University of Oregon
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

https://investigations.uoregon.edu/nondiscrimination
Statement of Non-Discrimination
The university is committed to equal access to programs and activities, admission, course offerings, facilities, and employment for all of its: (1) students, (2) employees, and (3) university community members. It is the policy of the university to maintain an environment free of discrimination against any person because of their real or perceived “protected characteristic” including race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy (including pregnancy-related conditions), age, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including family medical history), ancestry, familial status, citizenship, service in the uniformed services (as defined in federal and state law), veteran status, expunged juvenile record, and/or the use of leave protected by state or federal law.
Discrimination or harassment based on one or more of these protected characteristics violates the dignity of individuals, impedes the realization of the university’s educational mission, and will not be tolerated.
Questions and concerns, including questions and concerns about sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and pregnancy-related harassment and discrimination, may be referred to the University of Oregon’s Chief Civil Rights Officer & Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Investigations and Civil Rights Compliance at oicrc@uoregon.edu, or to the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Complaints may be submitted via the Office of Investigations and Civil Rights Compliance reporting form, investigations.uoregon.edu/reporting.
Nicole Commissiong
Title IX Coordinator
5221 University of Oregon
677 E. 12th Ave., Suite 452
Eugene , OR 97403
P: 541-346-3123
oicrc@uoregon.edu
US Department of Education
Western Region Office for Civil Rights
P: 206-607-1600
ocr.seattle@ed.gov

The Office of Investigations and Civil Rights Compliance investigates alleged violations of the university’s Prohibited Discrimination and Retaliation Policy, including sex and gender-based harassment, stalking, and violence.
When the Respondent is a student, the Student Standard Operating Procedures will be used, regardless of whether the person who filed the complaint is a student, employee, or community member. When the Respondent is an employee, the Employee Formal Process will be used, regardless of whether the complaining party is a student, employee, or community member.
https://investigations.uoregon.edu/investigation-processes

Students
• In spring 2022, the Oregon legislature created the Oregon Tribal Student Grant, which provides funding to eligible Oregon tribal students to offset the cost of attending eligible Oregon colleges and universities (including the UO). The grant covers the average cost of attendance after federal and other state grants have been applied. See https://around.uoregon.edu/content/oregon-tribal-student-grant-available-native-students
• In Fall 2022, the UO launched the Home Flight Scholars Program for American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) resident undergraduate students. Through a combination of federal, state and institutional grants, the program covers full tuition and fee costs for all eligible students, and offers a dedicated academic advisor, enhanced mentorship opportunities, and culture-rich programming to help students launch successful academic careers. The program is available to an estimated 150 to 175 self-identified AIAN undergraduate students, contingent on eligibility. The UO has built this program in consultation with the UO Native American Advisory Council, recognizing the cultural and academic challenges AIAN students often experience. https://homeflight.uoregon.edu/
• Oregon Young Scholars Program is a high school bridge program that prepares historically underserved students from schools in the Portland area, Eugene-Springfield, and Los Angeles, CA, to be prepared to attend college, and to be active members of their communities, ready to assume leadership roles in co-constructing a quality life for themselves, their neighbors and their peers. https://inclusion.uoregon.edu/content/oregon-young-scholars-program
• The UO Opportunities Program is and admissions program designed to empower families of underrepresented communities to pursue higher education. It brings students and parents together to consider college as a viable option and as a family investment, and helps students and parents understand the process of transitioning to college and make this transition as smooth as possible. https://admissions.uoregon.edu/opportunities/
• Many UO faculty are engaged in bridge programming for underserved high school students; to learn more, see https://inclusion.uoregon.edu/faculty-involvement-pipeline-programs.
• The UO’s Summer Academy to Inspire Learning (SAIL) pre-college program mission is to inspire middle and high school students from low socioeconomic, first-generation and underrepresented backgrounds from across the state of Oregon to pursue, enroll and succeed in higher education by providing first hand experiences with faculty, volunteers, college student mentors and university campus resources. https://sail.uoregon.edu/
• The Diversity Excellence Scholarship (DES) recognizes the academic achievement and potential of students who, through sharing their varied cultural perspectives, will enhance the education of all UO students and the excellence of the University. The UO offers these tuition-remission scholarships as part of our diversity mission. https://financialaid.uoregon.edu/diversity_excellence_scholarship
• Pathway Oregon ensures that academically qualified, federal Pell Grant–eligible Oregonians will have their tuition and fees paid through a combination of federal, state, and university funds. In addition to financial support, the program provides comprehensive academic support and career guidance. https://financialaid.uoregon.edu/pathway_oregon
• Community outreach: Admissions works with community-based organizations (CBO) across the US. They have a newsletter they send out to them during the fall, winter and spring.
•Admissions officers with a diversity focus: There is full multicultural recruitment admissions team including two counselors and three multicultural student specialists.
• On-campus diversity recruitment efforts: The multicultural recruitment admissions team offers the Connections Program. Connections is a college access program for underrepresented and underserved students who will be first-generation college students. It serves grades 9-12 and invited them to campus to experience campus for themselves.
• Community college bridge programs: UO participates in Oregon Transfer Days which is for all students in community colleges aiming to transfer to a four-year university. A team travels to community colleges throughout Oregon.
• National strategic partnerships (Posse Foundation, Questbridge, etc.): Admissions works with programs such as College Possible and Drive for College.
• Recruiter attendance at underrepresented student conferences: Admissions counselors go to the National Association for College Admission Counselors' Guiding the Way to Inclusion conference. They also go to numerous college nights such as Latino College Night and the Black Student Success Summit.
• The UO’s Prison Education Program was established in 2016, building on over 10 years of collaboration between the UO and the Department of Corrections to offer credited classes through the Inside-Out Program beginning in 2007. The PEP works in an interdisciplinary academic framework, and with a broad range of students, campus organizations, community groups, and national organizations working to improve educational opportunities in prisons. The UO has one of the largest Inside-Out Programs in the world, with 10 trained Inside-Out instructors, a full-time staff person, 8 student interns, and a strong alumni network. https://uoprisoned.org/

Academic/Non-Academic Staff
• The UO's Affirmative Action Program includes both specific job goals and active outreach strategies that apply to both academic and non-academic staff, described in its Affirmative Action Plans found online here: https://hr.uoregon.edu/affirmative-action-plans
• Since 2018, The Division of Equity and Inclusion’s Center on Diversity and Community (CoDaC) has trained over 300 faculty and staff to serve as Search Advocates – an active recruitment program that can be utilized in both faculty and staff searches. A Search Advocate is a consultant/participant who advances inclusive excellence by asking questions to help search committee members, test their thinking, identify and promote practices that advance diversity and social justice, and minimize the impacts of cognitive and structural biases. https://inclusion.uoregon.edu/search-advocate-pilot-program
• The Office of the Provost has identified a set of robust tactics that will help the university make progress towards its goal of improving equity, inclusion, and diversity on and off campus, see https://provost.uoregon.edu/inclusion. These tactics include hiring and retaining an increasingly diversity tenure-track faculty (22/23 institutional hiring plan with cluster hires in indigeneity, social justice, and equity, rubrics to evaluate equity and inclusion statements, and expectations that new hire contribute to inclusive teaching; workshops to support the active recruitment of diverse faculty; target of opportunity hires supported by dedicated inclusive excellence funding; and data-informed interventions. See https://provost.uoregon.edu/active-recruitment-tenure-track-faculty-searches; https://provost.uoregon.edu/target-opportunity
• DEI leads the Initiative for Faculty Diversity, the goal of which is to increase faculty hiring in strategic areas, with a special emphasis on under-represented tenure track and, in special cases, non-tenure-track faculty. Categories of representation subject to emphasis include racial and ethnic minorities, women, individuals with disabilities and career partner hires. https://inclusion.uoregon.edu/initiative-faculty-diversity-ifd
• The UO supports dual career couples with a full-time dual career liaison in the office of the provost, who assists partners with their job searches and career transitions through a range of resources. See https://provost.uoregon.edu/dual-career-support
• Each School and College at the UO has a Diversity Action Plan (DAP) in place, all of which include increasing faculty diversity as a stated goal.
• Strategies groups (Native, ADPI, Black and Latinx) help engage with candidates during the recruitment process.

Students
• Acknowledging that mental health and well-being play a large role in student success and retention, the UO Counseling Center has several identity-based student support specialists, https://counseling.uoregon.edu/team and https://counseling.uoregon.edu/commitment-multiculturalism
• The Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence (CMAE) is a place where a diverse community of scholars are empowered, engaged and nurtured for success. CMAE works to provide opportunities for community building, integration and connections to campus resources. Services include: multicultural academic advising; priority registration in culturally-supportive writing classes; free supplemental instruction and peer tutoring in math, science, and writing; vouchers for free graduate test prep classes; textbook and laptop lending library; identity-based study halls which connect students to faculty; affinity support and networking groups for Black, Latinx, and Pacific Islander male students; retention programming such as a student leadership team, new student fall retreat, computer lab with free printing, and community-building and social networking events.
https://inclusion.uoregon.edu/center-multicultural-academic-excellence-cmae
• The Division of Undergraduate Education and Student Success (UESS):
-leads more than 50 first-year interest groups (https://fyp.uoregon.edu/), including one specifically designed for international students (https://fyp.uoregon.edu/global-bridge-ifigs);
-supports access and inclusion services through the Accessible Education Center (https://aec.uoregon.edu/);
-provides advising and support services to low-SES students through PathwayOregon (https://pathwayoregon.uoregon.edu/) and Trio (https://triosss.uoregon.edu/);
• The Dean of Students’ office leads the Intercultural Mentoring Program Advancing Community Ties (IMPACT) program, a peer-to-peer mentoring program for students of color and first-generation college students. See https://dos.uoregon.edu/impact
• The UO hosts several identity-based Academic Residential Communities for first-year students, who live together, take classes together, and connect with professors and advisors who support them socially and academically. Some example ARCs are Latinx Scholars, LGBTQIA+ Scholars, Native American and Indigenous Studies, Umoja Scholars, and Women in Science and Math. https://housing.uoregon.edu/communities
• The Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center is the engine for Black students’ academic success; a welcoming and supportive space that helps Black students harness the resources necessary to navigate their social, cultural, and academic experience. https://dos.uoregon.edu/bcc
• The Many Nations Longhouse serves as a place of respite for American Indian students at the University of Oregon as they navigate their academic endeavors. Its mission is to provide welcome, respecting the diversity of numerous American Indian cultures and beliefs.
https://longhouse.uoregon.edu/
• Peer Advisors for Veterans Education is a peer support program connecting incoming student veterans with those already on campus. Mentors can help with navigating college life, identify challenges they are facing, refer them to resources on or off campus, and provide ongoing support to their academic and personal ventures. https://dos.uoregon.edu/pave
• UO publishes the location of gender-neutral bathrooms (https://map.uoregon.edu/all-gender-restrooms) and has gender-inclusive housing options for LGBTQIA students and allies (https://dos.uoregon.edu/gender-inclusive-housing).
• Engaging faculty in student success has been a long-standing goal of our Teaching Engagement Program (TEP), and they working closely with our DEI staff (for example, they link to our resources directly from their home page: https://teaching.uoregon.edu/). One of UO’s 4 criteria for teaching excellence is “inclusive”, and TEP provides a good deal of resources to faculty on how to lead more inclusive classrooms, leading to stronger outcomes for everyone, but underserved and underrepresented students particularly. See: https://teaching.uoregon.edu/resources/teaching-excellence#inclusive. TEP also has resources on various DEI-related topics, such as trauma-informed pedagogy, acknowledging ongoing impacts of racialized violence, inclusion and class climate, and preventing and fixing accessibility issues in online courses. See: https://teaching.uoregon.edu/resource-type/teaching-and-learning-topics

Academic and Non-Academic Staff
These efforts are largely helmed by the Division of Equity and Inclusion (DEI), with other units also providing support. DEI offers a host of support resources for students, academic staff, and non-academic staff particularly through its Campus and Community Engagement team (CACE). CACE partners to host community-based gatherings for communities of color and their allies and provide a home for multiple identity-based working groups for faculty, staff, and students to provide community and support, and advance the work and success of those groups. These strategies groups include Asian, Desi, and Pacific Islander; Latinx; Black; Native and Indigenous; and LGBTIA+.
• Since 2014, DEI provides competitive funding for a faculty external mentor program, which supports the research, creative activity and professional development of underrepresented TTF, NTTF, and tenured faculty who seek to establish and/or advance a mentoring relationship with a scholar at a peer institution. https://inclusion.uoregon.edu/facultyexternal-mentor-program
• The Office of the Provost maintains a robust website for resources on mentorship, primarily for faculty, but for students as well: https://provost.uoregon.edu/mentorship
• The Women’s Innovation Network helps UO faculty and graduate student entrepreneurs navigate gender-based barriers to bringing their research to market or launching a business. https://research.uoregon.edu/womens-innovation-network

• The McNair Scholars Program prepares qualified juniors and seniors for graduate study leading to PhD degrees. McNair Scholars receive comprehensive support to earn undergraduate degrees, complete research projects in their fields of study, and apply to graduate schools. The program’s limited size provides a close-knit community while helping students gain a broad understanding of research and university culture. McNair participants are either first-generation college students with financial need, or members of a group that is traditionally underrepresented and have demonstrated strong academic potential. The goal of the McNair Scholars Program is to increase graduate degree awards for students from underrepresented segments of society. https://mcnair.uoregon.edu/
• Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) exists to create a supportive scientific community at the University of Oregon. Their goal is to encourage students of all backgrounds to pursue a career in any STEM field. SACNAS is dedicated to fostering the success of scientists—from college students to professionals—to attain advanced degrees, careers, and positions of leadership in science. https://uosacnas.uoregon.edu/
• In early 2019, the UO became a member of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU's ASPIRE Institutional Change Network, an NSF-funded network which works to promote initiatives within and across institutions to cultivate a more inclusive and diverse STEM professoriate.
• The Women in Graduate Science (UOWGS) organization at the University of Oregon strives for gender equality by focusing on the professional development of women in all disciplines of science to enable them to become successful contributors to their fields. https://blogs.uoregon.edu/uowgs/about-us/mission/
DucksRISE (Research, Internship & Student Engagement) is a cohort-based program focused on bringing into effect equitable post-graduation outcomes for underserved students at UO, centering BIPOC, first generation, and low-income students. DucksRISE fosters community building and a sense of belonging through educational activities, career exploration and readiness, professional development, tailored connections, and mentorship experiences. Students develop career skills and competencies through a one-credit upper-division career readiness seminar followed by a flexible experiential opportunity. Experiential opportunities range from internships, research fellowships, job shadowing opportunities, study abroad, and more. https://urds.uoregon.edu/ducksrise
• The Creating Connections Program provides social support for graduate students from traditionally underrepresented groups: https://inclusion.uoregon.edu/graduate-support
• The University’s Division of Graduate Studies is committed to advancing an authentically inclusive community of scholars and helping all graduate students connect with the resources they need to
find their space and thrive. Resources can be found online at https://graduatestudies.uoregon.edu/diversity

Data from Kelly Pembleton, AVP and DEI Chief-of-Staff, entered by Sarah Stoeckl.