Diversity Committee Meeting

Minutes

February 6, 2017 9:30 – 11:30

In attendance: Aswad, Amy, Alissa, Luis, Lori

  1. Plan of Action for the Semester
  2. Include Staff: Goal is to be more intentional about building bridges across all SEHD members.
  3. Amy and Aswad will attend Thursday’s staff meeting. Others from the DC are welcome.
  4. We will figure out next steps for identifying the staff member representative. This will include investigating whether or not this role is taken up as the person’s service load. Amy will contact Jessica to see if this is something we can explore at the meeting.
  5. Transition period for this person to welcome him or her to our committee: We will try to hold a meeting over a meal. Alissa will set up a doodle poll to the current DC members.
  6. Include Students: Goal is to solicit student voice regarding their experiences in the SEHD as they encounter diversity and inclusion. We plan to do this in a variety of ways:
  7. In the fall, we will plan invite student representatives from a variety of groups to a DC meeting (or other information session). Student groups include: Counseling Students of Color Support Network (CSoCSN) and Counselors for Social Justice Network (CSJN), SEJE, RACE, UG officers, work study employees. May need to check further with the student committee so that we don’t duplicate work or step on toes.
  8. Student climate survey: developed in response to learning about problematic statements made in a course context. Last spring, it was piloted by individual faculty at the course level. Question remains of whether to continue its use at the course level or program level. We would like to explore its use at a programmatic level. Some students will be hesitant to be forthcoming to an individual professor, especially if their responses are identifiable. Any faculty can use course-level items on their own mid-term check-in with their courses. But we may learn more about the overall student experience if administered once every two years. We would also be able to request that respondents reveal demographic information without the likelihood of their responses being identifiable. Amy will revitalize the survey, adjust it to a program-level context, and will eventually take it to program leaders’ meeting.
  9. What is the process for students to file a complaint? Aswad, with collaboration of DC and others, will begin to detail a process. School culture should be taken into consideration when planning and implementing this policy. Aswad’s role is to help students get their facts straight and to point them to resources, to empower them. We might address this at a future faculty meeting and point toward the theme that we need systems in place. Students need to know that if they air grievances, they will be handled in good faith. Relationships are key.
  10. Engage Faculty: Goal is to continue exploring how to facilitate discussions in mixed groups relating to contentious issues. Faculty identified this as one point of interest.
  11. Our role is to provide faculty with tools, resources, and discussion regarding how to facilitate these interactions. At the core is a condition of the heart and communicating care and compassion.
  12. Planning for Upcoming Faculty Meetings
  13. Faculty Meeting, Feb. 22
  14. Give updates – efforts at building bridges with staff; student climate survey; prepare for retreat and give faculty questions to think about ahead of time
  15. Faculty and Staff Retreat, March 29
  16. Examination of various tools:
  17. climate survey
  18. professional dispositions tool
  19. syllabus inclusive statement (from curr. comm.)
  20. inventory shared by Diana (from CFD workshop)
  21. Tasks
  22. Amy will be in touch with Jessica C before the meeting.
  23. Amy and Aswad will attend the meeting.
  24. Alissa will set up a doodle poll to first get the DC members’ availability, aiming for March.
  25. Aswad will work with someone to begin development of the policy for student/faculty mediation.
  26. Amy will revisit the climate survey and will create a new draft geared toward program use.
  27. Perhaps Diane can think of the possibility of presenting pieces of her diversity and inclusion workshop at the March 29 retreat (but will ask).