Coastal Carolina University
PA-5: Diversity and Equity Coordination

CCU has a Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This division advances Coastal Carolina University’s commitment to access, inclusion, and diversity by providing leadership, support, and resources for initiatives that strategically and proactively promote an institutional culture of inclusiveness and equity. The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is comprised of its administrative office, Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI), Intercultural and Inclusion Student Services (IISS) and Accessibility and Disability Services (ADS). These departments work towards creating and sustaining an inclusive learning, living and working environment where all members of Teal Nation feel they are welcomed, respected, valued and supported. One activity that this office has launched was the Campus Climate Survey. It first started in January of 2019 and allows students, staff and faculty to participate in a survey that will help the university better understand campus perspectives and experiences related to their work and study at CCU.

Along with the division, there is also an Access, Inclusion and Diversity Council comprised of 17 members. They function as an advisory council and recommending body to the Office of the President and liaison to divisions, offices and units across the university on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. Some of the responsibilities of the council include developing and disseminating the campus climate reports, reporting on the progress toward achieving of the access, diversity, and inclusion goals, and lastly reviewing and revising (as needed) access, diversity and inclusion goals and strategies.

Until Spring 2022, Atiya Stokes-Brown Ph.D. was the Vice President of the Division for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. As the chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, she guided efforts to conceptualize, define, assess, nurture and cultivate diversity and inclusion as an institutional resource. A Search Committee is in the process of actively searching for Coastal Carolina University's next vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

New Student Trainings

All incoming freshmen and transfer students are required to complete Get Inclusive for Undergraduates as part of their new student orientation. https://www.coastal.edu/nsfp/orientation/newstudentchecklist/#d.en.85752

All new students are also required to participate in three sessions/videos for Chant Life: Campus Essentials, Step UP Against Violence Performance, and Discussion/Debrief. These interactive presentations provide valuable information about navigating college life outside of the classroom as well as key resources available in the CCU community. Chant Life Step UP Against Violence Performance is a pre-recorded session that features a performance by fellow students that is designed to depict various aspects of healthy and unhealthy relationships one may encounter while in college and after. In a follow-up session, students will have the opportunity to reflect on the Step UP Against Violence performance, healthy relationships, communication, and resources available to them in the CCU community.
https://www.coastal.edu/nsfp/ct/requiredprogramming/

Academic Staff

Offered through the online learning office, COOL, faculty are required to take a self-paced online training workshop on Integration of Accessible Assignments and Activities into their Online, Hybrid, and Flex Classes. https://www.coastal.edu/online/facultyresources/facultyfaqs/

All Employees

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) and the Center for Teaching Excellence to Advance Learning (CeTEAL) offer the Inclusive Pedagogy and Leadership Workshop, which is designed to support faculty and teaching staff's efforts to examine their current teaching practices, infuse inclusive pedagogy into their teaching, and integrate mindfulness as a tool for cultural inclusion. This workshop is offered once a year. https://www.coastal.edu/dei/inclusivepedagogyandclassrooms/

The Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Professional Development Series, offered through Training, Development and Service Excellence (TDSE) aims to foster and develop cultural competency through knowledge, awareness and skills. They currently offer a three-part series that fosters awareness of barriers that impact campus climate, addressing issues ranging from implicit bias and microaggressions to cultural competency and allyship. https://www.coastal.edu/dei/dei-relatedtrainings/

Other Examples of Initiatives

The African American Initiative for Men (AAIM) is a retention program administered by Intercultural and Inclusion Student Services. This initiative is designed to improve the academic and personal growth of men in the program. The goals of the program are to: Increase the retention and matriculation of African American men at CCU; and Raise University perceptions and expectations of African American men.

WOMEN OF COLOR: The Women of Color initiative is designed to enhance communication, camaraderie, and mentorship opportunities among all women of color. Students are provided a venue for all to come together and share common concerns and discuss issues that affect them on and off-campus. Empowerment sessions are one avenue used for students to express themselves, and to gain guidance and information.‌
https://www.coastal.edu/intercultural/initiatives/woc/

SAFE ZONE: The Safe Zone program is based on the commitment of Coastal Carolina University faculty, staff and students to the value of cultural diversity and the needs of lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender/queer (LGBTQ) students, faculty and staff. Any student, faculty or staff member can become Safe Zone Ally through attending training sessions. https://www.coastal.edu/safezone/

The LIFE Program at CCU is a 4-year, tuition based, post-secondary education and transition program for young adults who have mild to moderate intellectual and/or developmental disability as defined by AAIDD. They enroll 10-12 students each academic year. Throughout the four-year LIFE Program, students engage in courses specifically designed to build independent living skills through experimental learning. Some courses include LIFE 181 Developing Self Advocacy, LIFE 203 Citizen Rights and Responsibilities, LIFE 303 Disability Rights in the US Government and lastly LIFE 312 Building Self Resilience. LIFE students are paired with Academic tutors to aid them in course-related material.

2022-27 Quality Enhancement Plan: Succeed @ Coastal - Building Student Achievement Through Inclusive Engagement
Coastal Carolina University (CCU) will implement Succeed @ Coastal: Building Student Achievement Through Inclusive Engagement as its Quality Enhancement Plan for the years 2022-27. The goal of the QEP is to maximize students’ academic success and sense of belonging within the university by implementing teaching and mentoring practices that are focused on inclusive action, critical evaluation, and cultural reflection. Using measurable activities that are rooted in the AAC&U's guidelines for building Inclusive Excellence, the QEP’s student learning outcomes (SLOs) will elevate students’ levels of academic achievement and social integration. This will be done through targeted curricular and co-curricular engagement — which together will lead to improvement in the university’s student retention rates, as well as an increase in diverse students’ attraction to CCU; as the institution where they will successfully pursue undergraduate degrees. In this context, we anticipate that the successful implementation of the QEP will result in an improvement of student retention levels by up to three percent over a period of five years, while also growing by up to five percent, combined, CCU’s population of non-traditional students and students from diverse local and regional communities. https://www.coastal.edu/qep/qeptopicexecutivesummary/

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: https://www.coastal.edu/dei/
CeTeal Training: https://www.coastal.edu/ceteal/
Access, Inclusion and Diversity Council: https://www.coastal.edu/dei/accessinclusionanddiversitycouncil/
LIFE Program:https://www.coastal.edu/education/communityoutreach/lifeprogram/

https://www.coastal.edu/nsfp/orientation/newstudentchecklist/#d.en.85752