University of Alabama at Birmingham
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

This policy is online and publicly accessible in lobbies and breakrooms in each building. https://www.uab.edu/policies/content/Pages/UAB-BT-POL-0000052.aspx

UAB has established a Bias Incident Response Team (BIRT) that assesses bias complaints and coordinates university resources to respond to bias-related reports. BIRT is committed to contributing to a UAB community that fosters a sense of civility, community, respect, and understanding to support a multicultural and diverse campus environment. Response to bias incidents and reports will be sensitive to the rights of all parties involved. Any bias-response intervention that is warranted under the circumstances will be educational at its core. The intervention may involve a variety of activities including discussion, mediation, training, counseling, and consensus building. Students, staff, or faculty who experience, or become aware of, a bias-related incident are asked to report the incident immediately using an online form. A member of the Bias Incident Response Team contacts the reporting party with-in 24 hours of filing the report to make appropriate arrangements to discuss the incident.

The Equity Leadership Council: https://www.uab.edu/dei/constituent-groups/equity-leadership-council An equity advisor (EA) is appointed by the dean or director of each school or unit with regular faculty and serves as a member of The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Equity Leadership Council. The council meets regularly during each academic year. Equity Advisors have a central role in faculty training, monitoring the faculty search and other hiring processes, and consultations on matters of equity. Equity Advisors leverage their direct experience with local culture and climate to advise their deans in terms of strategy, policy, training, climate, and accountability. Although Equity Advisors report directly to their deans, they also work closely with and provide invaluable advice to the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. They represent the most important advisory council for the Office. The duties and responsibilities of equity advisors include the following: Collect and maintain information on faculty vacancies, tenure decisions and promotions in the school or unit. Serve as a non-voting member of each faculty recruitment, tenure and promotion committee in the school or unit. Maintain a database of journals and publications read by minorities and women in each subject area of the school or unit. Review all advertisements for faculty vacancies before they are published. Serve as a resource for faculty recruiting for the dean or director and department chairs in the school or unit. Provide an annual report on recruiting activities in the school or unit to the dean or director and to the Vice President for Diversity Equity and Inclusion. Certify that all recruitment policies and procedures have been followed for each recruitment activity by signing the Faculty Recruitment Experience Report. UAB Equity Advisors provide leadership in establishing diversity as a core value within the unit. UAB is an NSF-affiliate for LSAMP scholarships. http://alsamp.eng.ua.edu/about/partners/ UAB actively recruits underrepresented students through a variety of programs intended to support those students (retention) and get them to graduation. For example: TRIO https://www.uab.edu/students/academics/trio INTO UAB https://www.uab.edu/global/into-uab UAB was recently awarded an NSF grant, in partnership with other AL schools, to address gender equity in STEM: https://www.uab.edu/news/people/item/10676-uab-awarded-nsf-advance-grant-to-address-gender-equity-in-stem

UAB offers free counseling for all students at UAB Student Counseling Services. https://www.uab.edu/global/into-uab UAB also hosts a variety of organizations to support underrepresented populations: The Alliance for LGBTQ equality at UAB offers the above support programs: https://www.uab.edu/dei/alliance The African-American Faculty Association: https://www.uab.edu/dei/aafa The Commission on the Status of Women: https://www.uab.edu/dei/women The Equity Leadership Council: https://www.uab.edu/dei/constituent-groups/equity-leadership-council UAB Wellness administers the Employee Assistance and Counseling Center: We provide confidential support services for employees and members of their immediate household with free resources for resolving work-related and personal problems. The Multicultural Scholars Program (MSP), formerly the Minority Scholars Program, is an academic enrichment and scholarship program designed to support the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students at UAB. The program has supported scholars for over 20 years and continues to thrive in assisting them to reach their educational and professional goals through knowledge investment and social development. The motto that best embodies this initiative and its focus is “each one, reach one.” As a cohort, all MSP scholars are encouraged to live by the motto of “Each one, reach one” by paying it forward in support and service throughout their communities. https://www.uab.edu/dei/cace/campus-engagement/multicultural-scholars-program

UAB annually offers The Bridge to the Doctorate funding through the NSF to provide support for minority students to attend grad school and earn a Ph.D. in STEM fields. The support includes an annual stipend of $32,000, tuition, fees, and health insurance for a 2-year period. https://www.uab.edu/dei/cace/about/bridge-to-the-doctorate-program UAB is an AGEP institution: http://epscor.ua.edu/alabama-minority-serving-institutions.html UAB Graduate School also offers doctoral fellowships for minority students. https://www.uab.edu/graduate/students/current-students/paying/financing/doctoral-fellowships-for-minorities