Colby College
PA-4: Diversity and Equity Coordination

Colby's diversity and equity committees, office, and officers include two college-wide committees that address diversity. The first is the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, which meets regularly to discuss issues related to diversity and inclusion in all sectors of the Colby community including students, staff, administration, and faculty. It makes recommendations related to community education, programming, and policies to be pursued by the appropriate bodies on campus. It provides a public forum for the Colby community to engage with issues related to diversity and inclusion. The second is the Bias Incident Prevention and Response (BIPR) team which is charged with responding to bias incidents involving members of the Colby community and working with other appropriate individuals, offices, and organizations to foster a climate of openness and inclusion on campus. The team also performs an educational role in fostering a climate of civility and mutual respect. In 2016, the President of the College commissioned the Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Task Force, who produced a formal report with its findings that is available to the public. This report has been used to inform policy and structural changes at the university, as well as acted as the catalyst for a Campus Climate Survey that was administered to every student and employee of the College. The College employs a number of individuals who are accessible to students, faculty, and staff: Emily Schusterbauer is the Director of the Gender and Sexual Diversity Program, Betty Sasaki is the Dean of Multicultural Affairs, and a new Director of the Pugh Center has just been hired, who will start Fall 2017. Additionally, Cora Clukey is the Director of Equal Employment Opportunity. She focuses on increasing the diversity of the College's staff and faculty applicant pool and increasing the cultural competence of current staff and faculty.

Students have the ability to participate in multitudes of activities throughout the school year. These activities include, but are not limited to: Diversity Dialogue Dinners where students discuss important current events, often relating to social issues including "Exclusion in the LGBT Movement" or "Social Class on College Campuses"; and talks hosted by many different groups on campus. Over the past two years these talks have included political figures (Senator Angus King, Sally Yates), environmental leaders (Bill McKibben), prominent media figures (Janet Mock), and artists (Blue Scholars). Some required trainings/activities for students include COOT orientation where first-year students are randomly assigned to a group of other students who are often very different from themselves. In their freshman year, students are also required to go to multiple Wellness Seminars, which address diversity, such as "Confronting Ourselves: Promoting Diversity, Cultural Competence, and Inclusive Excellence through Community Building." There were 14 staff trainings offered over the past academic year, and often have about 15 attendees, and include "Moving the Race Conversation Forward," "Celebrating Our Differences- Chanukah & Kwanzaa," "Celebrating Our Differences- Chinese New Year," and "Creating Inclusive Hiring Practices." The faculty gathering in the 2016-2017 academic year was focused on cultural competence. Additionally, there is a required Title IX training held for all new faculty members.