Cal Poly Humboldt
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

"Humboldt State University is committed to maintaining an environment free from unlawful discrimination. To fulfill this commitment, the University will work to prevent unlawful discrimination from occurring and will ensure that University policies prohibiting discrimination are fully enforced.

The University affirms and protects the rights of students and employees to seek and obtain the services of the University without discrimination. No employee or student shall on the basis of race, color, gender identity/expression, genetic information, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, disability, veteran status or national or ethnic origin be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of or be otherwise subjected to unlawful discrimination, including discriminatory harassment, under any program of the University.

Employees and students who cause these rights to be violated may be subject to discipline. This policy should not be interpreted as superseding or interfering with collective bargaining agreements or other California State University policies and procedures currently in effect. If discipline of an employee is sought as a remedy under this policy, the procedural rights under applicable collective bargaining agreements and system-wide procedures will continue to apply. However, those rights may not supersede or interfere with the requirements of state and federal law."

https://policy.humboldt.edu/emp11-06-humboldt-state-university-nondiscrimination-policy

The discrimination, harassment, and retaliation (DHR) response protocol for students at HSU is managed and coordinated through the Title IX Coordinator. In the past, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion used to have a response team that included faculty and staff but after some changes in their office over the past few years, that team is no longer functioning. The C.A.R.E. program has taken on some cases of discrimination but usually only when they are paired with other concerns that require some case management from the C.A.R.E. office or if they were existing C.A.R.E. cases that had additional discrimination issues come up.

Staff issues of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation (DHR) go through Human Resources and for Faculty, they go through Academic Personnel Services (APS). Since Title IX is housed under HR, most if not all, DHR cases for students, staff, or faculty go through HR or APS.

California State University policy prohibits discrimination – including harassment – because of any protected status, as well as retaliation against anyone exercising rights under this policy. HSU’s Title IX Coordinator & Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation (DHR) Prevention Administrator implements this policy and oversees and coordinates prompt and equitable grievance procedures for students, staff , and faculty. More information is available here: https://titleix.humboldt.edu/.

Specific resources that are provided to victims of discrimination, harrassment, and retaliation are documented under CSU Policy, and include:
1. CSU Executive Order 1095: Systemwide Sex Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Misconduct, Dating and Domestic Violence, and Stalking Policy (https://calstate.policystat.com/policy/6741651/latest/)
2. CSU Executive Order 1097: Systemwide Policy Prohibiting Discrimination, Harassment & Retaliation, Sexual Misconduct, Dating & Domestic Violence, & Stalking Against Students & Procedure for Addressing (https://calstate.policystat.com/policy/6742744/latest/)

Specific action warranted to support victims is explicit in the language of EO 1095 and includes:
The Title IX Coordinator will inform the victim of the initiation of an investigation prior to starting an investigation and will, to the extent possible, only share information with people responsible for handling the University's response to the incident. The Title IX Coordinator will remain mindful of the victim's well-being, and will take ongoing steps, as warranted and appropriate, to protect the victim from retaliation or harm, and work with the victim to create a safety plan. Retaliation against persons reporting misconduct, whether by Students, Employees or Third Parties, will not be tolerated. The University and Title IX Coordinator will also:
-Provide Interim Remedies requested by the victim, if they are reasonably available, regardless of whether the victim chooses to report the incident to Campus or local police;
-Assist victims in accessing available victim advocacy, academic support, counseling, disability, medical/health or mental health services, and legal assistance both on and off Campus;
-Provide security and support, which could include issuing a no-contact order, helping arrange a change of Campus-based living or working arrangements or course schedules (including for the Respondent pending the outcome of the investigation), or adjustments for assignments, tests, or work duties; and
-Inform victims of their right to report a crime to University or local police – and provide assistance if desired.

Specific action warranted to support victims is explicit in the language of EO 1097 and includes:
The University shall respond promptly and effectively to all complaints of Discrimination, Harassment, Retaliation, Sexual Misconduct, Dating and Domestic Violence, and Stalking, and shall take appropriate action to prevent, correct, and discipline conduct that violates this policy. This Executive Order is intended to protect the rights and privacy of both the Complainant and the Respondent, as well as other involved individuals.

Furthermore, the Campus Assistance, Response, and Engagement (CARE) program’s primary mission is to support the wellbeing and success of Humboldt State University students by facilitating referrals, support, and advocacy through non-clinical interventions.

CARE Services Include:
-Referrals to basic needs resources on and off campus
-Academic accommodations/advocacy including notifying professors regarding missed classes, dropping a course, and withdrawing from a course due to extenuating circumstances
-Help with navigating and explaining university policy and procedures
Consultation for the university community regarding students in distress
-Follow-up services in collaboration with parents, guardians, community agencies, other university departments, and other stakeholders in the student’s success
-Depending on the nature of the situation, CARE will consult with HSU offices impacted by a crisis

The CARE office and their website cites that Limitations of CARE Service include:
"Title IX and DHR accommodations (For issues related to intimate partner violence, sexual assualt, stalking, harassment, discrimination, and/or retaliation)." Read more at https://titleix.humboldt.edu/.

Efforts to recruit under-represented students to HSU during the Admissions process include:
1) Spring Preview - HSU Admissions sponsors 3 buses (150 students) to attend an extended Preview program that spans 4 days and is available to low income, first generation, under-represented students.
2) Admissions Counselors use demographic information provided by the State, to reach out to high schools and under-represented students throughout Califonia.
3) Admissions Counselors partner with HSI STEM grant principle investigators to reach out to students who identify as Latinx to consider studying in the STEM fields at HSU.
4) Admissions Counselors participate in a large number of CSU initiatives aimed at increasing the number of under-represented students at HSU such as CSU Super Sunday events in primarily African American communities and Ferias which serve primarily at Latinx communities.
5) Admissions works to ensure Spanish-speaking students and staff are available in the call center, at all yield events and provides professional translation services at all yield events.
6) Admissions Counselors collaborate and cross train with Early Outreach staff who are funded by TRiO grants to serve under-represented, low income, and first generation students.

For recruitment of faculty and staff from underrepresented groups, the Office of Diversity & Inclusion (ODI) and HR/Academic Personnel Services work together with hiring committees to ensure that their job announcements are crafted to reach a broad sector of the population. They check hiring committee advertising plans and suggest additional places to advertise to reach a more diverse audience and mechanisms to specifically engage underrepresented groups. The ODI Director also compares the demographics that make up the applicant pools for all faculty hires to ensure the proportions of underrepresented members, including women, are close to the proportions that are being produced from PhD and MFA granting institutions. Additionally, all faculty, staff and administrators on hiring committees must take an Implicit Bias in the Hiring Process workshop that they must retake every two years.

There are several Cultural Centers for Academic Excellence that serve and support students. These include the African American Center for Academic Success, El Centro Academico Cultural, the Multicultural Center and the Native American Center for Academic Excellence (ITEPP).

EOP also works heavily with minoritized students.

A Graduate Students of Color Group was established to support graduate students' share resources and navigate graduate school.

In the past, there has been an informal support system among faculty and staff of color. In 2016/2017, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion formalized and institutionalized support for faculty and staff of color through the Faculty and Staff of Color Collaborative.

CSU Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive Program-
The CSU Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive Program aims to increase the number of individuals who complete the doctorate and who may be interested in potentially applying and competing for future CSU instructional faculty positions. The program seeks to accomplish this goal by providing financial aid in the form of loans to doctoral students with the motivation, skills, and experience needed to teach the diverse student population of the CSU.
http://www.calstate.edu/hr/cdip/

California Pre-Doctoral Program-
The California Pre-Doctoral Program is designed to increase the pool of potential faculty by supporting the doctoral aspirations of California State University (CSU) students who have experienced economic and educational disadvantages. The program places a special emphasis on increasing the number of CSU students who enter doctoral programs at one of the University of California (UC) institutions.
http://www.calstate.edu/predoc/

Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Scholarship-
Funded by the National Science Foundation and supported by the Indian Natural Resource, Science and Engineering Program (INRSEP), the LSAMP scholarship provides funding to support students from groups which are historically underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, who are interested in pursuing graduate programs, and who may become future faculty members at a CSU campus.
http://www2.humboldt.edu/inrsep/student-opportunities

California Forum for Diversity in Graduate Education
http://www.ucop.edu/forum-for-diversity/recruiters/

The Gender Inclusive Restroom (GIRR) Task Force was established in spring 2019 out of a student initiative to increase gender-inclusive restrooms on HSU’s campus. Although the individual membership of the task force has changed over the semesters based on schedule availability, the membership has consistently maintained representation from staff, faculty, and students.

What is the charge of the GIRR Task Force?
In 2017, all single-occupancy restrooms were converted to gender-inclusive restroom facilities in accordance with California State Legislation, Assembly Bill 1731, and as interpreted by the California State Division of the State Architect and the CSU Chancellor’s Office. As many of our older buildings in the academic core did not have single-occupancy restrooms, this has resulted in a sparsity of gender-inclusive restroom options in the academic core. The primary focus of the GIRR Task Force was to create prioritization for the implementation of future gender-inclusive restroom facilities and to develop guiding principles for decision making. The guiding principles focused on increasing the current number, proximity, and distribution of gender-inclusive bathrooms; the accessibility of new and current bathrooms (ADA accessibility, private rooms with locking mechanisms, flights of stairs and elevators, minutes of walking/travel); consideration of the current and future users of the building in regard to gender and preference; and cost of implementation. This working group also recommends having in-stall menstrual product disposal boxes, changing tables, and menstrual products in each bathroom.

Who can use Gender Inclusive Restrooms?
While a primary focus of gender-inclusive restroom facilities is to provide a safe restroom facility for people of all genders, all are welcome provided that all are treated with respect. Gender-inclusive facilities also benefit parents and caregivers assisting people of different genders. Gender Inclusive bathrooms, either single occupant or multi-stall, are open for everyone of any sex, gender, or gender expression.

https://pmc.humboldt.edu/portal/update-new-gender-inclusive-restrooms-campus