Associate Director of Justin Riley, ’11 Student Community Support and Development

Justin Riley is the Associate Director of Student Community Support and Development at Chapman University and serves on the Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Engaging the World Committee. With Justin’s help, Wilkinson College is committed to leading the conversation in our community on issues of humanity, unity and justice. In Fall 2020 the ETW series examined The Significance of Race through campus-wide conversations, promoting thoughtful dialogue; mindful reflection; social tolerance; awareness and respect; and peace and kindness. In October Justin served as special guest moderator at the Black Activism & The Pursuit of Justice. Watch the event!

 

Justin Riley, a 2011 graduate of Chapman University, was an integral part of the men’s basketball team during his four years in the uniform. His name is littered across the Chapman record books, standing atop the leaderboards in games played, field goals made, both offensive and defensive rebounds, average rebounds per game, and total blocks. Justin was a force to be reckoned with both on offense and defense, ranking in the top-10 in nearly every statistical category in Chapman’s 25-year Division III history.

Nearly nine years later, Justin returned to Chapman to take on a new role – the Associate Director of Student Community Support and Development. A role, he says, that has been magnified since the world was brought to a screeching halt just a few weeks ago.

“It’s no surprise that our black students in particular have been the most impacted by these killings [Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and many others] and I have been working closely with them to ensure they have the necessary support to process their emotions.” The work doesn’t stop there for Justin, as he is also assisting those students with creating change on Chapman’s campus. “I worked with them hosting the Black Student Union Community Forum, which was attended by over 500 people, including President Struppa and Dean Price. I also held an open community forum for Chapman students, faculty and staff for us to come together and just process what we were all feeling.”

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