University of Colorado Boulder
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

CU Boulder prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of protected-class status in admission and access to, and treatment and employment in, its educational programs and activities. For purposes of this CU Boulder policy, “protected classes” refers to race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, political affiliation, and political philosophy. CU Boulder takes prompt and effective steps reasonably intended to stop any form of protected-class discrimination and harassment, and related violations, to eliminate any hostile environment, to prevent its recurrence, and as appropriate, to remedy its effects. https://www.colorado.edu/policies/discrimination-harassment-policy

The Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance is committed to preventing and eliminating discrimination and harassment based on race, color, national origin, pregnancy, sex, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, political affiliation, or political philosophy at the University of Colorado Boulder. The University is committed to taking appropriate action against those who violate the policy on discrimination and harassment, the sexual harassment policy, or the policy on amorous relationships. Individuals who violate these policies will be disciplined or subjected to corrective action, up to and including termination or expulsion.
Reporting incidents may be done at https://cuboulder.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0PnqVK4kkIJIZnf When an individual notifies OIEC (either directly or through a responsible employee, advocate, third party or other) that they have experienced conduct prohibited by these policies, OIEC will provide assistance as needed (and whether or not there is a formal report or participation in an investigation) in accessing on and off campus services, including but not limited to counseling, health services, mental health services, victim advocacy, legal assistance, visa and immigration services, and/or the availability of forensic sexual assault nurse exams (“SANE”). OIEC will also discuss options for resolution with the Complainant (formal investigation, informal resolution, or not proceeding with any action), privacy and confidentiality, the prohibition on retaliation, and the fact that there is no statute of limitations for addressing a complaint. If the individual would still like to maintain privacy and does not wish for OIEC to investigate or address the matter or the individual does not wish for OIEC to report the matter to law enforcement, the Executive Director of OIEC or designee will weigh and determine those requests against the University’s obligation to provide a safe, non-discriminatory environment for all students, faculty, and staff. For a written summary of options and resources available to any victim of sexual misconduct or protected class discrimination and harassment, please refer to “Options for Reporting, Assistance, and University Resolution Process” on our website: http://www.colorado.edu/institutionalequity/reporting-options. Other support resources include:
Office of Victim Assistance, Counseling and Psychiatric Services, Faculty and Staff Assistance Program, Moving to End Sexual Assault, and Safe House Progressive Alliance for Non-Violence.
https://www.colorado.edu/institutionalequity/resources

Students: The University of Colorado at Boulder seeks students that are highly qualified academically. In our judgment, having students learn from each other is an important part of the University's educational mission. Therefore, the campus also seeks diverse student populations that encompass a wide range of characteristics including geographic origins, social and economic backgrounds, races and ethnicities, viewpoints, special talents, and personal achievements. Assessing personal achievements shall take into account a prospective student's circumstances and obstacles that she or he has overcome. Diversity review shall compare all applicants based on all diversity criteria made relevant by this statement of policy. No separate procedure, track, or criteria may be used. Admission visit programs that recruit underrepresented groups include:
Engineer Your Future: An Exploration Day for Women, Engineer Your Future: An Exploration Day for Diverse Students, Engineer Your Future: An Exploration Day for Transfer and Non-Traditional Students, Business at a Glace: An Exploration Day for Diverse Students, D.I.V.E. (Diversity and Inclusion Visit Experience) https://www.colorado.edu/visit/admissions/student-type
https://www.colorado.edu/policies/student-diversity-recruitment-admission-and-support-programs
Faculty: As a global leader in higher education, promoting diversity, inclusion, and equity are integral to the University of Colorado Boulder’s core mission. The university has recently reaffirmed four mutually reinforcing core values of diversity, inclusion, equity, and excellence documented in the Inclusion, Diversity, and Excellence in Academics (IDEA) Plan and their connection to achieving the campus’ strategic imperatives of shaping tomorrow’s leaders, being the top university for innovation, and positively impacting humanity. A diverse faculty is inherent to the overall excellence of our university. Faculty play the primary role in research and teaching, doing outreach, and improving the academic reputation of the university. In accordance with this and in order to implement the recommendations embodied in the IDEA Plan’s Action Area #2: Learn and Lead Effective Efforts to Attract and Retain a More Diverse Faculty and Staff, the Provost’s Office, in collaboration with the Office of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement (ODECE) and the Office of Faculty Affairs (OFA), has initiated this Faculty Diversity Action Plan (FDAP), supported by the Faculty Vacancy Reallocation Program (FVR). https://www.colorado.edu/facultyaffairs/faculty-diversity-action-plan
Staff: Affirmative action is a part of the way CU Boulder regularly conducts its business and complements the philosophy and belief that diversity enriches the educational and employment experience for all faculty, staff and students at CU Boulder.
Policies and Resources: https://www.colorado.edu/hr/managers-and-supervisors/hiring/search CU resources for recruiting from underrepresented groups: https://www.colorado.edu/hr/sites/default/files/attached-files/diversity_outreach_resources_1.pdf

Students: The CU Leadership, Excellence, Achievement, and Diversity (CU-LEAD) Alliance is a unique set of academic learning communities whose students, faculty, and the staff is united to promote inclusive excellence. These “academic neighborhoods” foster scholastic camaraderie and promote student success through enhanced instruction, small group classes, leadership activities, computer labs, personal links to faculty and staff, scholarships, research experiences, advising, mentoring and tutoring, and community service for students of color and first-generation students. Programs include Designers Without Boundaries, Diverse Musicians Alliance Program, Diverse Scholars Program, Education Diversity Scholars Program, Journalism Diversity Scholars Program, Miramontes Arts and Sciences Program (MASP), Engineering BOLD Center (BOLD), Chancellor’s Leadership Residential Academic Program (CLR), Honors CU-LEAD Scholars Program. Student Outreach and Retention Center is another available resource. The Center for Inclusion and Social Change (CISC) is a center within ODECE. It combines the Cultural Unity Center, the Women’s Resource Center and the Gender and Sexuality Center. As a center, it promotes intersectionality across social identities for all students, particularly underrepresented and marginalized students. See CISC, https://www.colorado.edu/cisc Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) funds undergraduate research and creative work through individual grants, research assistantships, team grants and research seminars. The program is looking at new ways to recruit underrepresented academic departments and student populations in an effort to increase the range of the research and creative work it supports. RAP and G-RAP programs: Diversity is served also by the “flagship initiatives” in the university’s strategic plan. For example, expanding residential academic programs under the flagship initiative “Residential Colleges” will foster a greater appreciation of diversity and community. Interdisciplinary work, which is the focus of the initiative on “Transcending Traditional Academic Boundaries,” includes research projects that incorporate diversity goals. The CU McNeill Academic Program is a multicultural learning community that supports student's academic, personal and professional development through outstanding faculty and staff, excellent instruction, collaborative learning, community engagement and leadership development.
Graduate Students and Faculty: Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL): Our work through the CTL aims to cultivate attitudes toward teaching that are open, curious, and innovative. We understand teaching to be a skill-based and intentional practice that necessarily evolves over time and is enriched through reflection and reevaluation. Impactful teaching, we believe, is not innately produced but is learned, informed by continuous dialogue and collective knowledge. Productive teaching also must be thoughtfully and creatively planned as well as purposefully assessed and reexamined. Mindful that teaching is a social and public act that should reflect a diverse populace, we aim to promote and develop awareness about multiple and often intersecting identities such as race, ethnicity, gender expression, sexual orientation, ability, and socioeconomic class. As a Center, we invite educators to an open, common space where all are welcome to explore teaching practices, pose questions, have brave conversations, take creative risks, and embrace intellectual humility. Our Center is at its best when a community of educators itself produces knowledge about teaching, builds this knowledge within their own academic units and spaces, and grows their capacity to enact positive change. https://www.colorado.edu/center/teaching-learning/
Staff: The Faculty & Staff Assistance Program is dedicated to serving the emotional and psychological needs of the campus community. All FSAP staff are trained as generalist counselors and are equipped to deal with a wide range of personal and work related issues. You must be a CU Boulder employee to use FSAP services, and services are free to all CU Boulder faculty and staff members.
https://www.colorado.edu/hr/employees/faculty-staff-assistance-program In order to help the CU Boulder campus deepen the practices of inclusive pedagogy, ODECE hosts regular conversations for the Inclusive Pedagogy Community of Practice (IPCoP). These conversations are meant to be “brave spaces” where faculty, staff and students can talk honestly about areas of concern and practice techniques for making excellence inclusive in lived experiences.
https://www.colorado.edu/odece/strategic-innovations/inclusive-pedagogy-community-practice ODECE has worked with faculty in the College of Arts & Sciences and CU Law to conduct a new series of UndocuAlly sessions, which have been attended by over 80 faculty and staff thus far. The goal of these sessions is to help our community gain a greater appreciation of the challenges that undocumented students face and to provide resources for ways to show support for these students as allies. The IMPART (Implementation of Multicultural Perspectives and Approaches in Research and Teaching) grant program develops a campus environment which supports and encourages diversity and inclusivity in approaches to scholarly work and teaching.
https://www.colorado.edu/odece/strategic-actions/facultystaff-success

The campus has three major initiatives for preparing students from underrepresented groups for careers as faculty, Including: The Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program (McNair), the Colorado Diversity Initiative (CDI), and the CU-Boulder Post-Doctoral Fellowship (Fellowship). They include a program for undergraduate (McNair), graduate (CDI) and those with completed doctorates (the Fellowship). See McNair, https://www.colorado.edu/mcnair/ See CDI, https://www.colorado.edu/smart/ See the Fellowship, https://www.colorado.edu/postdoctoralaffairs/current-postdocs/chancellors-postdoctoral-fellowship-program