harder for victims of sexual assault to receive aid from their college. The Department of Education said the old Obama-era regulations “lacked basic elements of fairness” and many advocates for accused students have criticized the prior rules of being “heavily biased in favor of female accusers.”
Murillo does not support DeVos’s proposals.
“Title IX is crucial for college campuses,” Murillo said. “I think the way we’re going with Devos is regression rather than progression.”
Gloria Chavez, Director of Employee Relations and Title IX has supported President Murillo’s efforts regarding investigating Title IX investigations.
“The Superintendent is very in it to win it,” Chavez said. She has boots on the ground. If there is any type of case that I have or a student case that may be more of an issue, she absolutely knows what’s going on.”
