Middlebury College
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Middlebury College ("Middlebury") complies with applicable provisions of state and federal law which prohibit discrimination in employment, or in admission or access to its educational or extracurricular programs, activities, or facilities, on the basis of race, creed, color, place of birth, ancestry, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, service in the armed forces of the United States, positive HIV-related blood test results, genetic information, or against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability and/or any other status or characteristic as defined and to the extent protected by applicable law. Middlebury also complies with all other anti-discrimination protections that might be provided by particular states in which it operates educational programs; questions about the scope of any such protections should be addressed to the Civil Rights and Title IX Coordinator and/or the on-site administrative representative for the particular program at issue. The Civil Rights and Title IX Coordinator coordinates Middlebury's efforts to comply with any and all federal and state laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of one or more of the protected characteristics listed above. Discrimination complaints are processed in accordance with the procedures set forth in Middlebury's Anti-Harassment/Discrimination Policy. Complaints about sexual misconduct, domestic and dating violence and misconduct, stalking and related retaliation are handled in accordance with Middlebury’s Policy Against Sexual Misconduct, Domestic Violence and Dating Violence and Misconduct, and Stalking. Information about the work of the Middlebury College Community Bias response Team is available here. As noted above under Respectful Behavior, retaliation for any complaint of any policy violation is strictly prohibited.

http://www.middlebury.edu/about/handbook/policies-for-all/genl-principles/non-discrimination-statement

The College’s Human Relations Officer is responsible for overseeing investigations and adjudicating complaints of discrimination, harassment (including sexual harassment), and related retaliation under the Anti-Harassment policy. The Community Bias Response Team (CBRT) provides the Middlebury community with a system for reporting and responding to bias-related incidents, behaviors, and actions. CBRT assesses the impact of bias-related incidents on individuals and groups and coordinates responses utilizing education and restorative practices.

When a member of the Middlebury community submits a bias incident report, they will receive an automatic response indicating that their report has been received. After the Community Bias Response Team reviews the report, a member of CBRT will follow up with the individual who submitted the report (unless the report was submitted anonymously) to assess any immediate support needs, ask any necessary follow-up or clarifying questions, and discuss potential next steps for the impacted individual(s). Following the consultation with impacted individual(s), CBRT will initiate an appropriate follow-up process, including referral to the appropriate unit on campus (Community Standards, Dean of Faculty, Civil Rights & Title IX, etc.) when reported incidents rise to the level of policy violations that might warrant investigation or sanction, though CBRT could still provide support for impacted individuals.

For more information please visit: https://www.middlebury.edu/office/community-bias-response-team

The Chief Diversity Officer, Miguel Fernandez, serves as Middlebury’s Title IX coordinator and oversees compliance with all state and federal anti-discrimination laws. His responsibilities in this regard are set forth in the College’s Nondiscrimination Statement: http://www.middlebury.edu/about/handbook/policies-for-all/non-discrim-policies

The Nondiscrimination Statement also guides our work in this area.

Middlebury also has many programs throughout the academic year that focus on awareness and prevention. In addition, all of the incoming freshman attend orientation sessions on sexual assault and anti-harassment, and they take online courses in these areas before they arrive. Similar training is given to incoming students in other Middlebury programs.

Middlebury has been a partner of the Posse Foundation since the fall of 1999, which identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes. Our admissions process has been focused on diversifying the student body across many dimensions and has been fairly successful. For example, 40% of the incoming class of 2026 are students of color.

The Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion provides a series of workshops for members of the campus community serving on search committees. These workshops address "diversifying the applicant pool," "hiring for cultural competency," "ensuring equity in the applicant review process," "ensuring equity in the interview process," and "preparing for an equitable on-campus interview."

Middlebury is participating in the Mellon New Directions Fellowships and the C3 Fellowships. The C3 strategy is based on outreach activities, peer-support mechanisms, mentoring, professional development and impact assessment. The aim is for liberal arts colleges and research institutions to create and support new interconnected environments where students, faculty and institutions can thrive. Through this program, Middlebury recruits post doctoral fellows from underrepresented groups.

Regarding recruitment for academic and non-academic staff, Middlebury College has outlined 11 strategies. First, it proposes strategies to recruit, hire, mentor and retain faculty and staff from Black, Indigenous, people of color, and historically underrepresented groups. Second, it utilizes ongoing development opportunities for faculty and staff to explore strategies related to fostering equitable and inclusive environments and for addressing racism, ableism, sexism, heterosexism, cissexism, religious and
spiritual oppression, classism, and sizeism.

Please read more here: https://www.middlebury.edu/office/sites/www.middlebury.edu.office/files/2020-10/DEI_Action_Plan_updated10.15.20.pdf?fv=dx4XUHr8

Additionally, our HR department has provided this statement: At Middlebury, we recruit staff positions using a wide range of active and passive recruiting strategies to get a broad group of candidates. We post on mainstream recruiting channels and then create a specific, tailored recruiting strategy for each opening to share the opportunity with affinity groups, professional networks and also do personalized outreach and sourcing.

Student Accessibility Services works with students who have special needs related to their learning, vision, hearing, speech, mobility, and physical and psychological health. The Office provides reasonable academic and residential accommodations for qualified students with disabilities, and assistive technology is available on campus as well. The services provided are confidential.

International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) assist our international students, staff, and faculty by offering advising, programs, and other services as well as coordinating with the Friends of International Students host program.

May Belle Chellis Women's Resource Center provides a welcoming space where women and men can discuss, research, and address gender issues. The center provides academic resources and general information on current events, job and internship opportunities, academic opportunities, and health issues.

Center for Teaching, Learning & Research (CTLR) aims to design, develop, and integrate resources that enrich learning and teaching at Middlebury and to provide a locus for conversations, both within the Middlebury community and with other institutions, about excellence and innovation in a residential liberal arts education. The Center incorporates the offices of the Assistant Dean for Instruction, the First-Year Seminar Program, the College Writing Program, the Office of Learning Resources, Educational Technology, the Writing Center, Quantitative Skills Support, Peer Tutoring and Mentoring, and Undergraduate Research.

The Center for the Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity is an interdisciplinary academic center dedicated to understanding how race and ethnicity affect human relations. The center focuses on the study of race and ethnicity and how these intersect with such aspects of human life as class, gender, sexuality, religion, and migration. The center develops academic programming for the entire community and supports scholarship and research related to these areas of study.

The Student Government Association Diversity Committee launched a first generation college student peer mentoring program in 2013. The Student Activities office provides organizational and leadership support for 20 cultural student organizations.

The Anderson Freeman Resource Center also maintains a groups for first generation college students, students of color, and LGBTQ students, providing support and guidance for many students.

There are also affinity groups for faculty and staff of color and LGBTQ faculty and staff that meet regularly. All faculty also have the option to join and engage in the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity.

The strategy for our C3 Fellowships is based on outreach activities, peer-support mechanisms, mentoring, professional development, and impact assessment. Through these fellowships, Middlebury College aims to create a pipeline for our students to pursue post-graduate degrees at research universities. By undertaking these efforts, we hope to contribute towards diversifying faculty at research universities and providing our students with rewarding post-doctoral employment.

Many C3 former undergraduates at Middlebury are now pursuing their doctoral degrees. You can see the full list here: https://c3transformhighered.org/former-c3-postdoctoral-fellows/

Please read more here: https://c3transformhighered.org/home/

The Alliance for an Inclusive Middlebury works to promote a college-wide approach to issues of diversity, access, and equity. President Laurie Patton often speaks to this community about inclusivity as an everyday ethic, and she believes every one of us can be part of creating a better Middlebury. Through strategic planning and programmatic development, AIM will help the community foster an inclusive campus so that no one should experience it as an outsider.