Tulane University
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Support for students from underrepresented is provided by the many programs of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, Newcomb College Institute, and many student organizations. One recent, major program is Tulane's partnership with the Posse Foundation. The Posse Foundation recruits and trains dynamic urban public high school students, sending them to highly selective universities in multicultural teams or “Posses.” Posses help keep their members from becoming adrift at universities that lack the social networks that sustained them during their adolescence. Tulane will provide Posse scholars with four-year, full-tuition scholarships. Tulane became a Posse partner in 2009 and is now home to 56 Posse scholars from Los Angeles. Through the new Crescent City chapter, Tulane welcomed 10 Posse students from New Orleans in 2012, and there are currently 30 Posse students from New Orleans enrolled.

The Office of Institutional Equity serves Tulane's community of faculty, students, and staff in key university strategic areas – accountability, community investment, and increasing sustainability efforts. Significant examples of OIE's contribution to these areas are: advancing diversity and inclusive excellence initiatives; working collaboratively with campus partners to improve compliance efforts, streamline processes, and measure the effectiveness of Tulane's Equal Opportunity policies and procedures; using technology to capture and analyze important workforce data and reports for utilization by administration; conducting thorough and fair investigations; and, creating and implementing relevant education programs to respond to community needs.

As part of Tulane University's commitment to meeting the diverse needs of students, Housing & Residential Life’s (HRL) instituted a Gender-Inclusive Housing (GIH) policy in 2014. GIH environments are designated as particularly comfortable living spaces for students who identify as transgender, gender nonconforming, non-binary, gender questioning, lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex, queer, and allies. GIH allows undergraduate students of any gender the option of living with other students regardless of their gender. Tulane lists an inventory of gender neutral bathrooms online (https://ogsdtulane.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/campus-compass-2014.pdf) and in the Campus Compass: A Guide to Gender & Sexuality at Tulane University.