Throughout the country, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs and initiatives have been reduced, reformed and removed from both federal and private institutions and corporations.
According to multiple sources, DEI programs were first developed in the 1950s with the Civil Rights Movement. These policies were integrated into corporations and federal foundations, aiming to promote differences in social identity, equal opportunities and respect for all voices.
But in recent years, some Americans have found the practice of DEI to be a political tool, instead bringing unfairness and discrimination into the workplace and raising controversy on its place in the country.
While changes are happening all over the country, the school plans to maintain its focus on community through promoting inclusion and diversity.
“Inclusion is immersive,” Eugene McDermott Headmaster David Dini said. “It’s fully a part of everything that we do–just like our health and wellness.”

Despite the school’s persistent focus on inclusion, student-led affinity groups don’t exist on campus.
According to Dini, the school vetted how affinity groups might look at the school, eventually deciding to provide an organization that encompasses the community’s “sense of common purpose and mission” and thus forming the Inclusion and Diversity Leadership Council (IDLC) in 2021.
Sponsored by the Director of Inclusion, Diversity and Human Resources Lorre Allen, the IDLC aims to cultivate a strong culture and community on campus, continuing the previous informal work done with the Dallas Area Diversity Youth Organization (DADYO) among Dallas schools.
But the IDLC’s founding goal wasn’t just to continue working with DADYO on the occasional multi-school event; instead, the program focused on the St. Mark’s community, bringing all members on campus together by individually caring for and giving attention to each and every person.
“Inclusion is first for a reason,” senior IDLC Co-Chair Mateo Ubinas said. “It’s the biggest factor for us. We want to make sure everyone feels like they have a safe place here, that they’re welcomed in the community and that they have a home at St. Mark’s. It’s truly a special place, and there’s so much emphasis and support for the IDLC because inclusion is at the forefront of what we do–it’s the reason why we’re on campus: to make sure that everyone feels included.”

Members of the IDLC aim to create a truly inclusive environment by crossing boundaries or social lines not often crossed. By intentionally engaging with the entire community, the IDLC can stretch its influence over all three divisions of the school, in the process not only encouraging older students to engage with each other but with the younger students too.
“IDLC’s mission was to go across the divisional lines in the school, and it has met that,” Allen said. “Lower School and Middle School Marksmen need to see the older boys, and it’s not just the feeling of belonging. It’s the feeling that they matter, that someone cares enough about them to talk with them or have a conversation. That’s the inclusion piece.”
Inclusion, according to its definition, in its truest form takes every person, idea and perspective into equal consideration, creating a dynamic environment in which ideas can flourish and people can feel seen. Lions’ Tables, student-led discussion about pertinent societal issues, aim to do just that by taking advantage of the diverse student population and the freedom to express controversial or conflicting viewpoints on campus. Ensuring that each member in the discussion feels free to voice their opinions not only promotes positive change but also creates that dynamic environment.
“The most important thing we can offer is a recourse for students,” Ubinas said. “If a student feels excluded or hurt, we’re here for him. And through Lions’ Tables, people can share their thoughts and opinions openly without repercussions, which is important in a space like St. Mark’s where students have so many different views. Keeping them bottled up isn’t going to do anything productive, so giving people the opportunity to express themselves is super important.”
The conscious efforts to create these opportunities reaffirms the school’s stance on work in inclusion and diversity as an ongoing commitment to strengthening the community, letting students know that they belong.

This commitment to inclusion was demonstrated to Ubinas during his first day on campus, long before he joined the IDLC.
As soon as he stepped into the energetic, sweaty atmosphere of his first summer football practice, he could feel the brotherhood.
Within the span of days, Ubinas went from an unknown outsider to another one of “the guys,” all because of the willingness of the team to take a chance on someone they had never known.
“I was just a wide-eyed new kid who was learning how to play football for the first time,” Ubinas said. “They took me in. From day one, they showed this new kid what the St. Mark’s community meant, and it turns out we had all these connections I never knew; it turned out I had actually gone to preschool with one of my teammates. Being comfortable and getting to know these guys really helped me through my career. There are really good people on campus; you just have to break down that first (social) barrier.”
For many students, this opportunity to familiarize themselves starts on the first day of classes, but confidently putting oneself into the vulnerable situation of talking to strangers can be challenging. So, to help students ease into the new routine of school, IDLC members stand in the entrance of the school, greeting everyone who walks in.
“You feel the community as soon as you first step onto the campus,” Ubinas said. “Doing the small things like welcoming new students on the first day or leading Lions Tables, events that include the whole community, gives the opportunity for people to bind to the school’s culture and what it means. The more opportunities we can give to people to feel like they’re a part of the community, the more they can buy in and become an active participator. We want everyone in the community to provide their own unique views and abilities, so the quicker and more comfortable we can make that transition, the better.”

The Admissions Office sorts through hundreds of resumes year after year. By the end of their selection, 120 new Marksmen are admitted, providing the school with new students who come from a range of socio-economic situations, religious affiliations and ethnicities, further diversifying the student population and challenging boys to exist in a world where not everyone agrees with them.
“The school is committed to admitting a group of boys who can learn from each other and contribute to the broader education of the community,” Director of Admissions and Financial Aid David Baker said. “To us, diversity is a synonym for perspective, and we want a variety of perspectives in the classroom because it elevates the level of conversation. If everyone comes from the same background, there’s a limited number of viewpoints and perspectives, and that’s not valuable for anybody.”
Dini believes that the balance between finding differences and similarities between students is important for a strong community.
“You would never want to emphasize only our shared values and exclude our differences,” Dini said. “You also wouldn’t want to focus only on our differences and not our shared values. Like anything else we do, we’re thinking in the longer-term. We try to do things so that everyone on campus feels that they have a responsibility to the community and that they belong.”
One obstacle to this process, however, is the cost of tuition. Sending a student through all 12 years costs more than $400,000, often making the school inaccessible because of its unaffordability. To help combat this issue and encourage as many families as possible to apply, the school offers need-based financial aid, which they aim to increase every single year. In the 2024-25 school year alone, nearly $24 million was given to 136 students who demonstrated need, allowing them to remain enrolled and contribute to the community.
“There are big initiatives in place to grow the number of students who receive tuition assistance,” Baker said. “Our goal is simple; we don’t want the ability to pay to be a barrier to attendance. We meet 100 percent of a student’s demonstrated need. We receive lots of support to make sure that every boy at the school can not just be here but thrive here.”

Ubinas believes the work of the IDLC helps meet the school’s goals for every student to succeed and thrive.
“The biggest thing is making St. Mark’s a home to everyone,” Ubinas said. “It’s about making sure everyone finds their place on campus–everyone has their own interests and hobbies, but it’s about finding their comfort zone. Inclusion is first for a reason.
If they can have a group of people they can trust and rely on, they can explore more of the community and more of their own interests.”
Dini highlights the importance of understanding one’s role in each of their communities.
“The sun doesn’t rise and set on our shoulders,” Dini said. “We’re part of a much larger conversation, even with our own community; we’re a part of Dallas, a part of North Texas. We have responsibility beyond just being a Marksman.”
The school holds the importance of community steadfast, emphasizing elements of inclusion and diversity as pillars to achieving this goal; the discussions, conversations and work done by not just organizations like the IDLC but also each and every student and member of the school all build upon this.
“When you leave St. Mark’s, it’s important for Marksmen to continue the conversation,” Allen said. “Continue to learn about everyone and call people in; don’t call them out. Hear what they have to say. You might not always agree with them, but at the end of the day, we’re talking about a shared humanity. We have to care about people. We have to care about each other, and we have to take the time to do that.”