Oberlin College
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

• The Counseling Center co-sponsors a support group with the Multicultural Resource Center for LGBTQ students. • The Multicultural Resource Center sponsors more than 300 programs each year to support students of color, first generation students, lower income students, and LGBTQ students. • The Edmonia Lewis Center for Women and Transgender People provides support for historically underrepresented students. International students are supported by the Dean of Studies office. • The International House provides community and programming space for international students. • Student Academic Services provides services for historically underrepresented students especially first generation and lower income students. • Scholars programs like POSSE, Questbridge, and Bonner provide support for historically underrepresented students. • Mellon and Oberlin Undergraduate Research Fellowships provide support for historically underrepresented students. • Equity Affairs policy and administrators support the entire college community related to issues of harassment and discrimination. • The Ombudsperson supports the entire community including historically underrepresented communities. • The Oberlin College Dialogue Center provides facilitation and mediation services for students, faculty and staff based on a social justice mediation model. • There are programs like the Multicultural Visit Program run by Admissions to recruit historically underrepresented students. • Living spaces like Asia House, Third World House, Afrikan Heritage House, and Baldwin Women’s Collective support historically underrepresented students. • Within the Oberlin College cooperative system, Third World Co-op, Kosher Halal Co-op, and the Old Barrows women and trans* "Safe Space" supports historically underrepresented student communities. • There are a wide range of student organizations (approximately 20) focused on the interests and concerns of historically underrepresented students such as Asian American Alliance, ABUSUA, Black Musicians Guild, Students of Caribbean Ancestry, La Alianza Latina, Lambda Union, Transgender Advocacy Group, Zami, etc. • There are curricular departments and programs like Comparative American Studies (curricular home to Ethnic Studies and LGBTQ Studies), African American Studies, and the Institute for Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies. • There are also faculty working on issues of race, class, gender, sexuality, indigenaity, disability etc. in a number of other disciplines like Sociology, Politics, Classics, History, English, Theater and Dance, etc.

The College has an Office of Equity Concerns that is is committed to creating an institutional environment free from discrimination and harassment for students and employees. Thus, discrimination and harassment based on the following categories are prohibited: race, color, sex, marital status, religion, creed, national origin, disability, age, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, family relationship to an employee of Oberlin College, and gender identity and expression.1 The Office of Equity Concerns recommends policy, practices, and programs that serve to ensure that services and quality of campus life are supportive of the mission of the college. The office provides information on college policies, practices, and grievance procedures to any member of the campus community and makes referrals to other appropriate offices and committees. For information on resources, reporting, and grievance procedures related to sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, stalking, and intimate partner violence, please see the Sexual Offense Policy. For information on reporting and grievance procedures related to discrimination and harassment, please see the Policy on Discrimination and Harassment. Meredith Raimondo serves as the Special Assistant to the President for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Title IX coordinator. 1. In affirming the prohibition against discrimination and harassment on these bases, Oberlin College also affirms its compliance with applicable laws. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 prohibits employment discrimination based on age against individuals who are 40 years of age or older. Other federal laws prohibit discrimination against individuals in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. These laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin (Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964), sex (Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972), disability (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990), and age (Age Discrimination Act of 1975). In addition, Chapter 4112 of the Ohio Revised Code prohibits discrimination in various contexts based on race, color, religion, sex, military status, national origin, disability, age, or ancestry. Likewise, Section 1185.02 of the Codified Ordinances of Oberlin prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ancestry, handicap, familial status, or national origin of any prospective owner, occupant or user of the housing.

Students in student dorms and co-ops vote each year on how to arrange bathrooms in their building. They require at least one general neutral bathroom in each building. More often than not, the majority of restrooms are general neutral. Because residents have control over this process, there is not an inventory available. Newer non-residential buildings on campus will sometimes include general neutral restrooms, like the upgrade to the Philips Gym.