Saint Louis University
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Saint Louis University is a Catholic university sponsored by the Society of Jesus. It welcomes persons from all racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds and beliefs to join its faculty and staff and seeks to create a sense of community which facilitates their development. Saint Louis University prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, gender identity, or other non-merit factors. All University policies, practices, and procedures are administered in a manner consistent with our Catholic Jesuit identity. Saint Louis University is committed to the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action. All administrative and management personnel involved in the hiring and supervision of University personnel, along with the Diversity and Affirmative Action Officer, have the responsibility to recruit, hire, train, promote and in all ways provide fair treatment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, gender identity, or other non-merit factors. Such action includes, but is not limited to the following: Employment, promotion, demotion, transfer, compensation, assignment of work duties, recruiting, advertisement, layoff, termination, rate of pay, benefits, and selection for training. Saint Louis University will take affirmative action to ensure that persons from minority groups, females, Vietnam Era Veterans, disabled persons, and disabled veterans are identified, recruited, and enter the University's workforce. https://www.slu.edu/human-resources-home/equal-employment-opportunity-and-affirmative-action-policy SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY OATH OF INCLUSION: We as students form a diverse and vibrant university community. We do not enter into this community by proximity, but by virtue of a shared Jesuit vision — to pursue higher truths, obtain greater knowledge, and strive for a better world. In this endeavor, we do not succeed by our individual ambitions, but by our discovery of each other. We find higher truths when we seek to understand the complexity of our neighbors’ identities, we obtain greater knowledge when we consider the perspectives of our fellow students, and we begin to strive for a better world when we build a stronger community. As a student and a member of the SLU community, I will live by this oath. I will embrace people for the diversity of their identities, creating a community inclusive of race, ethnicity, sex, age, ability, faith, orientation, gender, class, and ideology. I will challenge my worldview through education inside and outside the classroom. I will show that I am proud to be a Billiken by enriching the culture of our University. I will foster a community that welcomes all by recognizing the inherent dignity of each person. I will work for social justice in the Saint Louis community and beyond.

The University's Bias Incident Response Team (B.I.R.T.) is comprised of the Director of the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity, the Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement and the Associate Vice President of Student Development/Dean of Students. The B.I.R.T. conducts an initial review of a report of bias in order to assess any threat to parties involved and recommend appropriate actions to protect the safety of the impacted individual(s) or group. All reports of hate crimes and bias-related incidents are documented and tracked via an Incident Report Log. The log contains relevant information related to each report (within the limitations of privacy laws). The log is posted online and available to members of the University community. In September 2016, the Bias-Related Incident Protocol was revised to include: Definitions; Restorative Practices & Community Engagement; Overview of Determination of Responsibility; Sanctions and Appeal Procedures; and Resources for victims.

The mission of the African-American Male Scholars Initiative (AAMS) is to provide programs, services, and experiences that will connect African American male students to University, social, and community resources that will facilitate their academic and personal success. Through peer education and mentoring, transition and leadership workshops, advocacy, support, and referrals to campus and community resources, our goal is to aid in the recruitment, retention and graduation of our students at SLU. INTO SLU provides specialist degrees and pathway programs designed for international students.Through INTO SLU, we are working to increase the number of international students who study at Saint Louis University. This not only gives more students around the globe access to a SLU education, it also exposes our U.S. students to an even wider range of cultural perspectives in our classrooms. (https://www.slu.edu/admission/international/into/index.php) The SLU Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) program office will promote access to quality interprofessional health care in the metropolitan St. Louis area, particularly focusing on the under-served urban areas by: Recruiting underrepresented minorities to health professions schools; Encouraging and supporting completion of health professions schools by underrepresented minorities; Encouraging careers in primary care and primary care-related disciplines and practice in under-served areas; and improving the retention of health professionals practicing in under-served areas. (https://www.slu.edu/medicine/family-medicine/medical-student-education/area-health-education.php) Saint Louis University Pre-College, Access and TRIO Programs is dedicated to the recruitment, retention and graduation of diverse student populations, especially first-generation college students. (https://www.slu.edu/pre-college-access-trio) As faculty recruitment can be a year-round process, long -term strategies can include: •establishing partnerships with historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) •obtaining grant funding for minority recruitment, possibly through the U.S. Department of Education •networking and interviewing potential candidates at academic conferences •ensuring that the faculty ’s research is representative of diverse populations •developing partnerships with other academic units that are conducting outreach efforts into communities of persons underrepresented within the University • developing “start-up” packages that will serve as an incentive for highly sought-after faculty candidates to consider Saint Louis University (https://www.slu.edu/Documents/provost/faculty_affairs/Faculty%20Recruitment%20Guidelines-Updated%20April%202013.pdf) Staff and faculty recruitment: https://www.slu.edu/human-resources-home/equal-employment-opportunity-and-affirmative-action-policy

he Employee Assistant Program is for all faculty and staff not just from underrepresented groups that provides support. The Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity that provides training to the SLU community. Departments can request specific training. (https://www.slu.edu/general-counsel/institutional-equity-diversity/training.php) SkillSoft provides training for all faculty and staff on a number of training topics. Women’s Commission is another group that supports all women at SLU Cura Program promotes an all- inclusive community and provide educational resources (https://www.slu.edu/cura) The mission of the African-American Male Scholars Initiative (AAMS) is to provide programs, services, and experiences that will connect African American male students to University, social, and community resources that will facilitate their academic and personal success. Through peer education and mentoring, transition and leadership workshops, advocacy, support, and referrals to campus and community resources, our goal is to aid in the recruitment, retention and graduation of our students at SLU. The Safe Zone program explores Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and Intersex (LGBTQI) issues at the University while providing a support system for the LGBTQI community and its allies. It also explores the concept of an ally and the commitment an ally makes. Through education, advocacy and awareness of LGBTQI issues, the program contributes to an open campus climate that is safe and accepting for all members of the University community. The University also supports the following student organizations: Asian American Association (AAA); Black Student Alliance (BSA); Filipino Student Association (FSA); Hindu Student Community (HSC); Hispanic-American Leadership Organization (HALO); Indian Student Association (ISA); International Student Federation (ISF); Irish Student Guild (ISG); Korean Student Association (KSA); Muslim Students' Association (MSA); Rainbow Alliance; SLU Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (SLU NAACP); Taiwanese Student Association (TSA); UNA, the Feminist Voice of SLU. International Faculty and Staff Association (IFSA): The IFSA assists new employees with their transition to the United States and to the SLU community. They are comprised of approximately 90 members that serve as a resource for international staff and faculty, as well as the entire SLU community. They are your first stop for information regarding international affairs and can help with anything from international research to international grocery stores. They even have a list of hundreds of ethnic restaurants in the St. Louis area.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program is a TRIO program developed to prepare eligible high-achieving undergraduate students for the rigor of doctoral studies. Students admitted to the program participate in a variety of educational activities, such as academic workshops and professional development seminars, and receive ongoing academic support from the McNair program staff through the completion of their undergraduate studies. Additionally, outstanding McNair sophomores, juniors and seniors are able to compete for faculty-supervised summer research internships while the program. Those who are selected for the internship receive a stipend of up to $2,800. All McNair Scholars receive academic counseling, support with the graduate school application process and assistance with GRE preparation. Developed to support first-generation college students who demonstrate financial need and are traditionally underrepresented in graduate education, the McNair Scholars Program ultimately aims to increase the number of Ph.D. recipients within these populations. https://www.slu.edu/pre-college-access-trio/trio-program/mcnair-scholars-program/index.php