College of the Atlantic
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

COA does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, religion, ancestry or national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, or veteran’s status. COA operates in accordance with federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination.
https://www.coa.edu/policies/community-policies/
https://www.coa.edu/admissions/apply/

From the non-discrimination section of our handbook:
The following procedures will be followed should any member of our community [student, faculty, staff] feel that infringement of rights or discrimination has occurred.

The procedure utilized in the investigation of any complaint of civil rights infringement or discrimination will be the same as those used for the investigation of gender or sexual harassment. These procedures are outlined in the Sexual Harassment section of the Handbook (see below for an example).

If a community member is uncertain about whether they have experienced discrimination, have questions or would like clarification, or need help, they are strongly encouraged to contact any of the following: the Dean of Student Life, the Director of Public Safety, the Academic Dean, or the Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity officer.

If a community member decides to pursue a complaint, the first person to be contacted in such an event should be the Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity officer.

For example: In the case of a complaint involving one or more students, we convene a group that would include Director of Public Safety, Dean of Student Life and members of the Student Support Team among others to assess potential threat, to start any necessary investigation, to determine whether to notify the community or hold community discussions, and to offer appropriate support and resources to affected individuals or groups. Depending on the circumstances and the preference of those affected incidents may be handled through administrative action of a formal complaint process for social misconduct. Examples of kinds of actions that might be taken should an individual be found responsible for a bias incident include warnings and letters of apology, targeted educational programs, actions to make amends and/or achieve reconciliation, and suspension or expulsion.

The admission office actively recruits students from a wide range of schools, groups, and backgrounds. In addition to recruitment visits to high schools that are pedagogically aligned with COA, we also recruit from high schools that primarily serve students of color, as well as rural, first-generation, and low socioeconomic status students, and these factors are incorporated into our recruitment travel planning each year. For several years we have been a part of RaiseMe, an online platform that strives to reach students from underrepresented and lower socioeconomic status groups, in the aim of making institutional financial aid more transparent. In 2019 we are launching a new initiative specifically to recruit students from diverse and underrepresented groups in Northern New England with a specific focus on recent immigrants from Somalia and Latin America, as well as nontraditional college students and Wabenaki peoples. Currently more than 30% of the College of the Atlantic student body is Pell-eligible.

In regards to faculty recruitment, the college's Faculty Diversity Working Group spent more than a year discussing and formulating strategies for increasing faculty diversity and representation through the position recruitment process. This work has now been transitioned to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion task force. Among other things, during the faculty recruitment process, the search committee is tasked with seeking out professional associations for minority and underrepresented groups in the appropriate academic discipline(s).

The college's Spectrum group is a peer support group for LGBTQ+ students, and the Black Student Union is a peer support group for Black students. We have a mentoring program for international students, as well as counseling and academic support services for students from any background. Beginning in 2019 we will offer a special pre-orientation program for first generation college students and others from underrepresented groups.