University of Minnesota, Duluth
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

The University of Minnesota Duluth prohibits discrimination in its educational programs or activities on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, religion or religious creed, disability or handicap, sex or gender (including pregnancy, sexual harassment and other sexual misconduct including acts of sexual violence such as rape, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. Retaliation is also prohibited. The Non-Discrimination statement and policy can be accessed at this policy website: https://www.d.umn.edu/department-human-resources/supervising-umd/umd-policies-and-procedures Also available to public directly from this Google link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bx94yIDteFbIb0tDX2lDTWRvcVE/view

The Campus Climate Response Team was created to respond to issues or incidents that degrade or threaten the campus climate and that require a response beyond that provided by established processes. It reports to the UMD Chancellor, and its responsibilities include developing and facilitating the implementation of a timely and appropriate response to a campus climate incident. In order to come up with a response, the CCRT will evaluate and analyze an incident, coordinate a “real time” response, and involve all critical parties and/or stakeholders. The team will coordinate communication with the campus, public, media, etc. in a timely manner by receiving data from other processes and offices that also respond to campus climate incidents. Reports and Summaries of CCRT incidents are located here: http://www.d.umn.edu/campus-climate/action-teams/response-team

Students. The Cultural Outreach & Retention Effort (CORE) is a branch of the Office of Diversity & Inclusion that works directly with students to support Black/African American, Asian/Pacific American, Latinx/Chicanx students. Staff act as secondary advisors to assist in guiding students to the proper resources and advocating for each student when necessary. CORE houses mentoring, tutoring, and the student ambassadors services. Additionally, the program is directly connected to the STEM Program. Student Ambassadors serve to recruit/increase the number of underrepresented students attending UMD. Mentoring and Tutoring services of CORE serve to retain students from underrepresented groups. More information on CORE at: https://www.d.umn.edu/office-diversity-inclusion/programs-services Staff & Faculty. College of Science and Engineering has a mentorship program and People of color and Native American mentoring program. Campus wide strategies to recruit and retain underrepresented faculty and staff are currently being developed as part of the updated UMD Strategic Plan. The College of Science and Engineering's efforts in this area will likely be a model for the rest of campus to grow from.

For the students the most popular support system comes from the Student organizations inside the Multicultural Center. The mission of the Multicultural Center is to enhance academic achievement, create a sense of belonging, celebrate diversity, and foster positive relations among UMD students, faculty and staff. This will be accomplished by: -Providing a forum for communication, discussion and understanding of educational, political, social and cultural issues of concern to the students served at the Multicultural Center. -Supporting programs and activities that promote appreciation and awareness for a truly multicultural and inclusive community. -Providing support for and advising student organizations -Serving as a catalyst for change and support of the University's effort to achieve pluralism. -Providing personal and academic support, advising, and disability accommodations. The Cultural Outreach & Retention Effort (CORE) is a branch of the Office of Diversity & Inclusion that works directly with students to support Black/African American, Asian/Pacific American, Latinx/Chicanx students. Staff act as secondary advisors to assist in guiding students to the proper resources and advocating for each student when necessary. CORE houses mentoring, tutoring, and the student ambassadors services. Additionally, the program is directly connected to the STEM Program. Student Ambassadors serve to recruit/increase the number of underrepresented students attending UMD. Mentoring and Tutoring services of CORE serve to retain students from underrepresented groups. All faculty and staff have access to counseling support services through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at no cost (up to 8 sessions).

UMD has many resources to support and prepare students from underrepresented groups, such as: -- The Office of Diversity and Inclusion (multiple programs and services within) -- Multicultural Center -- Student Organizations -- Disability Resources -- Graduate School Diversity Office (located on TC Campus) -- McNair Scholar Resources (assistance to low-income/first gen college students and students from underrepresented groups to prepare for and enter graduate and Ph.D programs). https://grad.umn.edu/diversity/mcnair-scholars-resources

Dec 2019 changes: 1) Updated Non-Discrimination policy and statement URL instead of Google Link https://www.d.umn.edu/department-human-resources/supervising-umd/umd-policies-and-procedures 2) Mentoring, Counseling and Support Programs: Changed response to NO for staff/faculty as EAP program is not specific to underrepresented groups 3) Recruitment Programs: Changes response to NO for staff/faculty and added a link to the CORE program for students. Gender Inclusive Housing information: http://www.d.umn.edu/housing-residence-life/applications-assignments/gender-inclusive-housing