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Karen Cady
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For each of the demands the administration commits to the following actions:
1. Staff
A. Increase the percentage of full-time minority faculty and staff to 23% across All departments by 2019
ACTION: Determine the feasibility of increasing the percentage of full-time faculty, administrators and staff of color. If 2019 not achievable, determine date when it can be achieved. Establish yearly and divisional goals to monitor progress. (Keenan, fall 2016).
B. We demand an increase of staff of color in counselors, doctors, and administrators in the Student Health and Counseling Center.
See 1A.
C. The appointment of a Chief Diversity Officer should be hired immediately to be able to create a formal complaint process for violations of the university nondiscrimination policy.
ACTION: Hire a Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, who will serve as the institution’s Chief Diversity Officer. (Meservey, fall 2016).
ACTION: Clarification and communication of the existing university nondiscrimination policy and complaint process is underway, including bias incident reporting. (Keenan/James, fall 2016)
D. Increase student involvement in the hiring process for the Chief Diversity Officer.
ACTION: One undergraduate and one graduate student have been appointed to the search committee for the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion. (Meservey, completed)
E. Monthly or recurring discussion meeting/office hours to talk and plan with the president and whomever is needed to help improve the diversity issue.
ACTION: President Meservey, Provost Silva and Dean Tharp have committed to recurring meetings with representatives of Black, Brown and Proud, with the addition of the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion once hired. (Meservey, ongoing)
F. Making sure courses are being taught by professors who have the credentials to teach in a racially specific course.
ACTION: The University will uphold the relevant standards established by its regional accreditor by ensuring that the preparation and qualifications of all faculty (and academic staff) are “appropriate to the nature of their assignments. Qualifications are measured by advanced degrees held, evidence of scholarship, advanced study, creative activities, and teaching abilities, as well as relevant professional experience, training and credentials.” (See https://cihe.neasc.org/standards-policies/standards-accreditation/standards-effective-july-1-2016#standard_four, Standard 6.3) (Silva, ongoing)
ACTION: Hiring process to include question regarding competence/experience in working with students with diverse backgrounds. (HR/Keenan)
G. Create a structured mentorship program for students of color (Sister Scholar, Bees & Brother, Yearly Peer Meeting Program)
ACTION: Evaluation of existing structured mentorship programs for students of color, in consultation with the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, to determine the appropriate funding needed for FY2017. (James, Summer 2016)
H. Honors program – take an initiative to inform qualifying students of color of the honors program and its scholarship opportunities
ACTION: All qualified students of color will be notified of and encouraged to consider membership in the Honors Program and its scholarship opportunities. (Silva, April 2016)
2. Training
A. Require Diversity courses into general education; General Education requirement
ACTION: The President’s Advisory Council on Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice (PAC-D) is preparing a proposal to address diversity courses and a pathway to a general education requirement for diversity which will be submitted to faculty governance. (PAC-D, spring 2016)
B. Highly encourage all faculty and staff to attend 1 workshop on diversity each semester.
ACTION: All faculty and staff will be highly encouraged to attend at least one workshop on diversity each semester. Workshops will be designed to facilitate discussion and be a hands-on, learning experience for faculty and staff. (Silva/Keenan, fall 2016)
C. Creating workshops on diversity for faculty and administration that are held once a semester.
ACTION: There will be two workshops on diversity each semester specifically geared to faculty. Additionally, at least two open diversity workshops will be offered each semester, plus at least one summer workshop, for faculty, staff and administration. (Silva/Keenan, ongoing)
D. We also demand that faculty are incentivized to participate in social justice work as part of the tenure and promotion processes.
ACTION: Faculty who participate in social justice work will receive appropriate credit in personnel evaluations for such work, be it in the area of teaching effectiveness, continuing scholarship, or other professional activities (i.e., “service”). (Silva, ongoing)
E. We demand the establishment of a mandatory Diversity Curriculum for incoming students starting with academic year 2017-2018 in perpetuation.
ACTION: Include diversity as a major component/theme of the co-curriculum being developed for all students for orientation and throughout the year. (James, fall 2017)
3. Budget/Funding – Resources
A. Increase in budget for departments that work specifically with students of color (CAE, Student Advocacy, and Diversity and Multicultural Affairs Office). This would allow the retention rate for students of color to grow at stable rate in the junior and senior year.
ACTION: Reallocate resources to high-impact practices and programs for students of color. (James/Silva, June 2017)
C. With the increase of students of color in the university we need to increase the amount of faculty who assist these students.
See 1A.
4. Scholarships/Grants
A. Increase donations to the endowment fund specifically for scholarships for black, brown and low-income students.
ACTION: Solicit donors to support existing scholarships for low-income students and to create scholarships for students of color. (McGurren, spring 2017)
ACTION: Explore corporate sponsorships that benefit students of color. (McGurren)
B. Committee Selection Process
A. Require that each search committee in every department have one or two students as members of the hiring process; and a part of the decision process. Needs to be a universal structure for the search committee. The committee needs to be elected every year.
ACTION: Request Student Government Association and the Graduate Student Association designate one or two student representatives for any position that requires the creation of a search committee in the hiring process when permitted by policies and regulation. (Keenan/ongoing)
5. The committee submit a report on the Skype interviews. What was the decision process and how were these 3-4 candidates selected?
ACTION: Establish standards for ensuring that at each stage of a search there is sufficient diversity in the applicant pool. (VP of Diversity and Inclusion/Keenan, fall 2016)
6. First-Year Orientation
A. Require Perspectives Training of all orientation leaders as a prerequisite to their first orientation session.
ACTION: Implement perspectives training for all orientation leaders. (James, summer 2016)
B. Make conversations on diversity at SSU a feature of the orientation experience.
ACTION: Feature diversity as a major element of the orientation/Viking Plunge experience. (James, summer 2017)
C. Orientation leaders will be completely knowledgeable about diversity
See 6A.
D. Diversity and Multicultural Affairs Office create a session focused on what their office does as well as important diversity topics. See 6B.