Emory University
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Emory University is dedicated to providing equal opportunities and equal access to all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, genetic information, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and veteran’s status. Emory University does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment on the basis of any factor stated above or prohibited under applicable law. Students, faculty, and staff are assured of participation in university programs and in the use of facilities without such discrimination. Emory University complies with Executive Order 11246, as amended, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act, and applicable executive orders, state and federal regulations regarding non-discrimination, equal opportunity, and affirmative action. Emory University is committed to achieving a diverse workforce through the application of its affirmative action, equal opportunity, and non-discrimination policy in all aspects of employment including recruitment, hiring, promotions, transfers, discipline, terminations, wage and salary administration, benefits, and training.  

https://emory.ellucid.com/documents/view/16834/security=d3b7518a869d72e6d5b0c965c987b3c9053079b3

Emory has multiple avenues for addressing bias and discrimination.

■      The Department of Equity and Inclusion within the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance maintains a reporting process described in University Policy 1.3. Following a reported incident, DEI will conduct an investigation and report its findings, including whether there was a violation of University Policy, to the Dean or Division Head, who will take appropriate action.

■      Bias Reporting is also administered by the Campus Life Division, which provides the following guidance to those witnessing or experiencing bias

●      If you believe you have encountered a bias incident on campus, we strongly encourage you to submit a report. Initiate a Bias Report by using the button below and selecting "Bias Report" from the drop-down menu. The form offers you the option to upload any supporting documentation, such as screenshots, documents, or pictures. 

●      Within two days of receiving a report, the Bias Support Services (BSS) team will send a confirmation of receipt and an outline of the next steps to the person who submitted the report. The BSS team thoroughly reviews all reports and accompanying information as part of our commitment to addressing bias-related concerns effectively.

●      Additionally, a Bias Support Team (BST) staff member will meet with individual(s) who are affected by a bias report, both complainant and respondent. These team members have specialized training to provide compassionate care for students through a trauma-informed approach, offering advocacy and support.

Students

Emory is one of the few universities in the nation that not only accepts undocumented students but will pay for 100% of their tuition if they are accepted. 

https://studentaid.emory.edu/undergraduate/how-aid-works/undocumented.html

The Emory Leadership, Enrichment, Advocacy, and Discovery (LEADs) Experience offers resources to support students as they begin the college application process and explore their leadership potential beyond the classroom. LEADs also includes an in-person Leadership Retreat in October. LEADs is designed to support the recruitment of talented, high-achieving high school seniors who are either first-generation college students and/or from underrepresented cultural or socioeconomic backgrounds, including, but not limited to, Black/African American, Latinx/Hispanic, and Native/Indigenous student populations. https://apply.emory.edu/leads/index.html

Emory has a proud tradition of close partnerships with organizations that serve underrepresented students, such as QuestBridge, College Horizons, Strive for College, College Greenlight, and Chicago Scholars. Our partnership with QuestBridge is so strong that in fall 2020 117 students -- almost 9% of Emory College’s enrolling first-year class -- applied via the QuestBridge application (instead of the general Common Application or Coalition Application).

Over the past two years, Matriculate has supported over 100 students at both Emory and Oxford Colleges to assist promising high school students through the college application and enrollment process. They strive to help talented and high-achieving, low-income high school students who miss the chance to attend some of the top colleges simply because they do not apply. In addition to financial support of the program, members from the Admission and Aid Office work very closely with Matriculate staff members on the administration of the program on Emory’s campus.

For indigenous students, Emory participates in the College Horizons, which is a six-day pre-college workshop for American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian high school sophomores and juniors.

Emory also proudly hosts the annual Latino Youth Conference. The Latino Youth Leadership Conference, now in its 21st year, provides Latino students with the tools they need to access post-secondary education, develop leadership skills, and explore careers.

https://thelaa.org/latino-youth-leadership-conference/ 

Academic Staff/Faculty

Emory University has developed Best Practices for Hiring a Diverse and Excellent Faculty that include resources such as:

○      Guidelines for Search Committees + Search Committee Checklist

○      Appropriate and Inappropriate Interview Questions

○      Search Committee Rubric to Assess Candidate Contributions to DEI, and others.

As part of educational training, faculty search committees receive Unconscious Bias Training and follow Best Practices monitored by the Office of Equity and Inclusion.

http://www.equityandinclusion.emory.edu/diversity/faculty/best-practices-one.html   

Non-Academic Staff

As described in Credit PA 5, key business units provide an “End of Year” Report to the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion describing their DEI principles, goals, and activities. The Office of Business and Administration, which oversees the non-academic part of Emory, prepared an analysis of recruiting, hiring, and promotion trends by diversity category, which was presented to the Leadership group. Targeted efforts included:

• Continued mentorship of returning military in partnership with American Corporate Partners.
• Identification of Internship/Apprenticeship program with Atlanta Technical College.
• GA Vocational Rehabilitation Agency provided training to the recruiting team
• Improved reporting capabilities for veterans and individuals with disabilities.

In addition to university-wide education, the various divisions within BA also have initiatives that impact accountability in their specific areas. Examples include: 

• Pay equity analysis; review of job classifications
• Identification of, and plans to address, risks associated with diverse and inclusive faculty, student body, and staff 
• Engagement with an external consultant for policy reviews
• Enhanced efforts in talent management to provide upward mobility opportunities
• Enhanced efforts to communicate the most recent changes in performance evaluations to include DEI competency.

Campuswide

The purpose of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) is to support Emory's institutional mission "to create, teach, preserve, and apply knowledge in the service of humanity" by championing the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and human and social justice that undergird that mission.

ODEI operates under three DEI pillars including:

Climate and Culture

The collective attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and principles of faculty, staff, students, and administrators.

Professional Development, Education, and Awareness

Advancing both formal and informal learning opportunities for administrators, faculty, staff, and students that use various modes of engagement to enhance knowledge, proficiency, skills, and effectiveness in implementing and practicing the principles and values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Accountability

Taking responsibility and acting to identify and eliminate persistent patterns of inequity that impede our ability to fulfill our institutional mission.

To support these pillars, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offers collaborative learning opportunities geared to fuel discussions, engagement, and policies that promote social justice. These include:

• Truth, Racial Health, and Transformation
• National Diversity Week
• Book Club
• Identity, Inclusion, and Sense of Belonging
• Women in Leadership Mentoring Program

More information is available here: https://diversity.emory.edu/programs-and-initiatives/index.html 

Students

Emory Campus Life provides mentoring, counseling, peer support, academic support, and other programs designed specifically to support students from underrepresented groups. These supports are provided primarily through Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and Belonging and Community Justice, which houses the Office for Racial and Cultural Engagement (RACE), the Center for Women, LGBT Life, Social Justice Education, the 1915 Scholars Program (mentoring program for first-gen/low-income students) and the Mariposa Scholars Program (mentoring program for DACA and undocumented students).

Current programs include:

• Students of Color Welcome focuses on introducing students of color to RACE, connecting them with other campus resources and one another.
• Heritage Programming Month celebrates the histories and heritages of all racial communities at Emory through monthly events and programming
• MORE Mentoring Program for first-year students of color pairs them with peer mentors for the entire academic year
• Graduate Student Writing Groups for students of color, LGBT students, and women students
• P2P Grad Connect is a peer-mentoring program that centers on the graduate experiences of students of color.
• RACE and CAPS “Doing the Work: Activism and Self Care” series, including sessions on racial battle fatigue and support for students with mixed-status families
• CAPS support and therapy groups, including groups for Black undergraduate student support, Black graduate student support, BIPOC student support, and gender and sexual diversity
• Center for Women’s Reunión (for Latina students) and Kitchen Table (for Black women students) weekly peer discussion groups
• LGBT Life weekly queer discussion groups (Trans-forming Gender, Queer Men, Queer Women, Queer Grads, Queer and Asian, BlackOUT, and Queer Trans Latinx) and QTSOC Community Series (monthly mixers for queer and trans students of color)
• Career panels and networking nights for students of color      

Emory’s Department of Belonging, Community, and Justice houses six identity spaces that provide programming and study space:

• Centro Latinx
• Emory Black Student Union
• Asian Student Center
• Center for Women
• Emory First (first-generation students)
• LGBT Life 

The Office of Undergraduate Affairs in the Office of the Provost sponsors and collaborates with colleagues across campus to support students from underrepresented groups. Some examples include:

Emory First-Gen Identity space: In the newly launched identity spaces, Emory now has a dedicated space for first-generation students to socialize and host events for this identity.  As with other spaces, the first-generation students were able to identify preferences for furnishing, and other things that were important for them to have in the space. 

American Talent Initiative (ATI) ATI brings top colleges and universities together with the philanthropy and research communities to expand access and opportunity for talented low- and moderate-income students. By 2025, ATI aims to attract, enroll, and graduate an additional 50,000 lower-income students at the 327 colleges and universities that consistently graduate at least 70 percent of their students in six years. Emory joined ATI in 2018, committing to attract, enroll, and support more high-achieving, lower- and moderate-income students from before they arrive on campus to graduation and beyond. 

Emory First-Gen Week—Started in 2020: In conjunction with National First-Gen Day, Emory celebrates first-generation students during the week, this year from November 6-13. The Office of Undergraduate Affairs coordinates activities and initiatives across campus related to the first-gen experience. For 2020, the OUA sent out communications to all Emory students, faculty, and staff asking them to self-identify as first-generation and has developed marketing materials to increase their visibility on campus. The OUA has also created t-shirts to give first-generation students and faculty and is working to scale this effort to include staff. 

Emory FLIP: First-Generation Low-Income Emory FLIP is dedicated to fostering a community for first-generation and/or low-income students at Emory. FLIP is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit established to promote equal opportunity for first-generation and low-income students in institutions of higher learning. Housed in the Department of Sociology, with Professor Tim Dowd as faculty advisor.

Emory FLIP-Graduate and Professional Students (FLIPGP) The EGFLIP is an organization that intends to work to promote equal opportunity for FLIP graduate students by collaborating with various units around the university to address the issues that first-generation and low-income students face. The group aims to build a community of FLI graduate students and alums from different departments to improve their educational, professional, and lived experiences. EGFLIP also plans to partner with the Emory Undergraduate FLI chapter to mentor FLI undergraduate students to help promote and increase their enrollment in graduate and professional education. 

The 1915 Scholars Program provides informational, mentoring, and social support to a cohort of first-generation and low-income students to alleviate some of the barriers they commonly encounter. The program involves peer, and alumni mentoring, specialized orientation programs, ongoing academic workshops, and community-building events through structured interactions with Campus Life, the Office of Undergraduate Education, the Alumni Association, and various support services. The program is situated (Fall 2020) in Belonging, Community, and Justice within Campus Life. 

Black Male Initiative offers a pre-orientation program providing support for Black male students who identify with the African Diaspora through academic and social support, access to campus resources, and professional development. There is also a Black Men's Initiative Immersion Community for first-year students. http://college.emory.edu/orientation/orientation/pre-orientation/bmi.html

https://housing.emory.edu/reslife/theme-immersion-communities.html 

OxFirst Oxford College’s first-generation student organization. The group holds events to help strengthen the first-generation and low-income community on campus and provide them with as many resources as possible.

First Stem program: A pre-orientation program providing peer mentorship and connection to STEM opportunities and faculty among college students who identify as first-generation or are in identity groups underrepresented in STEM fields. Participating students are more likely to have higher GPAs, take part in research projects, and graduate with their intended STEM major. Our programming and support continue through the first year and extend into leadership opportunities across your four years at Emory. Students who qualify will receive an email invitation to participate. 

https://lead.emory.edu/transition-programs/pre-orientation-programs/ignite.html

Empowering First - The Empowering First Community aims to provide an intentional residential and learning experience for first-generation college students, that builds on current resources and opportunities and works in tandem with offices, faculty, and staff who are committed to the success of Emory’s diverse first-gen undergraduate student population. Students selected to be a part of this community will help to strengthen first-gen students’ self-affirmation, sense of belonging, social capital, and community. Selected students will serve as student ambassadors, student advocates, peer mentors, and programmers for the Emory first-gen community. Participants will be supported by leadership development activities, community building events, and regular direct engagement with a Faculty Director, who is herself a first-gen graduate. 

Emory also has an array of smaller events and additional services for First Generation Students including:

First Gen Welcome Event – hosted during Orientation - open to new incoming first-generation students and their families 

Questbridge Welcome Event – usually in the fall semester - is a chance for students to meet other students over lunch – this past year it was hosted in the Student Center. 

Senior Sendoff – a party and photo session for first-generation graduates

Cap and Gown/regalia – For first-generation or other limited-income students – Student Case Management & Intervention Services (SCMIS) works with the Office of Financial Aid – and for those that cannot afford to buy their caps and gowns, Emory pays for them.

Textbook Support- For first-generation or other limited-income students - Student Case Management & Intervention Services (SCMIS) works with the Office of Financial Aid – and for those that cannot afford to buy their textbooks, Emory pays for them.

Academic and Non-Academic Staff

Emory has established a variety of Employee Resource Groups (open to both academic and non-academic staff) serving different affinity groups on campus. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are voluntary, employee-led groups established around common interests, purpose, and/or characteristics, typically underrepresented identities and their allies. These groups provide opportunities for:

• networking and social connection;
• enhancing community, engagement, and inclusion; and
• giving voice to marginalized or underrepresented communities.

Emory University currently has five ERGs:

• Emory Black Employee Network
• Emory Latinx Employee Resource Network
• Emory Pride Employee Network
• Emory Veterans Employee Network
• Emory Asian Pacific Islander/Desi Employee Network

The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) Program is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and is one of the most distinguished national/international honors programs with a twenty-two-year history at Emory University. Its fundamental objective is to increase the number of underrepresented minority students (and others with a demonstrated commitment to eradicating racial disparities) who will pursue a Ph.D. degree in Mellon-approved fields in the arts and humanistic social sciences.

■      https://mellonmays.emory.edu

The NIH-funded Emory Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) Program is a reflection of our commitment to increasing the diversity of the scientific workforce. As reflected by the Emory University Strategic Plan, we seek to “promote and celebrate diversity, build supportive infrastructure and spaces, provide competitive compensation programs, support interdisciplinary and collaborative activities, and nurture respect and accountability”. Thus, our goal is to nurture all students to become competitive applicants to, and successful graduates from, high-caliber Ph.D. programs in the biomedical and behavioral sciences.

■      https://imsd.emory.edu

The Visiting Fellows Program is the core program of the Johnson Institute. The program supports new PhDs, faculty members, and independent scholars with a distinguished record of research on questions that examine the origins, evolution, impact, and legacy of race, difference, and the modern quest for civil and human rights.

■      https://jamesweldonjohnson.emory.edu/fellows-program/index.html

Publicly accessible inventory of gender neutral bathrooms on campus: http://www.lgbt.emory.edu/trans/bathrooms_facilities.html