Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 58.58
Liaison Margaret Lo
Submission Date July 14, 2022

STARS v2.2

Ball State University
PA-5: Diversity and Equity Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.44 / 2.00 Dr. Melinda Messineo
Interim Associate Vice President for Inclusive Excellence and Professor of Sociology
Office of Inclusive Excellence
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have a diversity and equity committee, office, and/or officer tasked by the administration or governing body to advise on and implement policies, programs, and trainings related to diversity, equity, inclusion and human rights?:
Yes

Does the committee, office and/or officer focus on students, employees, or both?:
Both students and employees

A brief description of the diversity and equity committee, office and/or officer, including purview and activities:

The Office of Inclusive Excellence
The Office of Inclusive Excellence serves the entire campus in the areas of inclusive excellence training and development, educational resources, and expert knowledge and support in diversity and inclusion efforts and initiatives.
The President's Advisory Council on Inclusive Excellence
The President’s Advisory Council on Inclusive Excellence (PACIE) was created by President Mearns in Fall 2018 to help guide our University’s efforts to become a thriving, inclusive campus community.
Council members were selected to serve on PACIE based on their proven track record of being student-centered and for their demonstrated commitment to our University’s existing efforts to achieve inclusive excellence. Together, PACIE members represent a wide range of diverse faculty and staff from across multiple departments and divisions of the institution.
With PACIE’s guidance and expertise, President Mearns issued Ball State’s first-ever Inclusive Excellence Plan in January 2020. The plan established six goals to guide the campus community in embedding inclusive excellence into all that we do at our University—from recruiting, admissions, and hiring processes to curriculum and administrative practices. The plan also created an institutional infrastructure that supports our progress in achieving the inclusive excellence goals established in our institutional strategic plan, Destination 2040: Our Flight Path.
PACIE’s leadership has been vital in supporting our inclusive excellence initiatives, from promoting and developing various policies and procedures to fostering new educational and support opportunities that align with our strategic goals as outlined in our Inclusive Excellence Plan.
PACIE has also played a pivotal role in helping our academic colleges and divisions undertake the development of their own inclusive excellence plans.
PACIE members serve one-year terms on the
council and are eligible for annual reappointment
by the President.
Gender Equity Task Force -
The Gender Equity Task Force is committed to ensuring all Ball State University faculty are provided a High Quality Work-Life Environment. This goal helps to achieve our vision of becoming the most student-centered and community-engaged of the 21st Century public research universities, which transforms entrepreneurial learners into impactful leaders committed to improving quality of life. The Gender Equity Task Force sub-committees work to create an environment where faculty feel supported, encouraged and valued.
President's Advisory Council on Inclusive Excellence-Assists and advises the President,the President’s Cabinet,the academic deans, and the Associate Vice President for Inclusive Excellence in developing strategies to infuse diversity, equity, and inclusion across all dimensions of the University.


Estimated proportion of students that has participated in cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:
Some

Estimated proportion of academic staff that has participated in cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:
Most

Estimated proportion of non-academic staff that has participated in cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:
Some

A brief description of the institution’s cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:

Student organizations and faculty request diversity, equity and inclusion related workshops through the MOSAIC program.
MOSAIC is a social justice peer education program whose mission is to engage undergraduate students in open dialogues focused on diversity and social justice topics to promote awareness, change, and inter-group understanding.
The goals are to: (1) Engage students in reflective, interactive, and informative activities related to social justice topics in a safe and inclusive environment; (2) Challenge students to think critically about their experiences and social issues within the world; (3) Help students work towards enhancing their multicultural identities and appreciating cultural differences; and (4) Lead students in discovering ways to embrace differences in order to build an inclusive world and community at Ball State.

Safe Zone and Trans Safe Zone training is offered by the Counseling Center throughout the year. Faculty, staff and students may participate and become trained as an ally for LGBTQ+ colleagues and peers. Safezone is a voluntary network of faculty, staff, students and community members who believe that every member of the University and broader community should have an equal opportunity to grow and learn in a safe and open environment. It is a group of people especially committed to being allies to and advocates for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) individuals.
Safezone offers trainings for those who wish to educate themselves and become allies and advocates, workshops on relevant topics, assistance and support to faculty, staff, students and the greater community as well as resources for LGBTQ people and allies/advocates.
Ways to Be Challenged – Reading Groups
This year we had three faculty and staff reading groups that provides an opportunity for participants to explore
Ways to Work for Change - Diversity Plans and Curriculum Audits This year departments and units will were invited to revisit their diversity plans and curriculum. In 2022-2023 we will continue these conversations for greater recognition of the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Affinity Groups Affinity groups connect people who have common interests or goals for networking, professional development, fostering community, and expanding cultural awareness
OIE Fellows This year we sponsored two OIE fellows. Dr. Melinda Messineo who co-facilitated numerous trainings and Dr. Gabriel Tait who conducted research and designed and facilitated a workshop on the COMMIT model.

Diversity Associates - Associates work in the areas of research, inclusive pedagogy, immersive learning and undergraduate research, diversity dialogue workshops, or grant projects. Faculty participate in a year-long partnership with OIE mentors.
Associates will be expected to meet with mentors on a regular basis. Projects should focus on one or more of the following areas: race, ethnicity, economic status, national origin, disability, gender, sexual identity, age, and/or religious viewpoints.
Faculty may propose an individual project or a collaborative project with a colleague. Expected outcomes are either (1) conference proposal, article submission or book chapter, (2) a plan for pedagogical innovations including a description of initial steps completed, (3) immersive learning application, (4) diversity dialogue workshop presentation, or (5) the development of an idea for a grant project or grant submission


Website URL where information about the institution’s diversity and equity office or trainings is available:
http://cms.bsu.edu/about/diversity-and-inclusion

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.