Texas State University, San Marcos
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

http://policies.txstate.edu/university-policies/04-04-46.html

Texas State is committed to an inclusive educational and work environment that provides equal opportunity and access to all qualified persons. Texas State, to the extent not in conflict with federal or state law, prohibits discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, veterans’ status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

This policy describes reporting procedures for filing discrimination complaints with the Office of Equity and Inclusion and the process used to investigate and resolve them.

Texas State forbids discrimination in any university activity or program. Faculty members, staff employees, and students who discriminate against others in connection with a university activity or program will be considered to have violated this policy and are subject to disciplinary sanctions.

The Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX manages Title IX programs and investigates claims of discrimination and sexual misconduct on campus. It supports the entire TXST community in a neutral role and provides resources to students, faculty and staff to address concerns regarding discrimination on the basis of sex, which includes sexual misconduct. It serves as the university’s central resource for addressing reports of alleged harassment and discrimination in all its forms; including those related to sexual harassment and sexual misconduct.

Staff Diversity Hiring ToolKit: Provides information and tips on creating a more inclusive search process and guide through the decisions, actions, and processes that go into developing a top-tier, diverse team.

Inclusive Excellence Scholarship Opportunities: Institutional Inclusive Excellence - Student Initiatives (IIE-SI) helps guide Texas Students on scholarship opportunities to aid in achieving academic excellence. Scholarships offered to students from underrepresented communities include the Top Scholars Program, LBJ Achievement Scholarship, and the Earl Moseley Scholarship.

TRIO: The Federal TRIO Programs (TRIO) are Federal outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRIO includes eight programs targeted to serve and assist low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to post-baccalaureate programs.

Coalition of Black Faculty and Staff: To provide leadership, support, and effective service at all institutional levels; To assist the university with recruitment, retention, progression and upward mobility of the Black community; To improve the visibility of the Black community (Black students, faculty and staff); To provide Texas State with a representative perspective on institutional, societal, and programmatic development; To participate and support the Texas Association of Black Personnel in Higher Education.

Hispanic Policy Network: The Hispanic Policy Network is a Texas State University faculty and staff organization committed to the advancement of Hispanic/Latinx individuals in post-secondary education. We promote a safe and inclusive working atmosphere; create opportunities for networking; assist in the recruitment, retention, and promotion of diverse faculty and staff; promote an intersectional Latinidad and Hispanidad; advocate for the educational equity for diverse students; and provide financial assistance through our endowed scholarship.

LGBTQIA+ Alliance: Alliance is a TXST staff and faculty organization that promotes and celebrates the awareness, equity, social acceptance, nondiscrimination, and individual freedoms of all employees regardless of their sexual orientation, gender expression, or gender identity.

Jewish Faculty and Staff Association: The Jewish Faculty and Staff Association (JFSA) works to raise awareness around the Jewish community, experiences, and opportunities on campus; to create a micro-community for Jewish faculty and staff on campus; and to work with other affinity groups toward a campus that is open, inclusive, and welcoming to all. All faculty and staff are welcome to join JFSA.

Asian Professional Association: The mission of Asian Professional Association (APA) is to elevate Asian faculty and staff in the campus community and amplify our voices and experiences, while partnering with university leaders and campus organizations to create space for advancing and connecting people.

The Underrepresented Student Advisory Council (USAC) is a multicultural programming and leadership development council composed of various recognized, university student organizations. The council welcomes and supports organizations whose majority membership includes persons from groups that have been and continue to be underrepresented in higher education and include a multicultural and cross cultural educational component in their programming. The mission of USAC member organizations is to represent and promote diversity and equal opportunity programming initiatives in support of a more inclusive society.

Staff and Faculty have corresponding support programs they can both join such as ALLIANCE and "Recruit Diversity", Coalition of Black Faculty and Staff, and The Hispanic Policy Network.