Harvey Mudd College
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Harvey Mudd College (HMC) strictly enforces a Policy on Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct. This policy includes guidelines for reporting any civil right violations and investigation protocols.

HMC prohibits discrimination and harassment based on a person’s race, color, religion, national origin, ethnic origin, ancestry, citizenship, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity and expression), marital status, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic characteristics, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law (“Protected Characteristics”). HMC also prohibits discrimination and harassment based on the perception that anyone has any of these Protected Characteristics, or that anyone is associated with a person who has, or is perceived as having, any of these Protected Characteristics. Consistent with state and federal law, reasonable accommodation will be provided to persons with disabilities, to women who are pregnant, and/or to accommodate religious beliefs and practices.

Sexual misconduct is a form of sexual harassment and, as such, is expressly prohibited by this Policy. Retaliation against any individual for seeking assistance or bringing a discrimination, harassment or sexual misconduct complaint through the processes described in this Policy is strictly prohibited. Similarly, any person who participates or cooperates in any manner in an investigation or any other aspect of the processes described herein shall not be retaliated against. Retaliation is itself a violation of this Policy and is a serious separate offense.

All forms of discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct, as well as attempts to commit such acts, are regarded as serious misconduct and may result in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion or termination of employment. Such acts may also violate state and federal law.

The policy is available to the public on this page: https://www.hmc.edu/human-resources/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2013/12/2014-Jan-Revised-FINAL-Harvey-Mudd-DHSM-Policy_v2.pdf

Taken from the HMC Student Handbook (2018-19):

"Responding to Hate Crimes and Bias-related Incidents:
Bias-related incidents need to be addressed because they reinforce the status quo, harm individuals, undermine civility and understanding in the HMC community and/or impede the educational process. Public discussion and education can promote awareness of prejudice and examination of the values that underlie the HMC community.
All hate crimes and bias-related incidents should be reported immediately to the on-call AD (Assistant Director) or to DSA (Division of Student Affairs)
Although hateful messages on such things as fliers, posters, email, answering machines, dry erase boards and graffiti are often disturbing, it is helpful to preserve them as evidence and not to disrupt or remove anything that could help identify the source and/or targets or other affected persons. Photos of the evidence should be taken and given to the associate vice president for student affairs for investigation purposes.
When a hate crime or a bias-related incident is reported to DSA, the vice president for student affairs/dean of students will inform the president.
In appropriate circumstances, the incident should also be reported to Campus Safety and law enforcement agencies.
If a particular student has been targeted, DSA and Campus Safety will assist the student in documenting the event and will explain the options for addressing what has occurred.
If the incident is a crime, the student will be assisted in contacting the police. If the incident involves the violation of a College policy, the procedures for investigation and resolution under that policy will be undertaken.
DSA will try to ensure that the affected student feels safe in their residential environment and will, if appropriate, adjust campus housing and change course schedules.
DSA will offer assistance in arranging counseling or other forms of support, including the campus escort service or help in initiating mediation between the affected student and the offender.
Students who have been the target of such an incident have many support resources available. Such resources include the Office of Institutional Diversity, the Office of Student Health and Wellness, Monsour Counseling Center, the EmPOWER Center, the Office of Black Student Affairs, the Asian American Resource Center, Chicano/Latino Student Affairs, the Queer Resource Center, the chaplaincy, proctors, mentors and peer advocates.
When hate crimes and bias-related incidents occur on campus, they can strain the fabric of the community. DSA will consider what sort of communication about the incident is appropriate, taking into account various interests such as personal safety and confidentiality.

There is an institutional discrimination response protocol, which begins with a formal complaint:

(1) Upon receipt of a formal complaint, the individual receiving the complaint shall (a) notify appropriate College officers, supervisors, or others who have a need to know about the existence of the complaint, including in the case of a complaint involving sexual harassment or sexual misconduct, the Title IX Coordinator, and (b) take such steps as may be necessary to refer the complaint to the appropriate investigating officer specified in D.2, below. If the Dean of Faculty, Dean of Students, or Vice President for Administration and Finance/Treasurer is the subject of the complaint, the President shall designate another College officer to act in place of the person who is the subject of the complaint with respect to the administration of this Policy.

(2) In response to a formal complaint, the following College officers will designate an investigating officer and assist with the investigation, as necessary. The investigating officer may be one or more HMC employees or a qualified independent third party:

In 2014, Harvey Mudd College launched the BRAID (Building Recruiting and Inclusion for Diversity) Initiative to increase diversity in Computer Science. Harvey Mudd College and the Anita Borg Institute, a nonprofit organization focused on advancing women in computing, have launched an initiative to work with computer science departments at 15 universities across the U.S. to increase the percentage of their undergraduate majors that are female and students of color.

As a member of The Claremont Colleges, Inc., Harvey Mudd College is affiliated and works with three support centers to provide support and resources to minority groups on campus (whether it be students, staff, or faculty): the Chicano/Latino Student Affairs Center (CLSA), the Office of Black Student Affairs (OBSA), and the Queer Resource Center (QRC). The Centers are open to all, and seek to build community and raise awareness of issues that affect under-represented groups.

The Claremont Colleges in partnership with the Mellon Mays Foundation work to support and prepare students from underrepresented groups for careers as faculty members. The goal of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) program is to remedy the shortage of faculty of color in higher education by providing support to students from underrepresented groups with a demonstrated commitment to diversity and equity, and who are interested in earning a doctorate in the core fields of arts, humanities and selected social sciences and becoming future faculty.