Eastern Connecticut State University
PA-5: Diversity and Equity Coordination

Eastern not only has an Office of Equity & Diversity (which is headed by a Vice President), but the University Senate also commissions a Diversity & Social Justice Council to work alongside the VP for Equity & Diversity. These two entities oversee policies, programs, trainings, and initiatives related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and human rights.
There is a Vice President for Equity & Diversity. There is also the Diversity & Social Justice Council (University Senate Committee); Student Affairs Diversity & Inclusion Committee; and JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) Faculty Group. Between the three primary committees listed above, they focus on both students and employees.
The Vice President for Equity and Diversity advises the President and supports the University community on hiring practices and procedures, affirmative action plans, equity policies and civil rights issues. This Officer is also responsible for ensuring the University’s compliance with all state and federal laws pertaining to equity and diversity. These include Title VII and Title IX of the Civil Rights Act, state and federal affirmative action and sexual harassment laws and regulations, The American Disabilities Act, as well as the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.
The Diversity & Social Justice Council support and monitors the University’s evolution towards inclusive excellence through the promotion of coherence, cohesion, and collaboration of diversity initiatives and institutional structures within and across organizational systems at Eastern CT State University. This council supports students, faculty, and staff. This council has four subcommittees that focus on: creating a welcoming campus climate environment, maintaining a diverse community, facilitating the interdepartmental collaborations of academic departments to support diversity missions and initiatives, and facilitating non-academic department collaborations to support diversity missions and initiatives. Some members of the council are voted in by the University Senate, some are appointed by the University President, and some are appointed by the Student Government Association.
The second group is the Student Affairs Diversity & Inclusion Committee. The Vice President for Student Affairs appoints the Chair and the rest of the members join the committee on a voluntary basis. This group focuses on the student aspects of diversity and inclusion by developing resources, initiatives, and programs, conducting assessments, and highlighting student diversity on campus.
Finally, the JEDI-Faculty Group (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) is a group of faculty who come together monthly to discuss pertinent issues while also brainstorming ways to incorporate diversity and social justice awareness into the curriculum.

Eastern has cultural competence training for students on sexual discrimination, domestic violence, and sexual assault that is mandatory for all students. As of September 1, 2022, 75% of all students (48% of commuter students and 99.5% of resident students) had completed the Title IX Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Education Training. Eastern also mandates that all students complete an online diversity training. The overwhelming majority of students participate in the trainings and activities. As of May 1, 2022, 62% of all students (35% commuter students and 90% resident students) had completed the Diversity Education Training.

There are mandatory online modules that students complete as well as programming that takes place in the residence halls and the campus Unity Wing which include the Intercultural Center, Women's Center, and Pride Center.

The Diversity and Social Justice Council provides cultural competence training to faculty and staff. Faculty and Staff receive general cultural competence training while certain administrators receive specialized training. There is diversity training for Eastern's police force as well as diversity training and LGBT training for athletic coaches. Most academic staff have participated in cultural competence and inclusion training. Most non-academic staff have participated in cultural competence and inclusion training. There are both online and in-person trainings and workshops that staff have the ability to attend. During the 2021-22 academic year, in person sessions included Cultural Humility Training (where 17 faculty/staff attended), Understanding & Managing Racial Trauma Training (where 46 faculty/staff attended), and Leveraging & Embracing Diversity (where 62 faculty/staff attended).

The university also offers ethnicity and migration workshops led by a working campus group, has hosted University Hour events, as well as other events which are focused on bringing speakers who are socially, culturally and otherwise representative of diverse groups to campus for students, faculty and staff campus to attend.

Approximately 62% (2,241/3,616) of students, 60% (108/181) of the full-time academic staff (faculty), and 58% (162/280) of the full-time non-academic staff completed the online diversity and inclusion training that was facilitated through the Everfi software during the Spring 2022 semester.

Information provided by LaMar Coleman, Vice President for Equity & Diversity.