Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 52.49
Liaison Angela Oberg
Submission Date Feb. 27, 2023

STARS v2.2

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick Campus
PA-5: Diversity and Equity Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.44 / 2.00 Katie Parrish
Program Coordinator
Office of Climate Action
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have a diversity and equity committee, office, and/or officer tasked by the administration or governing body to advise on and implement policies, programs, and trainings related to diversity, equity, inclusion and human rights?:
Yes

Does the committee, office and/or officer focus on students, employees, or both?:
Both students and employees

A brief description of the diversity and equity committee, office and/or officer, including purview and activities:

University Equity and Inclusion Office
The University Equity and Inclusion Office is leading efforts to chart an inclusive path forward for Rutgers, enabling alignment across the Chancellor-led units and central administration. The office leads diversity strategic planning and programming for the university and their work pertains to both students and employees.

The Office led a University Equity Audit (https://diversity.rutgers.edu/what-we-do/university-equity-audit). This audit informed "Rutgers Forward”, the university-wide Diversity Strategic Plan, which was published in March 2022 (https://diversity.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/2022-05/RutgersUniv-Diversity-Strategic-Plan-3.31.22%20FINAL-ua.pdf). The plan includes five overarching goals- 1) Recruit, retain, and develop a diverse community, 2) Promote inclusive scholarship and teaching, 3) Define sustainable and substantive community engagements, 4) Build the capacity of leaders to create inclusive climates, and 5) Develop an institutional infrastructure to drive change.

The University Equity and Inclusion Office is coordinating the implementation of the plan and supported the creation of unit-specific plans for each of the Rutgers Chancellor Units (Camden, Newark, New Brunswick, and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences). https://diversity.rutgers.edu/university-goals

The University Equity and Inclusion Office also leads a number of key programs and trainings, including the Faculty Diversity Collaborative, the Inclusive Academy, and the Inclusive Leadership Network. More information is available on their website here- https://diversity.rutgers.edu/.

The Cultural Center Collaborative
The Cultural Center Collaborative is a partnership between the Paul Robeson Cultural Center, the Center for Latino Arts and Culture, the Center for Social Justice Education & LGBT Communities, and the Asian American Cultural Center. They work to create a welcoming and holistic learning environment through programs, trainings, and initiatives, such as the Diversity Peer Educators (DPEs) program. The Collaborative primarily focuses on students, but also provides training workshops for employees.
http://culturalcollaborative.rutgers.edu/


Estimated proportion of students that has participated in cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:
None

Estimated proportion of academic staff that has participated in cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:
Most

Estimated proportion of non-academic staff that has participated in cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:
Most

A brief description of the institution’s cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:

All Employees
Unlawful Harassment Prevention Program- Rutgers is committed to fostering an academic and work environment that is free from unlawful harassment. In keeping with this commitment, Rutgers strives to educate faculty and staff on the prevention of unlawful harassment on campus and in the workplace through a series of online training courses. This web-based suite of courses consists of: "Harassment Prevention for US Employee," "Harassment Prevention for US Managers," and "Title IX for Higher Education." The courses are designed to help faculty and staff recognize situations that may involve unlawful harassment and respond appropriately to harassment complaints. The courses train employees on how to prevent harassment based on protected categories (e.g., race, sex, age, religion, and& sexual orientation); they review the importance of receiving and reporting incidents of sexual misconduct; and the courses emphasize the prohibition against retaliation for filing complaints of discrimination and harassment. https://uhr.rutgers.edu/oee/education-and-training
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The University Equity and Inclusion Office offers many diversity education events and programs for employees and students on their website- https://diversity.rutgers.edu/learn Additional Spring 2023 events are included on this calendar flyer- https://nbdiversity.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/2023-01/Spring%20Mailer%20UEI%20DICE%20%2811%29.pdf

Virtual Learning Community Book Group- Participants read a shared book and meet virtually 6 times as a group to recognize challenges and develop tools for more thoughtful interactions across difference and understand how our attempts at finding connections can be improved with greater awareness and skill development.; https://diversity.rutgers.edu/virtual-learning-community

SafeR Space- Safe(R) Space is a campus wide program designed to visibly identify students, staff, and faculty peers who support the LGBTQIA population, understand some of the issues facing LGBTQIA individuals, and are aware of various LGBTQIA-affirming resources on campus. http://socialjustice.rutgers.edu/safer-space-training-program/

Digital Accessibility Training & Workshops- The Office of IT Accessibility offers training to help understand Rutgers policies on web and digital accessibility, how to scan for issues, how to resolve issues, and how to incorporate accessibility early in site development. https://it.rutgers.edu/digital-accessibility/trainings-workshops/

Microaggressions: Impact and Interventions- This webinar explores how microaggressions, whether intentional or unintentional, perpetuate negative stereotypes and cause harm. Participants will gain skills to identify and interrupt various forms of microaggressions in their interactions with clients, in the workplace, and within their larger communities. https://ssw-web.rutgers.edu/ssw/ce/index.php?m=catalog&cid=2694

Diversity peer Educators Program- Peer educators are trained to offer workshops and educational sessions to fellow students on identity development, race, class, gender, sexuality, abilities, and more. https://studentaffairs.rutgers.edu/diversity-peer-educators

Office for Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance Workshops- The Office for Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance provides a variety of facilitated workshops for student organizations and groups, residence halls, faculty and staff. Workshop topics include sexual violence prevention, building healthy relationships, consent, victim support, and identity and oppression.
http://vpva.rutgers.edu/program-workshop-request/#1581715725852-b677451b-a57c

New Student Orientation- Most incoming students participate in New Student Orientation. During NSO, they participate in trainings on topics including but not limited to sexual violence prevention, inclusivity, and preventing microaggressions.


Website URL where information about the institution’s diversity and equity office or trainings is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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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.