Case Western Reserve University
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Case Western Reserve University does not discriminate in recruitment, employment, or policy administration on the basis of race, religion, age, sex, color, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, or status as a disabled veteran or other protected veteran under U.S. federal law. In addition, the university expects all employees, students, vendors and associates to comply with the policy of non-discrimination. The university intends to maintain an environment free of sexual harassment and will not tolerate any form of harassment of its employees, faculty or students. Retaliation against persons raising concerns about discrimination, sexual harassment or harassment of any kind is prohibited and will constitute separate grounds for disciplinary action up to and including discharge or expulsion from the university. http://case.edu/diversity/university-policies/non-discrimination-policy/

CWRU has a Bias Reporting System (BRS) within the Division of Student Affairs, to promote an inclusive community by providing a clear and streamlined process for reporting incidents of perceived hate, bias, and/or discrimination. BRS acts as a resource to students and the CWRU community by illustrating the current campus climate. The Bias Response Team is comprised of 5 campus community members, appointed annually by the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students. Reports of perceived hate, bias, and/or discrimination can be reported via a phone line, online, or in-person, and members of the BRT will be assigned for follow-up. The BRS makes summary reports available to the campus community. CWRU also has sexual conduct and harassment procedures that can also be applied to discrimination. Additionally, as part of CWRU's 'No Retaliation Policy', there is a list of Designated Reporting Representatives whose duty it is to investigate these situations.

Human resources, the diversity office, the Provosts office, student affairs and admissions and a high school STEM focused outreach program on campus all have formal programs to recruit faculty, staff and students from underrepresented groups. For example the PROVOST SCHOLARS PROGRAM PAVES THE WAY FOR CLEVELAND STUDENTS TO ATTEND COLLEGE. When Brianna Moore stepped onto the Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) campus as a ninth grader in 2013, she had no idea where she would attend college and did not know how she could afford it. However, today Moore is a CWRU student, class of 2021, and the recipient of a full-tuition Provost Scholarship. Her journey from an urban school in East Cleveland to the CWRU campus is largely the result of a mentorship program started by Faye Gary, EdD, the CWRU Medical Mutual of Ohio Kent W. Clapp Chair and professor of Nursing and CWRU Provost William A. “Bud” Baeslack, III, in conjunction with East Cleveland City School District Superintendent Myrna Corley. The Provost Scholars Program, launched in 2013, pairs East Cleveland middle and high school students with CWRU faculty and staff who serve as mentors and work to improve the academic success of students and expose them to college and future career possibilities. The success of the program is evident by Moore’s presence on campus. She is among the first six Provost Scholars to complete the program, graduate from high school and go on to college. Moore chose to attend CWRU, in part, to be close to Gary, who was her mentor in the Provost Scholars Program. More than 100 students have participated in some aspect of the Provost Scholars Program since its inception in 2013.

CWRU's Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center has won awards and gives scholarships to LGBT students and supporters as well as offers support to thees underrepresented students, staff and faculty. (http://www.case.edu/lgbt/) Additionally, CWRU's Office for Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunity supports students, staff and faculty that are from other underrepresented groups on campus. A great number of programs, initiatives and events are conducted from these offices.

AUMF at CWRU - The Association of Underrepresented Fellows (AUMF) partnered with CWRU to advance the university’s efforts to bring more diversity to the biomedical sciences. The current president of the AUMF is Emmitt Jolly, assistant professor of biology at CWRU. The AUMF was initially conceived as a peer-mentoring network that would allow the fellows to continue to benefit from each other’s counsel and companionship. But the organization’s mission gradually expanded, and its 650 members have been intent on patching the infamously leaky pipeline for underrepresented minorities in STEM fields. Since 2012, the AUMF has been formally hosted by Case Western Reserve. In 2014, the AUMF and the university jointly hosted a national symposium on minorities in the biomedical sciences that drew 125 minority researchers to campus from institutions like Harvard, Stanford and Duke and highlighted CWRU’s commitment to increasing the participation of people of color in STEM fields. Several AUMF members have given seminars on campus, and Jolly played an important role in bringing Tuskegee University into a $3.7 million project led by Case Western Reserve and funded by the National Science Foundation that seeks to increase underrepresented minority preparation, participation and success in STEM graduate programs. IDEAL - The goal of this innovative partnership grant is to seed institutional transformation at leading universities in the northern Ohio region by creating an institutional learning community that is empowered to develop and leverage knowledge, skills, resources and networks to transform academic cultures and enhance equity and inclusion at each university. IDEAL adapts and disseminates the successful academic leadership development and institutional transformation methods developed by CWRU during its five-year ADVANCE IT initiative, Academic Careers in Engineering and Science (ACES www.cwru.edu/admin/aces/), which continues at CWRU as ACES+. Awarded to Dr. Lynn T. Singer, Deputy Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Case Western Reserve University, the 3 year NSF Grant is a partnership with five regional public universities: Bowling Green State University, Cleveland State University, Kent State University, University of Akron and the University of Toledo. Diversity Fellow Pilot Program: A CWRU professional or graduate student is selected to serve upon graduation as Diversity Fellow in OIDEO for one year.

http://www.case.edu/lgbt/ http://case.edu/lgbt/resources/transgender/bathroom-inventory/