Mills College
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

https://www.mills.edu/policies/ada-policies/nondiscrimination-statement.php

Nondiscrimination Statement

Mills College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, marital status, age, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or disability (in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, 1973 Rehabilitation Act, Section 504, and implementing regulations) in its admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, or in the educational programs or activities which it operates. Nor does Mills discriminate on the basis of sex in its graduate programs. Mills enforces against unlawful discrimination through its Campus Policy and Procedure on Discrimination, which is available by request from the Division of Student Life at 510.430.2130.

Mills is an equal opportunity employer and seeks to comply with all applicable state and federal laws and local ordinances prohibiting employment discrimination. All aspects of employment are based on merit, qualifications, and job competence. Mills does not discriminate against anyone regarding employment practices, compensation, or promotional or educational opportunities on the basis of race, color, marital status, age, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, veteran status, pregnancy, or medical conditions. It is Mills policy to provide reasonable job accommodations to employees with disabilities who can perform essential functions of jobs for which they are otherwise qualified. Inquiries regarding compliance with various employment laws and regulations should be directed to Legal Counsel, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Boulevard, Oakland, CA 94613.

https://www.mills.edu/policies/docs/Policy3730_GrievancePolicyProcedures.pdf

Three College Grievance Officers, one each for faculty, staff, and students, are appointed to assist community members in addressing and resolving disputes and grievances of the kind defined in the Mills Grievance Policy. Grievance Officers are responsible for early resolution efforts, investigation procedures, and overall implementation of the procedures in the Mills Grievance Policy.

Any of the three Grievance Officers can be a point of first contact, responsible for intake of grievances, coordination of early resolution efforts and formal investigations, data gathering, and analysis.

The Faculty Grievance Officer will be appointed by the Provost; the Staff Grievance Officer will be appointed from Human Resources by the Vice President for Finance and Administration/Treasurer. The Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students will appoint the Student Grievance Officer and will be responsible for coordinating the Grievance Process.

A person with a grievance (“Grievant”) can file a grievance by contacting a Grievance Officer in various ways such as by telephone, email, in writing, or in person.

The grievance process will be overseen by the Office of Human Resources. The Legal, Benefits & Insurance Coordinator, under the Office of Human Resources, will maintain records and coordinate grievance efforts of proactive/preventative College policies. Any Cabinet Member, manager, supervisor, or Human Resources employee can accept grievances of unlawful harassment or discrimination in employment. Such reports will then be coordinated through the Grievance Process.

Procedures for Alleged Bias-Related Incidents

If a particular group has been targeted, public safety, along with a representative from the Incident Response Team (IRT) and/or the Dean of Students, will assist the student(s) in documenting the event and will explain the options for addressing what has occurred. If the incident is a crime, the student(s) 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.

Incident Response Team (IRT)

The team will assemble as needed and will address issues relating to hate crimes and bias-related incidents. IRT will be composed of the Dean of Students, and one or two staff members in the Division of Student Life (DSL), one or two members of the faculty, a representative from Public Safety, a representative from Human Resources and two student representatives chosen from the campus community and/or ASMC. The goal is to have a diverse group of representatives from across the campus.

Appeals

If disciplinary action is warranted under this Policy, a respondent may request an appeal regarding irregularities in the investigative process or the disciplinary action imposed (respondent only) before an Appeals Officer. An appeal may not be filed by a grievant to address a disciplinary sanction imposed upon the respondent. The party bringing the appeal has the burden of proving that procedures were not followed. The Appeal Officer's decision is final.

In most cases, the Vice President of Student Life will act as the Appeals Officer for students, the Provost and Dean of Faculty for faculty, and the Vice President for Finance and Administration/Treasurer for staff.

https://www.mills.edu/policies/docs/Policy3730_GrievancePolicyProcedures.pdf

We were founded in 1852 to ensure that young women in California could receive an education, and chartered in 1885 as the first women's college in the West. In the 1920s, we debuted graduate programs for students of all genders. Today, we are recognized for the diversity of our student population and our commitment to welcoming students of all backgrounds to campus. And we made our top-ranked education more accessible by reducing undergraduate tuition by 36% in fall 2018.

88% of Mills students receive some portion of their aid directly from the College. Mills offers merit and need-based scholarships and provides additional support for first-generation students.

As part of our commitment to making higher education accessible to as many talented students as possible, Mills does not require students to submit Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or American College Testing (ACT) scores as part of our admission process.* Mills is one of nearly 200 top-tier schools nationwide that have made standardized test scores optional.

https://www.mills.edu/admission-aid/undergraduate-admissions/how-to-apply/test-optional-policy-faqs.phpMills

Mills recognizes that the college application process can be particularly challenging for transgender and gender-questioning students. In 2014, to reflect the shared values of our welcoming, inclusive community, Mills became the first women's college in the country to create a formal admission policy for these students.

https://www.mills.edu/admission-aid/undergraduate-admissions/how-to-apply/transgender-admission-policy.php

College works with undocumented, AB 540, DREAMer, and DACA students to help them apply for admission and financial aid so they can achieve their goal of earning a college degree.

https://www.mills.edu/admission-aid/undergraduate-admissions/how-to-apply/undocumented-dreamer-student-information.php

Beyond our campus, Mills is focused on helping underserved high school students and local community college students pursue a bachelor's degree through the following special programs: Mills Promise Program, Upward Bound, Mills Educational Talent Search and Peralta-Mills Pathway.

https://www.mills.edu/uniquely-mills/what-we-stand-for/index.php

There is an established hiring process for academic staff. Each interview requires a focused diversity component and each hiring committee requires a Diversity Chair. There is also a formal process for creating interview questions to make sure each candidate gets fair treatment.

The committee membership should be developed with attention to content expertise and diversity in relation to disciplinary perspective, and categories of identity and experience, including race, gender, first-generation status, etc. The Provost and Dean of the Faculty will review and confirm or recommend changes to the committee.

Committee Guidelines:

a. The committee should be 3-4 members and include one member from outside the program. Outgoing faculty will not serve on the Committee but may function in a consulting role.

b. The committee should clearly define the roles & responsibilities of each member, including the Search Committee Chair, whose responsibilities shall include the following:
i. Establishes ground rules for communication across committees.
ii. Facilitates the dynamics of the interview.
iii. Ensures the interview has a focused diversity component.
iv. Ensures candidates understand process and decision timeline.
v. Collects all interview notes.
vi. Prepares assessments of candidates for the Provost and Dean of Faculty.

c. A member of the committee should be identified to serve as the Diversity Chair, and their responsibilities shall include:
i. Being a vocal advocate for diversity and inclusion, keeping in mind Mills’s Diversity Statement and Mission.
ii. Assisting the committee in self-scrutiny about potential biases.
iii. Drawing attention back to objective assessment and objective criteria, if the committee strays from them.
iv. Seeking assistance from Associate Provost for Teaching, Learning and Faculty Affairs, if needed.

2. In conjunction with the Provost Office, determine the timeline for the Recruitment process.

3. Develop questions for phone interviews and in-person interviews.

4. Determine two sets of criteria used to evaluate each candidate; one set that provides immediate exclusion/ineligibility and one that moves the candidate further in the process. Prepare rubrics to organize and document the evaluation process.

At Mills, you’ll join one of the most diverse liberal arts college communities in the country. More than 50 percent of our students identify as people of color, and approximately 35 percent of our undergraduates are first-generation college students. We've developed several special resources to help everyone thrive at Mills, including:

Students of color
First-generation students
Undocumented students
International students
LGBTQ+ students

Affinity Groups for Faculty
In order to foster faculty connections and engagement across Mills College, the Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE) regularly holds faculty affinity group gatherings for the exchange of ideas and information and for advocacy and mutual support. These groups bring together faculty who share a given identity and/or who are at a particular stage in their careers. Please contact cfe@mills.edu if you are interested in joining the associate professors, faculty of color, or pre-tenure faculty affinity groups.

https://www.mills.edu/center-for-faculty-excellence/initiatives/affinity-groups.php