| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 56.16 |
| Liaison | Matthew Liesch |
| Submission Date | May 13, 2024 |
Central Michigan University
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.33 / 3.00 |
Nikita
Murry Diversity Education Director Diversity Education |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Non-discrimination statement
Yes
The non-discrimination statement, including the website URL where the policy is publicly accessible:
“Central Michigan University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution. It encourages diversity and provides equal opportunity in education, employment, all of its programs, and the use of its facilities. It is committed to protecting the constitutional and statutory civil rights of persons connected with the university.
Unlawful acts of discrimination or harassment by members of the campus community are prohibited.
In addition, even if not illegal, acts are prohibited if they discriminate against any university community member(s) through inappropriate limitation of access to, or participation in, educational, employment, athletic, social, cultural, or other university activities on the basis of age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, race, religion, sex, sex-based stereotypes, sexual orientation, transgender status, veteran status, or weight. Furthermore, even if not illegal, acts are prohibited if they discriminate against any university community member(s) through inappropriate limitation of access to, or participation in, educational, employment, athletic, social, cultural, or other university activities because they inquired about, discussed, or disclosed the compensation of the employee or applicant or another employee or applicant.
Limitations are appropriate if they are directly related to a legitimate university purpose, are required by law or rules of associations to which the Board of Trustees has determined the university will belong, are lawfully required by a grant or contract between the university and the state or federal government.
The president is directed to promulgate practices and procedures to realize this policy. The procedures shall include the identification of an office to which persons are encouraged to report instances of discrimination and a process for the investigation and resolution of these reports/complaints.”
https://www.cmich.edu/nondiscrimination-statement
Unlawful acts of discrimination or harassment by members of the campus community are prohibited.
In addition, even if not illegal, acts are prohibited if they discriminate against any university community member(s) through inappropriate limitation of access to, or participation in, educational, employment, athletic, social, cultural, or other university activities on the basis of age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, race, religion, sex, sex-based stereotypes, sexual orientation, transgender status, veteran status, or weight. Furthermore, even if not illegal, acts are prohibited if they discriminate against any university community member(s) through inappropriate limitation of access to, or participation in, educational, employment, athletic, social, cultural, or other university activities because they inquired about, discussed, or disclosed the compensation of the employee or applicant or another employee or applicant.
Limitations are appropriate if they are directly related to a legitimate university purpose, are required by law or rules of associations to which the Board of Trustees has determined the university will belong, are lawfully required by a grant or contract between the university and the state or federal government.
The president is directed to promulgate practices and procedures to realize this policy. The procedures shall include the identification of an office to which persons are encouraged to report instances of discrimination and a process for the investigation and resolution of these reports/complaints.”
https://www.cmich.edu/nondiscrimination-statement
Bias response team
Yes
A brief description of the institution’s discrimination response protocol or team:
"The Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity “supervises the maintenance of related reports and records, provides and develops related educational programs and materials, offers guidance and advice to all community members on the University's nondiscrimination and affirmative action policies and procedures, assists departments with recruitment and retention activities, and receives and resolves complaints of discrimination from students, employees and others.”
The following information from the CMU website contains information on the procedure in the event of an incident:
"The Protocol and the Sexual Misconduct Policy establish procedures for the resolution of complaints and concerns arising under those policies. Although the complaint resolution processes under these policies are not identical, they are similar in many ways. Under these complaint resolution processes, an investigation is commenced with the filing of a formal written complaint. Informal resolution (e.g. mediation) may be available under certain circumstances; however, there may be situations where informal resolution is inappropriate (e.g. allegations of sexual assault). Attempts at informal resolution are not required before the filing of a formal written complaint and the commencement of a formal investigation.
A formal investigation is carried out by a trained investigator from the Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity. The investigator will interview the parties and any witnesses. Prior to interviewing the responding, or accused, party, they are provided notice of the complaint filed against them, including a copy of the written complaint. The parties may submit written statements or other physical evidence to the investigator. The investigator may also independently secure evidence. After the completion of the investigation, the investigator prepares a written report, referred to as a Determination, that includes a summary of the evidence reviewed, a statement of the applicable University policies, an analysis of the evidence as it relates to those policies, findings of fact related to the evidence, and, ultimately, a conclusion as to whether or not a policy violation occurred.
Under the complaint resolution procedures of the University, it is the individual filing the complaint's burden to prove by a "preponderance of the evidence" that a policy violation has occurred. As such, the evidence must show that "it is more likely that a violation did occur than that a violation did not occur."
In the event a policy violation is found to have occurred, the investigator will forward the Determination to the appropriate University official for discipline or sanctioning. The Office of Civil Rights does not have the authority to discipline individuals; however, as part of the investigative report, the investigator will make recommendations as to appropriate discipline and interventions as to stop the discrimination, harassment, or sexual misconduct, address its affects, and prevent its reoccurrence.
All complaint resolution and sanctioning processes are also carried out in accordance with the applicable collective bargaining agreements or employee handbooks."
Additionally, all members of the CMU community are encouraged to report any possible violation of the Code of Students Rights, Responsibilities, and Disciplinary Procedures (The Code of Conduct) or the CMU Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct Policy to the Office of Student Conduct.
Link to file a report: https://www.cmich.edu/offices-departments/office-of-student-conduct/faqs/file-a-report.
The following information from the CMU website contains information on the procedure in the event of an incident:
"The Protocol and the Sexual Misconduct Policy establish procedures for the resolution of complaints and concerns arising under those policies. Although the complaint resolution processes under these policies are not identical, they are similar in many ways. Under these complaint resolution processes, an investigation is commenced with the filing of a formal written complaint. Informal resolution (e.g. mediation) may be available under certain circumstances; however, there may be situations where informal resolution is inappropriate (e.g. allegations of sexual assault). Attempts at informal resolution are not required before the filing of a formal written complaint and the commencement of a formal investigation.
A formal investigation is carried out by a trained investigator from the Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity. The investigator will interview the parties and any witnesses. Prior to interviewing the responding, or accused, party, they are provided notice of the complaint filed against them, including a copy of the written complaint. The parties may submit written statements or other physical evidence to the investigator. The investigator may also independently secure evidence. After the completion of the investigation, the investigator prepares a written report, referred to as a Determination, that includes a summary of the evidence reviewed, a statement of the applicable University policies, an analysis of the evidence as it relates to those policies, findings of fact related to the evidence, and, ultimately, a conclusion as to whether or not a policy violation occurred.
Under the complaint resolution procedures of the University, it is the individual filing the complaint's burden to prove by a "preponderance of the evidence" that a policy violation has occurred. As such, the evidence must show that "it is more likely that a violation did occur than that a violation did not occur."
In the event a policy violation is found to have occurred, the investigator will forward the Determination to the appropriate University official for discipline or sanctioning. The Office of Civil Rights does not have the authority to discipline individuals; however, as part of the investigative report, the investigator will make recommendations as to appropriate discipline and interventions as to stop the discrimination, harassment, or sexual misconduct, address its affects, and prevent its reoccurrence.
All complaint resolution and sanctioning processes are also carried out in accordance with the applicable collective bargaining agreements or employee handbooks."
Additionally, all members of the CMU community are encouraged to report any possible violation of the Code of Students Rights, Responsibilities, and Disciplinary Procedures (The Code of Conduct) or the CMU Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct Policy to the Office of Student Conduct.
Link to file a report: https://www.cmich.edu/offices-departments/office-of-student-conduct/faqs/file-a-report.
Recruitment programs
Yes
Does the institution have programs specifically designed to recruit academic staff from underrepresented groups?:
No
Does the institution have programs designed specifically to recruit non-academic staff from underrepresented groups?:
No
If yes to any of the above, provide:
Multicultural Academic Student Services (MASS) is an academic department at CMU that offers multiple programs and resources for academic, social, personal support, retention initiatives, mentoring and leadership development. Multicultural scholarships include the Lloyd M. Cofer, Multicultural Advancement, Multicultural Award of Distinction and LaMarcus Howard scholarships.
Visit https://www.cmich.edu/offices-departments/multicultural-academic-student-services for more information on MASS opportunities.
CMU also employs numerous informal mechanisms to recruit academic and non-academic staff from underrepresented groups. The institution's Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Protocol requires that faculty and staff equal opportunity office support the Office of Civil Rights, Inclusion, and Equity by:
- Monitoring all employment operations, activities and procedures to certify
compliance with the University's equal employment and affirmative action
opportunity policies and commitments.
- Reviewing the recruitment process and documentation and giving approval
in all searches other than those for senior officers.
- Serving as an assistant and resource to OCRIE on all equal opportunity and
affirmative action matters relating to faculty and staff employment
including employment policies, practices, and obligations of the University.
- Providing technical and research assistance to OCRIE and assisting in
conducting studies such as utilization studies of University employee
groups and periodic salary equity studies related to nondiscrimination
policies and assisting in monitoring the goals of the Affirmative Action
Plan for University employees.
- Assisting in providing training for employees on equal opportunity and
affirmative action topics.
- Advising and assisting offices in interpreting equal opportunity and
affirmative action requirements; to include making this Protocol accessible
to members of the University Community.
- Referring instances of alleged discriminatory employment practices or
procedures, or violations of the University's equal opportunity and
affirmative action policies and guidelines to OCRIE and recommending
appropriate actions.
Visit the following link for more information on policies regarding the recruitment process for staff:
https://www.cmich.edu/offices-departments/OCRIE/non-discrimination-affirmative-action-protocol
Visit https://www.cmich.edu/offices-departments/multicultural-academic-student-services for more information on MASS opportunities.
CMU also employs numerous informal mechanisms to recruit academic and non-academic staff from underrepresented groups. The institution's Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Protocol requires that faculty and staff equal opportunity office support the Office of Civil Rights, Inclusion, and Equity by:
- Monitoring all employment operations, activities and procedures to certify
compliance with the University's equal employment and affirmative action
opportunity policies and commitments.
- Reviewing the recruitment process and documentation and giving approval
in all searches other than those for senior officers.
- Serving as an assistant and resource to OCRIE on all equal opportunity and
affirmative action matters relating to faculty and staff employment
including employment policies, practices, and obligations of the University.
- Providing technical and research assistance to OCRIE and assisting in
conducting studies such as utilization studies of University employee
groups and periodic salary equity studies related to nondiscrimination
policies and assisting in monitoring the goals of the Affirmative Action
Plan for University employees.
- Assisting in providing training for employees on equal opportunity and
affirmative action topics.
- Advising and assisting offices in interpreting equal opportunity and
affirmative action requirements; to include making this Protocol accessible
to members of the University Community.
- Referring instances of alleged discriminatory employment practices or
procedures, or violations of the University's equal opportunity and
affirmative action policies and guidelines to OCRIE and recommending
appropriate actions.
Visit the following link for more information on policies regarding the recruitment process for staff:
https://www.cmich.edu/offices-departments/OCRIE/non-discrimination-affirmative-action-protocol
Mentoring, counseling and support programs
Yes
Does the institution have mentoring, counseling, peer support or other programs designed specifically to support academic staff from underrepresented groups on campus?:
No
Does the institution have mentoring, counseling, peer support or other programs to support non-academic staff from underrepresented groups on campus?:
No
A brief description of the institution’s programs designed specifically to support students, academic staff, and/or non-academic staff from underrepresented groups:
The Center for Student Inclusion and Diversity (CSID) houses several offices, programs and resources that foster academic achievement, leadership development, and advancement of all students at Central Michigan Universities. Those offices include Multicultural Academic Student Services (MASS), Native American Programs (NAP), LGBTQ Services and Gender Equity Programs (LGBTQ), the grant program Student Transition Enrichment Program (STEP) and the Institute for Transformative Dialogue.
Multicultural Academic Student Services (MASS) is an academic department at CMU that offers multiple programs and resources for academic, social, personal support, retention initiatives, mentoring and leadership development. Multicultural scholarships include the Lloyd M. Cofer, Multicultural Advancement, Multicultural Award of Distinction and LaMarcus Howard scholarships.
The Native American Programs (NAP) office is responsible for various programs all related to the Native American community and culture. This office exists in part because of the long-standing relationship that CMU has with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe is an active sponsor of CMU athletics, various CMU scholarships, and many cultural-related activities.
The Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Services creates a safe space for Central Michigan University (CMU) students through a variety of programs, trainings, events, and through the Center for Student Inclusion and Diversity in the Bovee University Center (108). The office serves LGBTQ students, questioning students, and allies in order to create an inclusive and safe community.
The Office of LGBTQ Services is available to all students and provides a space to meet new friends, to stop-in between classes, and just to work on homework. Stop by to learn more about what we have to offer! The LGBTQ at CMU list was created for Central Michigan University students, staff, faculty and community members who are members or who are allies of the LGBTQ+ community at CMU. The list exists to provide its members with opportunities for career development, networking, and socializing.
The Student Transition Enrichment Program, commonly referred to as STEP, is a KCP grant-funded program designed to support first-generation and/or Pell Grant-eligible transfer students in their transition from a community or tribal college to Central Michigan University.
The Institute for Transformative Dialogue is a cross-campus partnership to foster excellence in the ways our community engages across differences. Supported by the division of Student Affairs and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS), the Institute supports curricula, programs, and trainings that nurture our abilities to learn and work effectively across social group dynamics, especially across groups with a history of conflict or unequal relations. The mission of the Institute is grounded in the educational framework of “intergroup dialogue,” which a large body of evidence has shown to be effective in building understanding, communication, and collaboration across these divides. The Institute draws upon the expertise of faculty and professionals in the academic and student services divisions with experience in intergroup dialogue methods.
The Division of Student Affairs includes 125+ people across 18 campus departments dedicated to helping Central Michigan students both in and out of the classroom. We embrace diversity and strive to create a welcoming and safe community where all students can be their authentic selves. Our programs and services cover a diverse array of areas that aim to ensure the success of all CMU students, including health and well-being, identity and inclusion, leadership and engagement, and student advocacy.
Multicultural Academic Student Services (MASS) is an academic department at CMU that offers multiple programs and resources for academic, social, personal support, retention initiatives, mentoring and leadership development. Multicultural scholarships include the Lloyd M. Cofer, Multicultural Advancement, Multicultural Award of Distinction and LaMarcus Howard scholarships.
The Native American Programs (NAP) office is responsible for various programs all related to the Native American community and culture. This office exists in part because of the long-standing relationship that CMU has with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe is an active sponsor of CMU athletics, various CMU scholarships, and many cultural-related activities.
The Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Services creates a safe space for Central Michigan University (CMU) students through a variety of programs, trainings, events, and through the Center for Student Inclusion and Diversity in the Bovee University Center (108). The office serves LGBTQ students, questioning students, and allies in order to create an inclusive and safe community.
The Office of LGBTQ Services is available to all students and provides a space to meet new friends, to stop-in between classes, and just to work on homework. Stop by to learn more about what we have to offer! The LGBTQ at CMU list was created for Central Michigan University students, staff, faculty and community members who are members or who are allies of the LGBTQ+ community at CMU. The list exists to provide its members with opportunities for career development, networking, and socializing.
The Student Transition Enrichment Program, commonly referred to as STEP, is a KCP grant-funded program designed to support first-generation and/or Pell Grant-eligible transfer students in their transition from a community or tribal college to Central Michigan University.
The Institute for Transformative Dialogue is a cross-campus partnership to foster excellence in the ways our community engages across differences. Supported by the division of Student Affairs and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS), the Institute supports curricula, programs, and trainings that nurture our abilities to learn and work effectively across social group dynamics, especially across groups with a history of conflict or unequal relations. The mission of the Institute is grounded in the educational framework of “intergroup dialogue,” which a large body of evidence has shown to be effective in building understanding, communication, and collaboration across these divides. The Institute draws upon the expertise of faculty and professionals in the academic and student services divisions with experience in intergroup dialogue methods.
The Division of Student Affairs includes 125+ people across 18 campus departments dedicated to helping Central Michigan students both in and out of the classroom. We embrace diversity and strive to create a welcoming and safe community where all students can be their authentic selves. Our programs and services cover a diverse array of areas that aim to ensure the success of all CMU students, including health and well-being, identity and inclusion, leadership and engagement, and student advocacy.
Support for future academic staff
Yes
A brief description of the institution’s programs to support and prepare students from underrepresented groups for careers as faculty members:
CMU encourages current and future graduate students interested in pursuing careers in higher education to apply to the King Chavez Parks Future Faculty Fellows program. The Michigan Development Agency developed the KCP Initiative to increase opportunities for Michigan’s most educationally disadvantaged citizens. More information regarding the program and its application process are include on CMU website at this link: https://www.cmich.edu/offices-departments/institutional-diversity-equity-inclusion/academic-inclusion/for-students/king-chavez-parks-future-faculty-fellows.
Additionally, the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offers tenured faculty members opportunities to increase their understanding of DEI efforts and through its Faculty Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship Program. More information regarding this program is on the institution’s website: https://www.cmich.edu/offices-departments/institutional-diversity-equity-inclusion/faculty-diversity-and-inclusion-fellowship.
Additionally, the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offers tenured faculty members opportunities to increase their understanding of DEI efforts and through its Faculty Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship Program. More information regarding this program is on the institution’s website: https://www.cmich.edu/offices-departments/institutional-diversity-equity-inclusion/faculty-diversity-and-inclusion-fellowship.
Optional Fields
Yes
Does the institution offer housing options to accommodate the special needs of transgender and transitioning students?:
Yes
Website URL where information about the institution’s support for underrepresented groups is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.