University of Illinois Chicago
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

As part of the Office of the Chancellor, the Office for Access and Equity (OAE) is the office charged with reviewing and addressing complaints of harassment and/or discrimination. UIC is firmly committed to the most fundamental principles of academic freedom, equality of opportunity, and human dignity. To this end, UIC strictly prohibits discrimination or harassment against any person because of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation including gender identity, unfavorable discharge from the military or status as a protected veteran, arrest records, genetic information, citizenship status and/or order of protection status, and will comply with all federal and state nondiscrimination, equal opportunity and affirmative action laws, orders, and regulations. The University's Nondiscrimination Policy protects persons from discrimination in all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, selection, promotion, transfer, pay, tenure, discharge, and discipline. It also applies to admissions and access to-/treatment in University programs and activities.

http://oae.uic.edu/
http://oae.uic.edu/discriminationharassment/
https://policies.uic.edu/uic-policy-library/access-and-equity/nondiscrimination-policy-statement/ https://registrar.uic.edu/campus_policies/nondiscrimination_statement.html https://oae.uic.edu/policies-statements-guidelines/

If any person believes that they have been subjected to discrimination or harassment of any kind, they may submit a complaint to the Office of Access and Equity (OAE), 312-996-8670 or oae@uic.edu. This includes individuals who have witnesses an incident, and campus individuals are obligated to report the incident to the OAE as noted above. The OAE staff will provide counsel and facilitate resolution. All complaints are taken seriously and must be investigated once reported.

A second campus center that is involved is the Campus Advocacy Network (CAN) that will provide UIC students, faculty, and staff advice, counseling, and support for sexual assault, domestic/dating violence, stalking, and hate crimes. They also offer education and training to any campus individual. Each of the Campus Center for Cultural Understanding and Social Change will offer support, and will direct individuals to the OAE or CAN for additional support, reporting, and processing. Thus, several historically underrepresented groups are supported by OAE, CAN, and the Centers: Latinx, Black, Women, Arab Americans, Asian Americans, LGBTQ, and Disabled students, faculty, and staff.

An example involves a transgender student and issues concerning lack of support from campus faculty. She met with the Title IX coordinator who helped resolve conflicts with course instructors, and she was able to complete her coursework over an extended period which transitioning.

https://oae.uic.edu/discriminationharassment/reporting/

Various programs support the recruitment of URM students, e.g., L@s GANAS (Latinx undergraduates in STEM), DFI, PIF or PBRC-PREP in Graduate College (grad.uic.edu/diversity/), or faculty (Bridge to Faculty, https://diversity.uic.edu/engagement/bridge-to-the-faculty/)

Dozens of campus programs and units engage in outreach to various historically underrepresented communities to recruit Latinx, Black, Asian American, and female students from their high schools and community colleges. These programs include the Latin American Recruitment and Educational Services Program (LARES), the African American Academic Network (AAAN), WISEST, L@S GANAS, ENGAGE, Hispanic Center of Excellence, Urban Health Program, Early Outreach Program, etc.

New faculty and staff are apprised of campus resources for mentoring, counseling, and other health-related issues. They are encouraged to seek help in their home units and surpervisors. New Faculty are assigned departmental mentors, and the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs hosts events to foster junior faculty for promotion and tenure. Office of Access and Equity supports programs to support non-academic staff.

Academic Support, Mentoring, for Underrepresented Students:

Counseling Center
http://www.uic.edu/depts/counseling/
The Center helps students with a wide range of personal problems, emotional and psychological difficulties, career questions, and relationship issues. They also conduct outreach and training programs and coordinate the InTouch Hotline. This is a free crisis intervention, counseling, and referral service offered to UIC students and members of the greater Chicagoland area. Center staff is committed to the highest standards of competency in meeting the needs of individuals from diverse backgrounds, including differences of culture, race, ethnicity, national origin, class, gender, ability, age, and sexual orientation.

Disability Resource Center
http://www.uic.edu/depts/oaa/disability_resources/
This center facilitates access for students through consultation with faculty and campus departments, and the provision of accommodations including interpreters, document conversion, and assistive technology.

Office of International Services
http://www.ois.uic.edu/
OIS provides comprehensive support, including advising on both immigration and related government and university policies, as well as offering cross cultural programming to the UIC community. OIS also coordinates the campus orientation for new international students.

Latin American Recruitment and Educational Services (LARES)
http://lares.uic.edu/
LARES seeks to empower students by providing personal growth and educational opportunities and to prepare leaders who will make individual and collective contributions toward the cultural and social advancement of the Latino community.

Native American Support Program (NASP)
https://nasp.uic.edu/
NASP strives to increase the enrollment, retention and graduation rates of Native American students. NASP fosters a climate supportive of positive academic experiences for Native American students at the
University of Illinois at Chicago.

Programs:

Bridge to the Doctorate Program
http://www.uic.edu/depts/mcam/gradiv/
This program, which is part of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, promotes the inclusion and retention of underserved minority students in PhD programs in science, engineering, technology, and mathematics (STEM)disciplines.

Women in Science and Engineering
https://uic.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/women-in-science-and-engineering-chicago
UIC's WISE Program is a support program for all women students studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematic (STEM) fields. They serve students as young as 6th grade, to our women faculty members on campus.

Affinity Groups for Underrepresented Members of the Campus Community:

Faculty, staff and students are invited to affiliate with any of the six Chancellor’s Status Committees. These committees are open to all members of the campus community. Each committee designates a faculty member and an administrative staff member as co-chairs. The Office of the Vice Provost for Diversity provides administrative support and the Chancellor’s office maintains a budget for each status committee. The six Chancellor's Committees are focused on the status of: Asian Americans; Blacks; Latinos; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender, Queer People and Allies; Persons with Disabilities; and Women.

The Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Blacks (CCSB) serves as an advisory body on matters pertaining to the academic, professional, and social aspects of African and African American life at UIC. CCSB addresses issues relating to campus governance, employment practices, public relations, student affairs and other issues that affect the well being of Blacks on campus. The committee works collaboratively with UIC’s diverse community.

The Chancellor's Committee on the Status of Latinos (CCSL) was established to promote the development of educational, professional and career opportunities among UIC Latinos. The committee addresses issues of general concern to Latinos at UIC.

The Chancellor's Committee on the Status of Asian Americans (CCSAA) is dedicated to promoting the academic, social, cultural and professional welfare of UIC’s Asian American faculty, staff and students. We address issues related to work and pay, recruitment and retention, and quality of life.

The Chancellor's Committee on the Status of Women (CCSW) works to improve the status of women at UIC with a primary objective to advise and make recommendations to the Chancellor regarding attitudes, policies, and procedures that affect women faculty, staff and students. The committee will undertake projects and will also recommend changes in campus structures, policies and programs as appropriate.

The mission of the Chancellor's Committee on the Status of Persons with Disabilities is to promote empowerment and inclusion of faculty, staff and students with disabilities at UIC. CCSPD recognizes that people with disabilities are a diverse group, including individuals with visible and non-visible disabilities. This mission is motivated by the belief that people with disabilities are assets to the university, not liabilities.

The mission of the Chancellor's Committee on the Status of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues is to provide leadership on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues in UIC communities. This includes addressing needs of staff, faculty, students and alumni of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. The goal is to enhance a supportive environment that will foster full participation by all members of the university's communities in teaching, public service, and research.

Mentoring for employees: https://hr.uic.edu/employees/professional-development-training/learning-opportunities/mentoring/

PIF (Pipeline to an Inclusive Faculty, Grad College) fosters URM grad students to pursue academic careers; B2F (Bridge to the Faculty, Diversity) fosters URM postdoctoral fellows to transition to junior faculty positions, and other programs.

See https://grad.uic.edu/funding-awards/graduate-college-fellowships/pif/

In addition, there are various training programs to support the training and transition from undergraduate student to graduate student or professional student. UIC has applied, and will continue to apply, for support from NSF and NIH programs that require AANAPISI or HSI designations. Several “Student Success Initiatives” have been established or under review by the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs, and are aimed at supporting students from historically underrepresented minority communities. Coupled with ongoing assessment, these programs are routinely evaluated for impact on student retention and persistence. Many of these programs have been established to provide additional resources, additional training, support “unmet needs,” and laboratory research or internship experiences. Taken together, these resources and programs provide support to help underrepresented minority students successfully navigate college and graduate with a positive experience, and to continue on to an advanced degree in graduate, post-doctoral, or professional studies.

Campus Housing works with special needs students like transgender students in their housing accommodations, offer various housing options, and help the student identify their comfort level.

The Chancellor's Committee on the Status of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer People, and Allies is currently engaged in the process of mapping and advocating for increased numbers of gender neutral bathrooms and appropriate signage, across the campus. The committee anticipates completing and publishing the inventory in the 2014-2015 academic year.

For more information on gender-neutral bathrooms:
See https://maps.uic.edu/#
Look under “HEALTH AND SAFETY”, and then “ALL GENDER RESTROOMS”

Check out the 7 Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change