St. John Fisher has made many efforts in the last few years to increase diversity and inclusion on campus. With the creation of new positions, like the appointment of Marlowe Washington as Senior Diversity Officer in 2021, the university is becoming a more diverse space than ever before. Just this past summer, Chelsea Marshall ’15 was announced as the new Assistant Director of Multicultural Affairs, a position which was previously nonexistent to many students at Fisher. However, this position is far from new.
In 2021, Marshall began her career at St. John Fisher in the HEOP office as an Academic Support Advisor. Around that time is also when the previous Assistant Director and Director of Multicultural Affairs left the position, and it has remained vacant up until this year. With the fairly recent additions of Tiffany Nicholas and Maddy Robbins to the Student Engagement and Leadership (SEL) staff, Marshall is the most recent addition to the growing Student Affairs office.
A Fisher alumnus herself, Marshall explained that her position looks very different than in the past. Instead of hosting the same cyclical events, her office now places a heavy value on student input in order to accurately represent all students. Marshall explained that this practice allows students to “see themselves in the events,” encouraging them to participate and engage with the people and groups they bring onto campus.
In her new position, Marshall is focused on making sure all students feel represented and respected. “How do we make sure students have spaces where they feel like they are safe and they can say the things they want to say?” Marshall is committed to finding ways to create safe spaces where students can gather, ask questions and learn from their collective experiences. Her motto is “come sit next to me!”
In addition to taking on this new role, Marshall is also in the midst of pursuing her Doctorate of Education, where she hopes to gain the tools to help her make positive changes that last. After her move from HEOP to Student Affairs, she says that she is here to stay. “I’m looking forward to working with everyone and becoming a permanent fixture on the campus.”
Marshall is currently the advisor of the Black Student Union (BSU), and also assists with planning and advertising events for all of the five affinity groups. She mentioned a few events that she is very excited about, including Latiné Student Union’s Día De Los Muertos event with Campus Ministry, and a potential showing of “Identities,” a film screened at the Rochester Fringe Festival about intersectional identities.
Marshall’s office is a resource for all students of all backgrounds, whether that be for school or club related matters, or personal subjects. “I’m able to be a safe space for students. I call myself a venting specialist, you could come in and just vent. And I always ask, ‘do you want advice or do you want someone to listen?’ Because I can do both.”
Marshall’s office is on the second floor of Campus Center next to the SEL offices. Stop in and introduce yourself, because despite the position’s vacancy these past few years, Chelsea Marshall is here to stay.
