Texas A&M University
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION AND ABUSE
Texas A&M University is committed to providing a safe and non-discriminatory learning, living, and working environment for all members of the University community. The University provides equal opportunity to all employees, students, applicants for employment or admission, and the public regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Texas A&M University will promptly investigate and resolve all complaints of discrimination, harassment (including sexual harassment), complicity and related retaliation based on a protected class in accordance with System Regulation 08.01.01, University Rule 08.0.01.M1, Standard Administrative Procedure (SAP) 08.01.01.M1.01, and applicable federal and state laws.

The University’s response to allegations of discrimination, harassment, complicity, and related retaliation will be 1) prompt and equitable; 2) intended to prevent the recurrence of any harassment; and 3) intended to remedy its discriminatory effects, as appropriate. A substantiated allegation of such conduct will result in disciplinary action, up to and including separation from the University. Visitors, contractors, and third parties who commit discrimination, harassment, or related retaliation may have their relationships with the University terminated and/or their privileges of being on University premises withdrawn.

The procedures for responding to allegations of discrimination, harassment, complicity, and related retaliation against Students, Faculty, Staff, and Third Parties are detailed in the SAP. The University's student sanctioning guidance for substantiated allegations of discrimination on the basis of sex, including sexual harassment, sexual violence and related retaliation, can be found here: Title IX Cumulative Sanctioning Matrix. The University’s student sanctioning guidance for substantiated allegations of discrimination, harassment, complicity or related retaliation on the basis of all other protected classes can be found in the SAP. Questions about the University's policies or procedures should be directed to Mr. Kevin McGinnis, Chief Compliance Officer, at civilrights@tamu.edu.

REPORTING RESPONSIBILITIES
Allegations of sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating violence or stalking
All employees (except those identified below) who, in the course and scope of their employment, witness or receive information regarding the occurrence of an incident that the employee reasonably believes constitutes sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence or stalking and is alleged to have been committed by or against a person who was an enrolled student or an employee of the institution at the time of the incident shall promptly report all known information about the incident to the Assistant Vice President of Compliance and Title IX Coordinator or the Deputy Title IX Coordinator. Licensed health care providers and licensed counselors acting in the course and scope of employment when a disclosure is received must report de-identified statistics but shall not report any other information.

In accordance with state law, any employee who fails to make a required report of sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating violence or stalking will be terminated from employment by the University and may be charged with up to a Class A Misdemeanor.
Allegations of discrimination, harassment, complicity or related retaliation other than allegations of sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating violence or stalking

All employees (except licensed health care providers and licensed counselors) who, in the course and scope of their employment, witness or receive information regarding the occurrence of an incident that the employee reasonably believes constitutes discrimination, harassment, complicity or retaliation related to a protected class (other than allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence or stalking) shall promptly report all known information about the incident to the Assistant Vice President of Compliance & Title IX Coordinator or the Deputy Title IX Coordinator. Any employee who fails to make a required report may be disciplined, up to and including termination of employment.

Students and non-affiliated members of the public are strongly encouraged, but not required, to report incidents. Confidential Resources are available to students and employees. Students may speak confidentially with licensed counselors at Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) by scheduling an appointment at (979) 845-4427 or calling the 24 Hour HelpLine at (979) 845-2700. Licensed medical providers at Student Health Services are also confidential. Employees may speak with personnel at the Work/Life Solutions Program by GuidanceResources confidentially by calling (866) 301-9623.

REPORTING OPTIONS
All reports of discrimination, harassment, complicity or related retaliation must be submitted to Jennifer Smith, Assistant Vice President of Compliance and Title IX Officer, at the Medical Sciences Library, Suite 007, 202 Olsen Boulevard, College Station, TX, 77843. To make a report, you may call (979) 458- 8407 or submit an email report to civilrights@tamu.edu. You may also submit a report online at titleix.tamu.edu/report. The Title IX website can be found at: titleix.tamu.edu. The Title IX Officer is responsible for identifying and addressing any patterns or systemic problems of sex discrimination at the University.

To report incidents, request accommodations, or inquire about discrimination based on disability, you may contact Peggy Zapalac, ADA/Section 504 Coordinator, at 979-845-8116 or ADA.Coordinator@tamu.edu. You may also make a report at 750 Agronomy Road, Suite 2101, College Station, TX 77843. The ADA website can be found at: urc.tamu.edu/ada/.

ANONYMOUS REPORTS
Reports may be made anonymously through the University’s online reporting form: Tell Somebody. Anonymous reports may limit the University's response to an allegation.

REPORTING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT
Anyone who has experienced or witnessed discrimination, harassment, complicity, or related retaliation has the option to file a criminal complaint with the appropriate local law enforcement agency.

Campus authorities can assist in making a report to law enforcement authorities. A complainant may also choose to decline to notify law enforcement.

A report to law enforcement, even to the University Police Department (UPD), is separate from a report to the University. An individual pursues administrative disciplinary remedies by reporting to the University and criminal remedies by reporting to law enforcement. Disciplinary and criminal remedies may be pursued separately or at the same time. An individual wishing to pursue disciplinary remedies and criminal remedies simultaneously should make a report to both the Assistant Vice President and Title IX Coordinator and to the appropriate law enforcement agency.
For emergencies, call 9-1-1. For non-emergencies, contact local law enforcement:
 University Police Department (979-845-2345)
 Bryan Police Department (979-209-5300)
 College Station Police Department (979-764-3600)
 Brazos County Sheriff’s Office (979-361-4900)

To report abuse or neglect of persons age 65 or older, persons with disabilities, or minors:
State law requires all persons having cause to believe that a child’s physical or mental health or welfare has been adversely affected by abuse or neglect to immediately make a report (even if the belief is premised upon incomplete or dated information) to any of the following:
 any local or state law enforcement agency;
 the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS); or
 the state agency that operates, licenses, certifies, or registers the facility in which the
alleged abuse or neglect occurred; or the agency designated by the court to be responsible for the protection of children.
Further, all persons having cause to believe that an individual 65 years or older or a disabled person 18 years of age or older is in the state of abuse, neglect, or exploitation are required to notify the DFPS at the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400 or www.dfps.state.tx.us/Contact_Us/report_abuse.asp.

Reporting to Outside Agencies:
Individuals may file a complaint at any time with any local, state, or federal civil rights offices, including, but not limited to, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Texas Workforce Commission’s Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, and the U.S. Department of Justice.
AMNESTY AND IMMUNITIES
A person acting in good faith who:
  
reports or assists in the investigation of a report of an incident of sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence or stalking;
testifies or otherwise participates in a judicial proceeding arising from a report of sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence or stalking; or,
participates in the University’s investigation or resolution processes related to an allegation of sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence or stalking
will not be subjected to any disciplinary action by the University where the person is enrolled or employed for any violations of the University’s code of conduct reasonably related to the incident. Such amnesty shall not be given for violations of the University’s code of conduct if the sanction for the violation is suspension or expulsion from the institution.
The University may, however, investigate to determine whether a report of an incident of sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, or stalking was made in good faith. The amnesty will not apply to a person who reports the student's own commission or complicity in the commission of sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, or stalking.
CONFIDENTIALITY
The confidentiality of a complaint of sexual misconduct and all documents, correspondence, and information collected during an investigation will be maintained by the University on a need-to-know basis to the extent permitted by law.
RETALIATION
Students, faculty and staff are prohibited from retaliating against a person for (1) making a good faith report of a violation of Texas A&M System policies, university rules, student rules, and or/the law; or (2) participating in any proceeding related to the investigation or resolution of such report. Retaliation includes threatening, intimidating, harassing, coercing, or any other conduct that would discourage a reasonable person from engaging in activity protected under this policy. Retaliation may be present even where there is a decision of “unsubstantiated,” “insufficient information to substantiate,” “not responsible” or “not guilty” on the allegations of discrimination, harassment, complicity, or related retaliation. Retaliation does not include good faith actions lawfully pursued in response to a report of discrimination, harassment, or related retaliation. Violation of an interim, remedial, or protective measure will be considered retaliation.

FALSE COMPLAINTS AND MATERIALLY MISLEADING INFORMATION
Any person who knowingly files a false complaint of discrimination, harassment, or related retaliation, or provides materially misleading information regarding alleged discrimination or harassment is subject to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal or separation from the University. A finding of "unsubstantiated" or “insufficient information to substantiate” does not imply that a complaint was false. Any employee who knowingly makes a false report will be terminated.
RIGHTS, RESOURCES, AND OPTIONS FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination. Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal, nonverbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when this conduct is so severe, persistent, or pervasive that it explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work or educational performance, or creates an intimidating, or hostile work or educational environment. Sexual Assault, Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, and Stalking often fall under the broader context of Sexual Harassment. A misconception regarding sexual assault is that most of the time the perpetrator is a stranger. However, research indicates that approximately 2/3 of sexual assaults are committed by someone known to the victim. Sexual assault is an act of violence, which utilizes power and control over another. Tactics may include force, threats, intimidation, or physical violence. Many victims struggle with identifying whether they have been sexually assaulted due to tactics such as manipulation, restraint, victim blaming, and taking advantage of another’s level of intoxication. An individual who has been victimized by a person they are familiar with may know that they were forced to have sex without their consent or approval, but they may not recognize the fact that it was indeed sexual assault.
A student or employee who has been a victim of sexual harassment (including sexual misconduct or stalking), domestic violence, or dating violence, whether it occurred on or off- campus, has certain resources, rights, and options available. A student or employee who witnesses, is subjected to, or is informed about incidents of sexual discrimination, sexual harassment (including sexual violence), and/or related retaliation also has the right to file a Title IX complaint with the University and receive a prompt and equitable resolution. Even if you choose not to report the incident to the University or to law enforcement, you are encouraged to take steps to preserve evidence. This will ensure that evidence is available if you later decide to proceed with a criminal or university investigation. You are encouraged to go to a hospital and have a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) assess you for physical trauma, sexually-transmitted infections, and pregnancy. A SANE can also collect and preserve evidence of a sexual assault.

Resources including advocacy, counseling, health and medical services, and legal support are all available at the University. Students may also have access to interim measures (e.g., change in housing, class schedules) that may be needed until the resolution of the complaint. Alleged offenders are afforded equal opportunities for representation and access to information regarding the investigation. The confidentiality issues surrounding complaints of this nature are supported as fully as possible for all parties involved.
A student or an employee who has experienced sexual harassment (including sexual misconduct or stalking), domestic violence, or dating violence, whether it occurred on or off- campus, has certain resources, rights and options available. Please see: Rights, Resources, and Options for Complainants at: https://titleix.tamu.edu/get-help/resources-rights-options/for-complainants/
A student or an employee who is accused of sexual harassment (including sexual misconduct or stalking), domestic violence, or dating violence, whether it occurred on or off-campus, has certain resources, rights and options available. Please see: Rights, Resources, and Options for Respondents at: https://titleix.tamu.edu/get-help/resources-rights-options/for-respondents/

https://urc.tamu.edu/media/642261/NoticeOfNonDiscrimination.pdf?_ga=2.16777214.975095046.1571664597-1534201453.1544799639

http://stophate.tamu.edu/prevention
Too often, acts of hate and bias go unreported for a number of reasons ranging from a lack of trust to fear of reprisal. Some events, like racial epithets written on bathroom walls, are occasionally dismissed as “too trivial” to report. However, research suggests that these types of events tend to build into much bigger ones. Furthermore, they create a hostile, unsafe, and unwelcoming climate for the people they target and do damage to our community as a whole.

These events are highly significant. Those targeted cannot easily grow, flourish, or carry out everyday functions without difficulty, like walking to school or to their place of residence.
Filing a report allows the university the opportunity to meet the goals of creating a safe environment that supports the educational mission of the institution; to support TAMU students, faculty, and staff impacted by a bias/hate related event; and, to understand, in part, the university climate/environment.

Individuals may use the online report form to report hate/bias incidents. You have the option to fill in your contact information or submit the report anonymously. Reports submitted anonymously or with limited information may limit our ability to follow up on an incident. Once a report is submitted online, a copy is emailed to a team for appropriate review and necessary action. NOTE: Confidentiality cannot be guaranteed for every report submitted through this site. State law determines confidentiality.

Texas A&M has a Special Situations Team that is comprised of University faculty and staff charged with helping students, faculty and staff who are exhibiting concerning behavior. Once a report is submitted online, a copy is emailed to the entire team for appropriate review and necessary action. NOTE: Confidentiality cannot be guaranteed for reports submitted.
Even when there is no threat to harm, it is recommended to involve others to discuss concerning behavior.

Student affairs staff is available to serve as a resource to any individual who has a sexual harassment inquiry or complaint and to provide information about how to personally respond or support a friend who may have been involved in an incident, accommodations for those involved, and applicable grievance procedures and definitions.

Student Assistance Services connects Texas A&M students with the appropriate guidance, resources and support to address a variety of personal and academic matters. It is a helpful beginning point of contact for information about a variety of topics. Medical and mental health resources are available to address health and safety issues.

The examples provided in this section are not intended to be an exhaustive or comprehensive list of the Texas A&M University’s efforts to recruit historically underrepresented and first-generation students. Only a few examples are included to illustrate some of the compelling work that our students, faculty, and staff are engaged in on our campuses, departments, colleges, and administrative units.

Examples of national strategic partnerships and economic-conscious scholarships include Texas A&M University’s partnership with the Posse Foundation to recruit students from Houston and Atlanta. Additionally, Texas A&M has Gates and Gates Millennium Scholars. Texas A&M has a pool of scholarships, for example the Century Scholars, which are for underrepresented Texas high schools. The Century Scholars Program is a partnership between Texas A&M University and 110 under-represented Texas high schools to enroll and retain top students from each school. This program provides both scholarship funds and access to a four-year learning community which strives to help students develop during their time in college. Each scholarship includes a one-time $1000 scholarship to be used for a Texas A&M approved study abroad experience.

Many of the colleges have memorandum of agreements (MOA) with partner system institutions with underrepresented and/or first-generation student populations with geographic diversity. For example, the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (CVM) is one of only two Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) programs in the country with an undergraduate program, as well as the graduate and DVM degrees. The Biomedical Sciences (BIMS) undergraduate program is the largest degree-granting undergraduate program at the university, with an enrollment of 2,355 students and over 27% of this year’s enrolled cohort are first-generation. The percentage of non-white students is 48.2% with 26.37% under-represented minorities (URM). BIMS added new 2+2 community college agreements this year (current total of 15) to increase the pipeline of URM and first-generation students with plans for two additional agreements in year 2019.

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (COALS) has three full-time undergraduate recruiters covering the cities yielding most of our students: Houston/College Station, Dallas/Ft. Worth, and San Antonio/Austin. Targeting these metropolitan areas and facilitating strategic recruiting programs are designed to show urban high school students that the College offers majors that serve more than just rural students who have been active in traditional agricultural programs such as 4-H and FFA. Innovative recruiting programs for high school students like Summer Training in Agriculture and Related Sciences (STARS), Hunger Summits, and World Food Prize Youth Institute are purposely held at high schools that are not thought of as traditional pipelines for the College.

The College of Architecture’s (CARC), Office of Student Services (OSS) houses academic advisors and administrative staff for the four departments. CARC recruiting staff visited the Rio Grande Valley, major Texas cities, Baltimore-MD, Atlanta-GA, and Washington-DC. Recruiting staff work with A&M Prospective Students Centers and are joined by staff and/or faculty from the departments. Departments also led their own efforts. Additionally, the Department of Construction Science hosted a series of six five-day Construction Management Academy Career Exploration Programs for high school students from five strategically chosen Texas locations; COSC Industry Advisory Council offered first-generation students a scholarship as a recruitment incentive. CARC hosted Camp ARCH for high school students during summer 2018. CARC-DC offered 10 camp scholarships to low-income students who were from diverse backgrounds. CARC partnered with Discover U to identify the most suitable candidates. The Department of Visualization (VIZ) also hosts summer camps with scholarships for URM that attract qualified high school students.

Texas A&M University’s Division of Marketing and Communications’ (MarComm) social media team is responsible for Texas A&M’s status as a national and international leader in social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, YouTube, and Google Plus) and embeds diversity and inclusion throughout. Texas A&M won a 2018 Shorty Award, the most prestigious award for social media, for the global impact brand experience at South by Southwest and was a finalist for the social media vending machine (which used Twitter to direct students to vending machines dispensing Texas A&M items and tweeted photos of them with these items).

The College of Medicine (COM), the College of Nursing, and the College of Pharmacy all use holistic review in admissions to increase the number of under-represented in medicine (URM) students.

The examples provided in this section are not intended to be an exhaustive or comprehensive list of Texas A&M’s efforts to recruit and retain diverse faculty. Only a few examples are included to illustrate some of the compelling work that our students, faculty, and staff are engaged in on our campuses, departments, colleges, and administrative units.

Texas A&M University’s Accountability, Climate, Equity, and Scholarship (ACES) Fellows Program is a faculty pipeline initiative that connects those advancing outstanding scholarship with relevant disciplinary units on campus. The ACES Fellows Program is administered by the Office for Diversity at Texas A&M in partnership with the College of Education and Human Development and the College of Liberal Arts (and will expand to all 16 colleges and schools). In recognition of Texas A&M University's Diversity Plan, the ACES Fellows Program is aimed at promoting the research, teaching, and scholarship of early career scholars who embrace the belief that 'diversity is an indispensable component of academic excellence' (Texas A&M, Commitment to Diversity). From this experience at Texas A&M, fellows should develop an understanding of the value of diversity and inclusion and the power that it holds for students, faculty, and staff to enrich their lives.

As a Tier 1 research and land-grant institution, Texas A&M upholds its responsibility to accountability, campus climate, equity, and scholarship by maintaining a campus that affirms equity and fosters inclusion and belonging. Significantly, Texas A&M holds itself accountable to improved campus climate and equity goals through clear, accessible measures. ACES Fellows are afforded access to invaluable academic and professional development experiences to advance their careers as scholars. A faculty pipeline program, ACES Fellows will be hired as tenure-track faculty at the conclusion of the fellowship. ACES Fellows benefit from: prescriptive mentoring, access to instructional best practices, a vast array of world-class research and productivity resources, and a robust network of renowned Texas A&M scholars from across disciplines.

In 2018, the first year for ACES, the program was marketed heavily through social media and in diversity publications, and job boards resulting in over 130 applications. After exhaustive review from the academic departments and the Office for Diversity, four candidates were hired by the College of Liberal Arts (CLLA). In 2019, we have committed to adding five more hires and will continue to add approximately five per year. These hires are in addition to a number of other diversity-hiring opportunities, such as the Provost’s Faculty Reinvestment Program which, too, has a diversity component.

In 2019, a diverse faculty exchange was established with Prairie View A&M University (PVAM), an HBCU in the Texas A&M University system. Dr. Shereece Fields was hired to be the Director of Initiatives, to facilitate faculty and student exchange between the two institutions.

Texas A&M has achieved increases in the numbers of Asian faculty and Hispanic faculty. To advertise, the colleges use diversity publications and/or job boards such as: specialty organization listservs, job banks, INSIGHT into Diversity, and Chronicle of Higher Education.

In the College of Engineering, individual departments have focused on recruiting female and under-represented minority (URM) faculty with some success. For example, mechanical engineering successfully recruited four tenure-track faculty (TTF) for September 2018, two of which were female. Additionally, in the last two years they have recruited three African American faculty members. All TTF faculty have been retained going into FY19.

For Texas A&M University – Galveston (TAMUG), faculty recruitment in FY17-FY18 demonstrated gains in attracting underrepresented groups at TAMUG. The total number of new faculty (% of permanent faculty) was 27 full time faculty hires (23% of total). This cohort is also the most culturally diverse to date with 52% women 48% men; 30% international and 30% underrepresented minorities.

University Libraries developed training to improve faculty interviewing and hosting practices. The unit is seeing more diverse candidates; better representation in the makeup of the profession; and is inviting more diverse, underrepresented minorities, and military veterans for interviews.

The Division of Finance and Administration entered into a collaborative agreement with other higher education institutions to form a regional Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC). The mission of HERC is to recruit and retain outstanding and diverse faculty and staff.

One example of a recruitment program for underrepresented non-academic staff is from the Division of Academic Affairs, diverse group of non-college units supporting the academic and research missions of the University. One of the strategies currently in place is a membership to Diverse Issues in Higher Education. This allows Academic Affairs to post open job requisitions on a national platform, with the hope to yield a more qualified, diverse pool of applicants. This is the second year we have paid for this particular membership. To measure the effectiveness, we will work with HR to determine how successful this initiative has been by examining the number of applicants (disaggregated by demographics and qualifications) that have accessed our job openings through the link on the Diverse Issues website. We will use a total of three years of data.

Several units across Academic Affairs created a list of both on and off campus affinity groups that target diverse populations and make sure our open positions are posted on their websites and/or to their listservs. We will measure the effectiveness of this goal with HR data to determine whether advertising to these specific groups give us a more diverse applicant pool — Workday data can show where the applicant accessed the position.

To help with retention of diverse faculty, professional development opportunities including mediation and conflict management are available. For example, faculty and graduate students have access to National Center on Faculty Development & Diversity (https://www.facultydiversity.org/institutions/tamu).

Launched in 2011, the ADVANCE Scholar Program is one of the activities of the ADVANCE Center and the Office for Diversity. The purpose and goal of the ADVANCE Scholar Program is to promote and advance the success of Texas A&M University women faculty of color in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) through mentoring with eminent scholars in their fields. In 2015, the program expanded to include women from non-STEM fields. The mentoring program matches women faculty of color at the university with an internal advocate who is a senior faculty member at the university and an external mentor who is an eminent scholar of their choosing in their field.

The internal advocates comprise the Scholar Program Advisory Committee and meet to discuss best practices for mentoring and advancing their Scholars. The internal advocates also meet with their respective Scholars and serve to broaden the Scholars’ circle of contacts within the university and to establish a sustainable professional network for them. Since the first cohort in 2011, 40 women faculty of color at Texas A&M have participated in the program. The 2016 cohort is the largest cohort including both pre-tenured and tenured faculty, representing STEM and non-STEM disciplines.

There are a wide variety of programs which support several different under-represented groups. These programs are documented in our Diversity Initiatives Database, found at: https://diversity.tamu.edu/Resources#resources-all and at https://diversity.tamu.edu/Menu/Accountability,-Climate,-Equity,-and-Scholarship-F

To specifically support retention of underrepresented non-academic staff, the Division of Student Affairs implements flexible work arrangements and wellness. For example, Student Activities facilitated a climate survey using the same Diversity, Equity, Access and Inclusion (DEIA) categories as their 2017 Comprehensive Program Review to provide longitudinal quantitative and qualitative data and also increased human resource related communications to staff about available professional development opportunities, services and benefits. Residence Life approached retention from an educational perspective by providing live-in staff training modules on Diversity, Equity, Access and Inclusion (DEIA) handling, reporting and referring to campus resources for both new and continuing live in staff at the professional and student level. Even with the challenging work schedule commitments of Student Health Services, they identified ways to provide release time for staff to attend campus diversity offerings and engage in campus/local professional organizations with diversity components. As the Veteran’s Resource and Support Center (VRSC) completed their strategic plan revision, they built on current staff well-being strategies and tactics to further enhance staff quality of work-life balance, with specific attention to the post-COVID environment.

The Department of Residence Life received a grant to inform our practice to better serve and support underrepresented student populations. Over the years, assessment has affirmed that living on campus does provide advantages to students collectively, as compared to their off campus peers. Those academic advantages are reflected in higher grade point ratios overall, greater retention rates, higher percentages of four year graduation rates, and greater percentages of students going on to graduate and professional education. The social advantages reported are the convenience and connection to campus resources, student organizations and classes; as well as an easier transition to life on campus—friends, organizations, and campus life. Those trends are affirmed by the national literature. However, when broken down out of an aggregate format, these results suggest students experience living on campus differently. When compared to their White peers, African American and Hispanic students do not appear to have the same experience living on campus at Texas A&M University.

Residence Life has also hosted Welcome Receptions at the start of each school year focused on different student identities. This includes a reception dedicated to 1st generation students (1st Gen), Black/African American students (AFAM), Latinx/Hispanic students (Aggie Familia), and students who identify as Asian, Pacific Islander, or Desi American (APIDA). The Welcome Receptions provide residents the chance to connect with their peers who identify with them as being members of a specific population, as well as Residence Life staff who share their identity or are allies. In addition to that, the receptions also have a variety of resource tables present representing departments and student organizations that support students, including Health Promotions, Counseling & Psychological Services, Disability Resources, and the libraries.

Additionally to support students from underrepresented groups, the DSA College Completion Grant is two-fold which includes (1) a research project to inform the initiative intervention, and (2) create identity-conscious spaces for on campus students.
Part I: Informed by Yosso’s six-part Community Cultural Wealth Model, a qualitative research design will engage 15 - 20 Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino undergraduate students (freshmen). Participants will be invited and interviewed as a purposive sample of the on-campus underrepresented student population at large. The interview protocol will center upon the cultural capital (assets) students bring with them to Texas A&M University (aspirations, linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistance capital). Findings from this study will inform the proposed initiative and the development of untraditional interventions in housing.

Part II: Utilizing professional staff members and undergraduate upperclassmen who are passionate about supporting and serving underrepresented student populations, we will create a support network for students in their first year. Monthly identity-conscious programs will be marketed via invitation to the targeted student population. These programs may include invited faculty talks, listening sessions (opportunities for students to talk openly about their experiences at Texas A&M so far), and networking activities. In addition to these identity-conscious programs, 30 – 50 students will be provided a high impact learning practice opportunity that will include individual/direct support from mentoring departmental staff to include weekly check-ins, study skill discussions, academic and social expectations, personal issue mitigation, and experiential reflection.

For faculty from historically underrepresented groups, the university ADVANCE Center provides Administrative Fellow Program, Success Circles, and Scholars Program.

The aim of the Administrative Fellow Program is to give tenured women STEM faculty experience in College- and University-level leadership, with the long-range goal of significantly increasing the participation of female faculty in University leadership

The ADVANCE Center facilitates peer mentoring groups known as Success Circles for women faculty based on professional and personal interests. This activity functions as a complement to existing one-on-one mentoring (e.g. in departments, the Women’s Faculty Network) and facilitates the development of social connections among women faculty. Currently, peer mentoring is focused on three areas: academic writing, motherhood, and departmental leadership. See the ADVANCE Calendar for scheduling.

Launched in 2011, the ADVANCE Scholar Program is one of the activities of the ADVANCE Center. The purpose and goal of the ADVANCE Scholar Program is to promote and advance the success of Texas A&M University women faculty of color in STEM through mentoring with eminent scholars in their fields.

In 2015, the program expanded to include women from non-STEM fields. The mentoring program matches women faculty of color at the university with an internal advocate who is a senior faculty member at the university and an external mentor who is an eminent scholar of their choosing in their field.

The internal advocates comprise the Scholar Program Advisory Committee and meet to discuss best practices for mentoring and advancing their Scholars. The internal advocates also meet with their respective Scholars and serve to broaden the Scholars’ circle of contacts within the university and to establish a sustainable professional network for them. Since the first cohort in 2011, 40 women faculty of color at Texas A&M have participated in the program. The 2016 cohort is the largest cohort including both pre-tenured and tenured faculty, representing STEM and non-STEM disciplines.

To support staff from historically underrepresented groups, Texas A&M's staff mentor program is available through Human Resources - The primary objectives of the program are: To help new and less experienced employees successfully transition into their position; and to help experienced employees enhance their career potential or identify new career paths This is a voluntary program whereby mentees are paired with mentors according to various areas of interest.

Specifically to support and prepare students from historically underrepresented groups for careers as faculty members, the Office of Graduate and Professional Students offers Graduate Diversity Fellowships (now called: Dr. Dionel Avilés '53 And Dr. James Johnson '67 Fellowship Program) to support the development of high achieving scholars who show promise for distinguished careers and whose life, research experiences and/or employment background will contribute significantly to academic excellence at TAMU and will maximize the educational benefits of diversity for all students. The evaluation criteria for receiving a fellowship includes, but is not limited to the following: "A nominee may be from minority groups that historically have been under-represented at TAMU and/or in their profession; may be first generation college graduates (neither parent earned a bachelor’s degree); or may be persons with disabilities or veterans. This list is not meant to be exhaustive." https://ogaps.tamu.edu/Buttons/Funding-Opportunities/Aviles-Johnson-Fellowship-Program

Multiple studies have shown the importance of students seeing and connecting with faculty and staff who share an identity with, such as ethnicity or sexual orientation. These connections contribute to the retention and academic success of underrepresented student groups. Understanding this, the Department of Residence Life has hosted networking events at the beginning of each school year for on-campus residents. These events, typically live-event with food and music, are tailored to different groups of students at A&M: AFAM (Black and African American), Aggie Familia (Latinx), First-Generation, and LGBTQA+. Each group has a night dedicated towards connecting residents with faculty and staff throughout the institution that have the same identity as them.

Additionally, Texas A&M’s College of Dentistry received a 2020 Health Professions HEED Award. Furthermore, the College of Dentistry’s Bridge to Dentistry pipeline program was announced as a recipient of the 2020 Inspiring Programs in Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Award by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine

The university map indicates gender neutral bathrooms, lactation rooms, and prayer rooms on campus.

Although there is not yet dedicated gender neutral housing on campus, the Department of Residence Life works to accommodate the special needs of transgender and transitioning students on a case by case basis. Currently, there is a living learning community (LLC), entitled 'Intersections' being established. Members of this community will live in on campus housing together and like other LLC's will have programming, staff support and a level of academic integration.