Rice University
PA-4: Diversity and Equity Coordination

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion serves in a coordinating role for a core team of offices from across the campus with diversity-related functions. Together, this core team comprises the Council on Diversity and Inclusion. The Diversity and Inclusion Core Team Members provide leadership and resources for the Council on Diversity and Inclusion and maintain their current reporting lines within their divisions. Rice University’s Mission Statement, which establishes the basic framework for diversity and inclusion in all of Rice’s endeavors states, “As a leading research university with distinctive commitment to undergraduate education, Rice University aspires to path breaking research, unsurpassed teaching, and contributions to the betterment of our world. It seeks to fulfill this mission by cultivating a diverse community of learning and discovery that produces leaders across the spectrum of human endeavor.” Thus, in order to be successful in fulfilling its mission of inclusive excellence, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion commits itself to acknowledging differences within Rice’s campus, seeking critical mass for underrepresented populations, and enriching Rice’s learning environment.

Within the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Roland Smith is designated as the diversity and equity coordinator. He manages the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, facilitates communication between different groups focused on diversity, and handles the Mellon Mays Scholarship Program, among other responsibilities.

Overall, Rice’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion is dedicated to preparing the next generation of leaders for increasingly complex societal and professional environments. It is responsible for the coordination of the Council on Diversity & Inclusion, facilitating connections between similar groups on campus working toward achieving greater understanding and inclusiveness. Its primary focus is on students, but it encompasses faculty and staff as well.

For students:
(1) All students participate in a diversity-training program as freshmen during orientation. The training is split into two segments. First, students attend a lecture about diversity on Rice’s campus. Students are then broken into smaller groups with diversity facilitators to participate in more in-depth discussions and role-plays regarding diversity. The program focuses on encouraging students to speak up against prejudice and some of the thoughtless things people tend to say, with an eye towards maintaining relationships and Rice’s much-valued sense of community.

(2) Sexual Harassment Training and other Discrimination:
Rice's Office of Diversity and Inclusion has an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action/Human Resources working group that has offered a number of cultural competence training events for students:
-They administered online sexual harassment training to an increasing number of the Rice community. Last summer they were able to send invitations to the entire freshman class resulting in a 100% participation rate.
-They trained 100% of all graduate students regarding sexual harassment. Graduate students were required to pass the training in order to register for classes and receive a stipend for the semester.

(3) ADVANCE (Advocating Diversity and the Need for Cultural Exchange) hosts weekly Friday discussion meetings. The topics cover a wide range of social issues from sexism to homophobia to international concerns and politics, to name a few. ADVANCE seeks to create an environment at Rice that emphasizes unity by embracing individual differences and is committed to providing a safe space to students interested in dialoguing on the often divisive issues of the day.

(4) Culture Fair: The OMA and ADVANCE sponsor Culture Fair each spring. The fair enjoys huge support each year and averages about 300 attendees each year. The theme for the fair changes annually, but the primary participants continue to be both undergraduate and graduate cultural clubs and representatives for the office of international students and scholars (OISS)

Although the University does not currently make cultural competence training and activities available to all members of the Rice staff, faculty and administrators, there are plans in place for an online diversity training program that will be mandatory for all students, staff, faculty, and administrators in the upcoming year. This online training program will include scenarios that allow the user to respond to certain situations and test their awareness. The training will discuss topics such as race, gender, disabilities, and religion to name a few.

Furthermore, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion conducted sexual harassment training for approximately 2/3 of staff, a random but solid number of faculty members and a substantial number of undergraduate students. In the following years, the working group plans to get 100% participation of the undergraduate student population and a large number of staff and faculty members.