| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 61.60 |
| Liaison | Megan Curtis-Murphy |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2023 |
Northeastern University
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Megan
Curtis-Murphy Director of Campus Sustainability & Engagement Climate Justice & Sustainability Hub |
Does the institution have a publicly posted non-discrimination statement? :
The non-discrimination statement, including the website URL where the policy is publicly accessible:
Northeastern University prohibits Discrimination and Retaliation on the basis of protected categories. All forms of Discrimination or discriminatory harassment within the university community are unacceptable and will be sanctioned appropriately.
Further, university policy and applicable law prohibit Retaliation against those who, in good faith, bring or cooperate in the investigation of complaints of Discrimination or Retaliation.
https://www.northeastern.edu/policies/pdfs/Policy_on_Equal_Opportunity.pdf#_ga=2.129625676.1725043265.1608061179-1723582847.1592922249
Does the institution have a discrimination response protocol or committee (sometimes called a bias response team)?:
A brief description of the institution’s discrimination response protocol or team:
Northeastern's Office for University Equity and Compliance has defined procedures for submitting a complaint and rectifying issues both informally and formally for all members of the University community.
https://www.northeastern.edu/ouec/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/EOComplaintProcedurePOSTEDDec2018-.pdf
The Office ensures confidentiality (except in certain circumstances involving safety or criminal action) and always offers the following support options to anyone working with the office, regardless of whether they choose to initiate a process:
• Connection to confidential support resources
• Connection to identity based support (i.e. the LGBTQ Resource Center, the African American Institute, etc.)
• Connection to law enforcement
• No Contact Orders, which are University directives requiring two people not to communicate with one another
• Housing changes (students only)
• Support in navigating changes to academic, social, or work schedules
• Support obtaining a judicial restraining/protective order
Does the institution have programs specifically designed to recruit students from underrepresented groups?:
Does the institution have programs specifically designed to recruit academic staff from underrepresented groups?:
Does the institution have programs designed specifically to recruit non-academic staff from underrepresented groups?:
A brief description of the institution’s programs to recruit students, academic staff, and/or non-academic staff from underrepresented groups:
Comprising students, faculty, staff, and administrators from across Northeastern, the Presidential Council provides input and recommendations for building a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable university community. The University’s goal is for Northeastern to reflect the diversity of our nation and society by 2026. The University is focused on increasing diversity at all levels—students, faculty, and staff. There are specific initiatives aimed to increase the number of Black American students enrolled in our undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs, and increasing faculty and staff of color.
Specific programs to support this goal include:
University-Wide: Every college, division, campus, and administrative unit across the global university system is required to submit a three-year DEI Action plan to address the findings of the climate survey and to respond to the President’s 2020 call to action. These plans are being implemented during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Students: Undergraduate Admissions employs a comprehensive and multi-level approach in the recruitment of students from underrepresented communities and urban centers. The recruitment strategy works to identify talented underrepresented populations and executes tactics to engage with students in their communities. Partnership efforts with multiple national community based organizations assist the University in the recruitment and enrollment of low income, first generation students and underrepresented populations. A full list of these efforts can be found on the Institutional Diversity and Inclusion website: https://northeastern.edu/diversity/initiatives/tactics-for-diverse-recruiting/.
Faculty: The ADVANCE Office of Faculty Development has specific goals and programs to increase the representation of women and faculty of color among full professors. The ADVANCE Stride Workshops train faculty appointed to search committees to be aware of how their own implicit biases impact the in evaluation processes and offering good practices in the faculty search process. https://northeastern.edu/diversity/initiatives/research-leadership-development-initiative/
Staff: The President’s Action Plan includes initiatives to increase diversity and representation at all levels. For staff, the University is reforming hiring, retention, and HR protocols, including the creation of new workforce development programs that ensure robust career pathways for people of all backgrounds within our community.
Does the institution have mentoring, counseling, peer support, academic support, or other programs designed specifically to support students from underrepresented groups on campus?:
Does the institution have mentoring, counseling, peer support or other programs designed specifically to support academic staff from underrepresented groups on campus?:
Does the institution have mentoring, counseling, peer support or other programs to support non-academic staff from underrepresented groups on campus?:
A brief description of the institution’s programs designed specifically to support students, academic staff, and/or non-academic staff from underrepresented groups:
The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion supports programs designed to address systemic racism university-wide. Specific efforts are being made to increase diversity and representation at all levels and to improve accountability across all departments. The President’s action plan includes several programs to support this initiative and our underrepresented groups, including a universally instituted cultural competency and anti-racism training program. There are also initiatives to improve support for Black students focusing on the areas of academic advisors, co-op coordinators, career coaches, and healthcare professionals. A full list of program and initiatives geared toward supporting underrepresented groups can be found on the University’s Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion website.
Students: NU PLACE (Professional Leadership and Career Engagement) serves as a resource and hub for underrepresented students in their career development and search. NU PLACE encompasses programs, resources, and services in the University’s global network that address the intersection of career and identify. NU Place works to dismantle access barriers and connect historically marginalized learners to career development, experiential learning, and hiring opportunities through the University’s alumni, employer, and global university networks. In addition, Northeastern’s Cultural and Spiritual Life division offers support, programs and gathering places for students from underrepresented groups including Black/African American, Latinx/Hispanic, Asian American, LGBTQ+ and religions communities.
Faculty and Staff: The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion supports a variety of faculty and staff affinity groups, several directly to support students, faculty and staff from underrepresented groups. These employee-led affinity groups affirm and celebrate the diversity of our identities and experiences that make our community great. Through their efforts, they provide social engagement, professional development programs, and networking opportunities for their members. They also create more awareness and advocacy around the issues our employees value and contribute to our diversity initiatives in recruitment, leadership, education, and community outreach.
https://provost.northeastern.edu/oidi/affinity/
NU PLACE: https://nuplace.northeastern.edu/
Programs and Initiatives | Diversity at Northeastern: https://northeastern.edu/diversity/programs-and-initiatives/
Cultural and Spiritual Life: https://www.northeastern.edu/cultural-life/about/
Does the institution have training and development programs, teaching fellowships and/or other programs that specifically aim to support and prepare students from underrepresented groups for careers as faculty members?:
A brief description of the institution’s programs to support and prepare students from underrepresented groups for careers as faculty members:
Northeastern has developed and enhanced numerous programs to support underrepresented groups on campus and provides development tools, immersive experiences, mentoring and opportunity. One program, the Strategic Advancement of Rising Scholars (STARS) Fellowship, specifically recruits STEM students from historically underrepresented minority groups into the Doctorate program. This fellowship is funded by the National Science Foundation.
Does the institution produce a publicly accessible inventory of gender-neutral bathrooms on campus?:
Does the institution offer housing options to accommodate the special needs of transgender and transitioning students?:
Website URL where information about the institution’s support for underrepresented groups is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.