College of Charleston
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

It is the Policy of the College of Charleston to promote and protect a learning and living environment where civil discourse, respect for the individual and appreciation for the diversity of human experiences are valued as compelling academic interests. Accordingly, it is a violation of this Policy for any member of the COLLEGE COMMUNITY to discriminate or harass students or employees, or applicants for admission to the College or applicants for any College employment position, based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, race, color, religion, national origin, veterans' status, genetic information, or DISABILITY, as proscribed by law and as further described below. In addition, discrimination against members or potential members of the United States UNIFORMED SERVICES, as proscribed by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), is also prohibited under this Policy. Retaliation against any person arising from the good faith reporting of a suspected violation of this Policy, or for participating in an investigation of discrimination under this Policy, is strictly prohibited.

https://policy.cofc.edu/documents/9.1.10.pdf

The university's Office of Equal Opportunity Programs ensures equal opportunities for all members of the college community and seeks to eliminate discrimination and harassment. The Office of Equal Opportunity Programs also provides guidance on the College's non-discrimination policies and investigation process for faculty, staff and students. Further, the office ensures immediate response to complaints of discrimination based on age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, pregnancy, race or color, retaliation, religion, sex, sexual harassment, veteran status and uniform services by students, employees or applicants for employment or admission. The director of the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs is responsible for coordinating the grievance procedures under the Affirmative Action Program and federal equal opportunity guidelines. More information is available at http://eop.cofc.edu.

Further, the Cougar Inclusion Team provides support and educational outreach, as well as tracks the number and types of incidents reported. diversity.cofc.edu/campusinclusionteam/index.php

The College and its Office of Admissions value diversity and embrace differences. Students at the College represent all 50 states, several U.S. territories and approximately 70 foreign countries. In an effort to recruit students from underrepresented groups, the Office of Admissions employs counselors who target specific high schools serving higher percentages of minority students and students from underrepresented groups.

Additionally, the Office of Admissions and Office of Institutional Diversity support programs that help new students from underrepresented groups make connections and be successful in their first year at the university. These programs include Call Me MISTER, 1967 Legacy Program, SPECTRA Summer Transition Program, SCAMP, Junior Project, Senior Project, Multicultural Overnight Visit Experience, AALANA Preview Day, and ExCEL Awards/Benefit Program. More information on these diversity programs and initiatives is available at http://admissions.cofc.edu/explorethecollege/diversity/.

The College and its Division of Academic Affairs believe that fostering diversity in our campus community is essential to educating students for life in today’s global economy. An effective way to support a diverse faculty recruitment strategy is to ensure that leaders and the larger climate are supportive of diversity and inclusion.

The College utilizes PeopleAdmin Talent Management System for recruitment and faculty searches are posted on venues that target underrepresented candidates, including: Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, CIC Doctoral Directory, IMDiversity, The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, the Tribal College Journal of American Indian Education, Association for Women in Science and others. The complete list of diverse job search platforms utilized by the College is online at http://academicaffairs.cofc.edu/procedures-and-practices/facultyrecruitment/index.php.

In partnership with the Office of Human Resources, the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs ensures equal employment practices and university status for all minority-status groups and individuals on campus.

Additionally, departments and schools across the College help support diverse, non-academic staff recruitment. For example, the School of Sciences and Mathematics organized a Diversity Enhancement Fund. These funds are used at the discretion of the Dean to support diversity recruitment, retention, and education initiatives related to race, ethnicity, gender, culture, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, beliefs, or other ideologies depending on the need of the department. And the Office of Institutional Diversity, in tandem with the President's Diversity Review Committee, has reviewed, advised and published specific percentage goals in an effort to increase underrepresented staff recruited by the university and provides diversity training, workshops and related resources to its campus partners.

The Office of Institutional Diversity provides scholarships to underrepresented groups and supports the Crossing the Cistern program, which supplies scholarships and mentorship to underrepresented students. The School of Science and Mathematics spearheads the South Carolina Alliance for Minority Participation program. The programs mentioned above, including Call Me MISTER, 1967 Legacy, SCAMP, and SPECTRA, provide ongoing support for students.

The Multicultural Student Programs and Services' Mentoring Matters program is based on a collaborative model that pairs mentors such as successful returning students, faculty and staff with underrepresented freshmen. The program is designed so that mentors have the opportunity to provide curricular and co-curricular support and share skills and experiences with the newest members of the Cougar student body. The program also represents an opportunity for students of different backgrounds to learn from one another through shared experiences.

Finally, academic and non-academic staff can utilize Safe Zone and the Gender and Sexuality Equity Center for access to events, resources, trainings and programs designed to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, allied, asexual or intersex individuals.

Additional website: https://msps.cofc.edu/