| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 55.42 |
| Liaison | Jen Jones |
| Submission Date | Feb. 18, 2020 |
College of Charleston
PA-5: Diversity and Equity Coordination
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.56 / 2.00 |
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?:
Does the committee, office and/or officer focus on students, employees, or both?:
A brief description of the diversity and equity committee, office and/or officer, including purview and activities:
The Office of Institutional Diversity promotes diversity and inclusion at the College. Its team deepens awareness and understanding of the College's commitment to diversity through educational and training workshops and seminars. Workshop participants gain experience designing new or scaling existing pathways that invite, support and include underrepresented minorities; constructing or designating more spaces where underrepresented minorities feel more comfortable at the College; and developing more accessible opportunities for campus members to report identity-based bullying.
The Office of Institutional Diversity is led by Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Renard Harris and supported by a team of five staff members concentrated on diversity education and training. The Office actively organizes a popular presidential speaker series, community-focused collection drives and various campaigns addressing college access and health disparities. More info can be found at diversity.cofc.edu.
The President's Campus Diversity Review Committee aims to make the College a more diverse campus by emphasizing affordability, accessibility and inclusivity. Committee members review, evaluate and provide recommendations on the College's diversity programs with the priority to make the College a more diverse campus.
Estimated proportion of students that has participated in cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:
Estimated proportion of academic staff that has participated in cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:
Estimated proportion of non-academic staff that has participated in cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:
A brief description of the institution’s cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:
In addition to the trainings outlined above as part of the Office of Institutional Diversity's activities on campus, the Office also provides the structural foundation for and facilitation of two major diversity education initiatives: Access, Inclusion, Responsiveness and Equity (AIRE) and the Department Equity Education Program (DEEP).
The university's Gender and Sexuality Equity Center further upholds the core values of equality for all members of the College's community, including students, faculty and staff. GSEC advocates for a culture of resistance against inequality, judgement, prejudice and bias in all its forms. GSEC offers grant funding for proposals created by students, faculty and staff for research and projects directly related to the mission and values of GSEC; student support with a variety of inclusion and equity concerns; and oversight over campus policies related to gender and sexual equity in coordination with the Office of the President, the Division of Academic Affairs, the Division of Student Affairs, Office of Institutional Diversity, Office of Multicultural Student Programs and Services, Office of Equal Opportunity Programs, Women's and Gender Studies, and others.
Finally, the College's Office of Multicultural Student Programs and Services coordinates routine SafeZone trainings for Cougar students, faculty and staff. A SafeZone is a place where individuals can speak freely about identity without fear of criticism or hatred. More information can be found at http://safezone.cofc.edu.
Starting in Spring 2020, all first-year students will be required to participate in an online training on anti-racism, anti-oppression and social inclusion. We look forward to reporting the results of this mandatory training in future AASHE STARS reports.
Website URL where information about the institution’s diversity and equity office or trainings is available:
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.