State University of New York at Cortland
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Pursuant to State University of New York policy, SUNY Cortland is committed to fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities, without regard to an individual’s race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, or criminal conviction. Employees, students, applicants or other members of the University community (including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests) may not be subjected to harassment that is prohibited by law, or treated adversely or retaliated against based upon a protected characteristic.

SUNY Cortland’s policy is in accordance with federal and state laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination and harassment. These laws include the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as Amended by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972, and the New York State Human Rights Law. These laws prohibit discrimination and harassment, including sexual harassment and sexual violence.

Inquiries regarding the application of Title IX and other laws, regulations and policies prohibiting discrimination may be directed to Nan Pasquarello, Title IX Coordinator, 607-753-4550, nan.pasquarello@cortland.edu.

Inquiries may also be directed to the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, 32 Old Slip 26th Floor, New York, NY 10005-2500; Tel. 646-428-3800; Email: OCR.NewYork@ed.gov.

http://www2.cortland.edu/offices/Title-IX/non-discrimination.dot

The current Bias Incident Reporting Team includes:

James Felton, Chief Diversity Officer
Greg Sharer, Vice President for Student Affairs
Chris Kuretich, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs
Gary Evans, Assistant Vice President for Human Resources
Mark DePaull, Chief of University Police
Gemma Rinefierd, Director of Student Conduct
AnnaMarie Cirrincione, Director of Multicultural Life & Diversity
Nan Pasquarella, Title IX Coordinator
Ben Wodi, Professor (Health Department)

The response to received reports varies depending upon the specifics of the reported incident. Some of the typical responses include:

1) If it can be determined who the alleged perpetrator is, and if that person is a student and their actions/behaviors violate the code of conduct, the matter is referred to that office for adjudication and follow up.
2) If it cannot be determined who the perpetrator but there is a community, group, or individual harmed or wronged by the reported actions/behaviors, the team may elect to pursue an educational response. This may include a campus announcement, programming, referral to campus resources, non-disciplinary discussions, and the like.
3) If it the alleged perpetrator is a staff member at the College, the matter is referred to Human Resources.
4) If the reported incident involves criminal behavior, the matter is referred to UPD (or CPD, depending on location/jurisdiction)

• The SUNY Cortland Admissions Office has identified multicultural recruiters/counselors. Admissions attends targeted recruitment fairs and sponsors a number of visitations for prospective underrepresented students throughout the year.

• SUNY in NYC: The SUNY Welcome Center is the "front door" for prospective students, family members, high school and agency counselors in New York City and surrounding communities. Located directly across from Bryant Park, at the SUNY College of Optometry, the SUNY Welcome Center provides one-stop assistance with information and undergraduate applications for SUNY campuses.

• The College has a full-time Affirmative Action Officer. This role provides regular trainings and workshops on implicit bias in the search process and works collaboratively with CDO and other areas on campus to develop strategies to address underutilization in the annual Affirmative Action Plan.

• The College participated in the Southern Regional Education Board’s (SREB) annual faculty compact for Diversity Conference. Additionally, Human Resources advertises new and vacant positions in periodicals such as Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Hispanic Outlook, and INSIGHT Into Diversity.

The Educational Opportunity Program (EOP): The principal mission of the Educational Opportunity Program at SUNY Cortland is to provide access and support to students with strong academic and personal potential, students who would otherwise be excluded from higher education due to circumstances of academic under preparation and economic disadvantage.

Additionally, there a number of offices, departments and programs that provide support to students from underrepresented groups:

• Ubuntu Peer Mentoring Program
• Interfaith Center: Hosts multiple faith communities and inclusive programming for students, faculty and staff.
• Residence Life and Housing – programming, staff training, inclusive housing
• International Students and Scholar Services in the International Programs Office (ISSS-IPO): ISSS-IPO provides support to incoming matriculated, exchange, and visiting international students, as well as visiting scholars, and their departments, at SUNY Cortland.

The Multicultural Life and Diversity Office provides a number of support programs for students and supports multicultural student organizations and support groups. https://www2.cortland.edu/offices/multicultural/get-involved/multicultural-student-organizations.dot And other support programing for students, faculty, and staff: https://www2.cortland.edu/offices/multicultural/get-involved/

SUNY Cortland provides support for faculty and staff from underrepresented groups in a number of ways. An established Faculty and Staff of Color Networking group meets 2-3 times each semester led by senior faculty. The Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression (SOGIE) Committee - provides support and mentorship for faculty staff and students. The Gender and Intercultural Studies (CGIS) program provides consultation and mentorship of faculty and staff. The SUNY Cortland Chief Diversity Officer is charged with providing leadership for equity and inclusion related initiatives and institutional efforts. These efforts include developing and implementing effective diversity policies and practices that support retention of underrepresented and underserved faculty, staff, and students and the promotion of a welcoming and inclusive campus community. The Chief Diversity Officer is the campus liaison to the new SUNY PRODiG program. As such, the Chief Diversity Officer led the SUNY Cortland campus in the development of a plan to provide more support for recruitment, mentorship, and retention of faculty and staff from underrepresented groups. The PRODiG program will provide some funding for some of these initiatives including membership in the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium, establishing relationships with HSBC and HACU institutions for faculty and staff recruitment, cluster hires, and establishing a faculty fellowship and mentorship program. Needs for faculty and staff from underrepresented groups are identified from a variety of data sources, including a Gender Climate Survey (administered every 2 years) and Campus Climate Survey on Diversity (administered every 3 years).