Drake University
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

The principles of equal access and equal opportunity require that all interactions within the University be free from invidious discrimination. Drake University, therefore, prohibits discrimination based upon race, color, national origin, creed, religion, age, disability, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status or any characteristic protected by law in its educational programs and activities, admissions, or employment. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to the Title IX Coordinator, 208 Old Main, 2507 University Ave., Des Moines, IA 50311, (515) 271-2982, titleix@drake.edu or the Director, Human Resources, 3206 University Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50311, (515) 271-4804, drakehr@drake.edu. A PDF of Drake University's Nondiscrimination Statement can found at: https://www.drake.edu/nondiscrimination-accessibility/

A response protocol is outlined in the Code of Student Conduct and Faculty Handbook. The protocol consists of student/faculty intervention, mediation, and exercise of the disciplinary process. In addition to a disciplinary process, Drake also provides various resources for the individual(s) and community members impacted. The statement on Bias-Motivated Incidents and Drake University's response to such incidents is intended to reflect an abiding concern for the well-being of faculty, students, staff, and guests of the University community in which we work, learn, and live. The statement seeks to create an environment that recognizes, values, and respects a variety of differences among people; to encourage appreciation and tolerance for such differences; and to discourage those who would act out violently against people or otherwise show disrespect, harass, or discriminate because of those differences. A person commits a Bias-Motivated Incident if that person commits a violation of the Student Code of Conduct, against an individual or group of individuals because of the individual's or group of individuals' actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, age, gender, or gender identity. These categories of differences have been drawn from local, state, and federal laws and regulations because they share a history of systematic, often government-sanctioned, prejudice and discrimination. Those found guilty, pursuant to the Code of Student Conduct, of committing a Bias-Motivated Incident will be disciplined up to and including expulsion. In addition, if the circumstances warrant, the Dean of Students or University President may recommend the filing of a criminal complaint. EthicsPoint Oline Reporting: Anyone can make an online report with Drake University through EthicsPoint, which also includes the option to make a report anonymously. EthicsPoint allows for communication between an anonymous individual and the University through a separate web portal. Although no identifying information is shared, ongoing dialogue is nonetheless possible. Drake also provides support those who have experienced or witnessed a bias incident, act of discrimination or hate crime. After an incident occurs and the institution is notified by the individual/group of individuals targeted and impacted, university administrators call a meeting with UNITY Roundtable, which is a group of multicultural organizations working towards inclusion and educational opportunities amongst them and the Drake community through dialogue and programming. Drake's administrators, specifically those focusing on equity and inclusion on Drake's campus work with members of UNITY Roundtable to come up with steps to follow after a specific bias incident occurs. These steps include notifying the organization or group of individuals that a targeted incident has occurred. This is communicated to the rest of the campus via an email from university leadership and includes resources for counseling. Administrators and UNITY Roundtable consult with the individual(s) targeted to offer them counseling resources, academic accommodations and ask the individual(s) what else they need. After contacting student organizations that represent those targeted groups, they have a meeting with the members of the organization(s) and UNITY Roundtable representatives. They update them on how they are planning to address the incident in terms of formal policies as well as providing them with campus resources including individual and group counseling. They also work with other student and faculty groups to address and respond to the issue. The university treats each bias incident as a unique situation and approaches the situation depending on the need of the student(s). The university will often hold a larger meeting town-hall after contacting the sub-groups. These larger town-halls are open to everyone in the community to express concern, support for those who were impacted, and discuss possible ways of moving forward on campus. This includes conversations about strategies that can be put in place to help prevent and/or address these incidents from occurring in the future. Follow-up meetings occur to ensure steps are actually being taken to continuously address solutions. One specific example is when a bias-motivated incident occurred during the Fall 2018 semester on Drake's campus. After the incident happened and the individual student affected notified campus leadership, campus security was notified immediately to ensure the safety of the individual and the community that the individual belongs. Erin Lain and Tony Tyler, administrators who work on equity and inclusion at Drake immediately reached out to the individual personally impacted by the incident and provided them with resources like counseling, academic accommodations, and continuous periodic formal check-ins by administrators following the incident. Additionally, Erin and Tony reached out to the impacted community on campus and UNITY Roundtable immediately following the incident to set up a meeting to strategize how the issue was going to be addressed in addition to the formal disciplinary process. During the meeting, they talked through the incident and provided support to the students. The rest of the campus was soon notified with information about the incident via an email from campus leadership. This email described that a bias-motivated incident has occurred and also contained an open invitation to a larger meeting/town hall where counseling was made available and where the community was able to come together to support one another and talk through what had happened. Students, faculty, staff, and members of the Des Moines community attended the larger meetings where conversations happened between all members of the Drake community about supporting the community impacted by the bias-motivated incident and moving forward to prevent further incidents.

Faculty: Currently, Drake has no formal program to recruit faculty from underrepresented groups, but a program is in the works to soon be implemented. Despite no formal program, those in charge of hiring are encouraged to reach out to different communities, especially underrepresented groups. Current students, faculty, and staff have expressed that they would like to see more faculty from underrepresented groups on campus. Although it is not required during the hiring process, current faculty are encouraged to be intentional about how the word is getting out about open positions. Hiring committees have been trying to reach out to minority communities and graduate programs to try and create interested candidates for the positions. This has helped underrepresented groups become more aware of hiring opportunities for positions at Drake. Students: Drake works with some of the local public high schools in the area to recruit students from underrepresented groups. Specifically, Drake partners with a program in the Des Moines public schools called C.O.R.E (Community of Racial Equity). C.O.R.E partners with students at public schools to complete college-level courses and provide access to resources to help students get ready for college. Those who participate and excel in C.O.R.E have the opportunity to get direct admission to Drake. Drake also brings students from the local high schools to campus to learn about how college works. Drake also makes the university webpage more accessible by having the option to translate the webpage into Spanish for families and students looking at Drake. In the past few years, Drake has worked hard at attending fairs that are targeted to increasing diversity. The university has been making an effort to target groups in particular areas that are often underrepresented in higher education to provide them with information about Drake.

Crew Scholars Program: A group of Drake students of color who stand together to support each other's success, academic excellence, and leadership growth. The Crew Scholars Program offers a community in which students build lifelong friendships, attend exciting events, and get involved in every aspect of campus life, all while cultivating academic and leadership skills and nurturing their passion for making a difference. Plus, the Crew Scholars Program makes a Drake education more financially feasible: Crew Scholars enrolled full-time in on-campus courses for the fall and/or spring semesters, receive Drake scholarships and grants totaling at least 50 percent of tuition. The Crew Scholars Program: Provides focused social and academic support for its members, encourages active campus participation, recognizes and nurtures individual identities, prepares students for leadership and mentorship roles. African-American student retention increased by more than 20 percent between 2011 and 2013. Flight Students: Flight is a program for first-year students of color to come to campus early for a pre-orientation and they are enrolled in FYS together. The Flight Program entails a pre-Welcome Weekend experience, a First Year Seminar (FYS), and various development, support, and success programming throughout the year. This creates a cohort program for students of color which has resulted in increased retention and success. Flight facilitates first-year student success; to help you “take off” in your Drake experience. You will become better acclimated to Drake University while also gaining knowledge of the resources available to you. The Flight program focuses on three areas of connection- connection to fellow participants in Flight; connection to Drake offices, faculty, and staff; connection to the Des Moines community. The program explores the diversity of student experiences on Drake University’s campus, with emphasis on the experiences of students of color and on issues related to racial identity. Equity Action Partners: A group of faculty and staff from each department that are highly trained in the area of diversity and inclusion. They serve as advocates for those who are facing inclusion issues, and they provide expertise to their areas in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Student Equity Action Partners: A group of students across all colleges and years who are highly trained in the area of equity and inclusion. They provide programming to increase awareness on campus, respond to issues of equity and inclusion, and serve as advocates for fellow students. We are starting a class for the students in the spring that will help them increase their knowledge and programming capacity.

Diversity Fellowship Program: Drake broadly defines diversity to include race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, or LGBT status. Fellows will teach up to two courses each semester, advance their scholarly or creative work, and participate in the academic and intellectual communities of the units with which they are affiliated and across Drake University. Fellows receive an annual stipend of $40,000, a $2,000 annual research/travel allowance, and a $1,000 one-time moving allowance. The fellowship is a one-year appointment, with the possibility of renewal for up to three years. The University provides a relatively comprehensive package of benefits, including medical, dental and vision insurance. Fellows have access to additional benefits which currently include: University libraries and recreational facilities, computing and networking services, and fare-free public transportation. Depending on their field, applicants who have received their master’s or MFA degree, or have completed their Ph.D. classwork and are ABD, post-doctoral, or have received their J.D. are eligible for the fellowship program. Priority will be given to applicants who demonstrate a commitment to their scholarly and creative work and demonstrate an ability to work with individuals and groups of diverse socioeconomic, cultural, sexual orientation, disability, and/or ethnic backgrounds. Role of the Fellows - Each fellow will contribute to the academic environment of their unit and the institution as a whole. They will be able to teach classes in their chosen area while developing a scholarly agenda, working on creative projects, engaging in service, or finishing their dissertation. Each fellow will teach a reduced load of classes to facilitate their growth as an academic. The Department Chair in coordination with the Fellowship Program Director will collaboratively work to determine the teaching load of each fellow. Additionally, the Director and an assigned mentor from their academic unit will guide the fellow through their teaching, service and scholarship pursuits in the one to three years that they serve as a fellow. A detailed individual and career development plan will be created with the fellow to help them engage in meaningful work that will result in a tenure-track or full-time position at the end of the fellowship, either at Drake or elsewhere. The fellows will also participate in activities that will help them navigate the academic environment and succeed at a predominately white institution.