University of Vermont
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

UVM prohibits discrimination on the basis of membership in any legally protected category:
-Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Policy Statement: http://www.uvm.edu/policies/general_html/affirm.pdf
-Discrimination and Harassment Policy: http://www.uvm.edu/policies/student/studentharas.pdf

The Bias Response Program (BRP) works with the Office of Affirmative Action & Equal Opportunity after they have concluded that an incident has not violated University policy. Although a UVM affiliate may not be in violation of policy, the Bias Response Program believes it is critical to acknowledge the issues that occurred and address the concerns through an educational response.

The program serves as a mechanism to address incidents of bias targeting UVM community members by providing timely, meaningful, and effective support to all parties that have been directly or indirectly affected. The Bias Response Program has a three-pronged approach:

1. Response & Referral : Respond directly to incidents of bias through the Bias Response Team (BRT).
2. Education: Educate the campus community about bias, and institutional policies and reporting protocols related to bias.
3. Policy Oversight: Review and assess policies, procedures, resources and responses related to \bias, through the Bias Response Council. Additionally, the Bias Response Program is composed of two specific teams related to bias response and policy alignment: the Bias Response Team and Bias Response Council.

On average the Bias Response Program receives approximately 100-130 reports that cover a range of dynamics - student-to-student tensions, faculty and student concerns, classroom and departmental issues and national controversies that affect individuals and groups on campus. Each resolution is determined based on the needs and the ability of the individuals involved. They range from a letter of apology, to in-person conversations with respondents, to educational training sessions, campus-wide letters from the Bias Response Team to formal Restorative Circles. All resolutions are necessitated by having the consent of each party on a voluntary basis.

URL: https://www.uvm.edu/deanofstudents/bias_response

STUDENTS
-Abenaki Summer Happen Program: For over 30 years, The University of Vermont
and Missisquoi Valley Union High School (MVU) have worked together to support the partnership between UVM and the Abenaki community. The largest part of the Abenaki population is located in Franklin County, where MVU is located. This collaboration was formed to provide educational programs, resources, mentoring and guidance to the Abenaki in the state of Vermont, with the aim that Abenaki students would have the opportunity to attend postsecondary colleges and universities. The relationship between UVM and the Abenaki people has evolved over many years, to include such things as the implementation of the Summer Happening Program.

-Summer Enrichment Scholars Program: Originally created in 1972, the Summer Enrichment Program (SESP) is a summer bridge program offered to UVM incoming first-year students. It was first made possible by a combination of public and private funds in order to increase the “minority” populations at UVM. Participants were identified and recruited through Upward Bound and Talent Search, two federally-funded programs designed to increase access to higher education for underserved youth. SESP provided career counseling and preparation to enter the workforce at local companies such as IBM. Many features have changed but the program still provides participants with a solid foundation for personal growth, intellectual expansion, and community involvement. SESP is alive and serving students today because of continued institutional support. The UVM president directed discretionary funds to pay for the program until 2007 when it was finally base funded. The president still personally raises funds for SESP student stipends

-Diversity: The recruitment of students of color is the responsibility of all territory managers. We do, however, have staff and special programming to attract students of color. The university has developed partnerships with four schools in the Bronx, one school in Manhattan, six schools in Philadelphia that are part of the Mastery Charter Schools network, and with Gary Comer in the Noble Charter School network in Chicago. These Partnerships help us to enroll around 30 students of color each fall. We work with these schools, beginning as 9th graders, to provide college counseling support. We do offer a number of programs for students of color, beginning with the 9th grades Three for All (with St Michaels, Champlain and UVM). The junior program brings students from the partnership school. Our Discovering UVM is an overnight program that hosts students of color/first generation/students who identify as LGBT during two weekends in the fall. Finally, we host admitted student programs (one called Joining the Circle and the others are receptions during admitted student visit days). URL: https://www.uvm.edu/admissions/undergraduate/discovering-uvm

-Partnership programs: UVM has six partnership high schools: Eximius College Preparatory Academy, Pelham Preparatory Academy (PPA), Collegiate Institute for Math and Science (CIMS), High School for Environmental Studies (HSES), Gary Comer College Prep, and Mastery Charter High School Network. All partnerships are maintained by the Admissions Office. Three of the partnership high schools in the Bronx, New York (Eximius College Preparatory, Pelham Preparatory Academy, Collegiate Institute for Math and Science), participate in presentations/workshops on early college awareness for students in grades 9, 11, 12.

-Junior Jump Off: In this program, the office hosts 30 students from the three partnership high schools in the Bronx. The students stay in a residence hall, with chaperones and UVM students we hire to stay overnight as well. Usually, these are very strong students, and their schools want them to have the opportunity to see a college first-hand while still juniors. Activities include a campus tour, fun evening activities, a student panel, the admissions presentation, a mock class, and academic chats with assistant deans. We showcase some of our faculty in the class. This is a solid opportunity to get to know some of the juniors at the partnership schools (these students are hand-picked by the schools and are very strong). At this point, we become more deliberate about recruiting rather than focusing on early college awareness. While some students may come to UVM next year for Discovering UVM, we are getting a good “shot” at recruiting them. This program allows us to have the students on campus residentially, involve them with faculty, and some really fun activities led by two student interns, related to student life.

-Three For All Bus Tour: The Three For All Tour is a Vermont based ALANA initiative. In some years we have added students from promising Boston area colleges along with handpicked partnership students. Guidance counselors, VSAC counselors, and Upward Bound counselors from VT nominate 9th grade students to attend this program. Students visit UVM, St. Michael’s, and Champlain College. Each college provides a program and a lunch for one third of the students. The program introduces the 9th graders to college life in general and specifically to each of the three campuses. This program is to spark interest among Vermont residents to begin to get a feel for what it would be like to attend college in Vermont. URL: https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Enrollment%20Management%20Presentation%20to%20Faculty%20Senate_March27.pdf

-InspirED Project
The InspirED Project was created to help support a key value of the Coalition for College: early engagement in the college application process and equal access to college-planning tools that support exploration and encourage self-reflection and discovery. It will provide a wide range of counseling and support services to 25 high school students in D.C. public schools with college aspirations who’ve shown academic promise, grit, determination and other high-character qualities.
From the second semester of their junior year through graduation, students will be mentored by five “fellows” – accomplished college counseling professionals located around the East Coast. The students will engage with the fellows both through individual video chat sessions and as they take a special pre-college curriculum that ensures they optimize their opportunities during the college search and admissions process. In addition to the mentoring they receive from the fellows, students will have access to a number of content experts who will work with them throughout the year on important topics like essay writing, financial aid and merit scholarship searches, standardized test prep and interview preparation. In the summer, students will visit the University of Vermont in Burlington with the fellows. The event will include a mock application session, mock interviews and other helpful programming. Before and after the event, scholars will receive regular check-ins from their fellows to determine progress and help them navigate challenges.
URL: https://www.uvm.edu/admissions/undergraduate/inspired-project
and
http://coalitionforcollegeaccess.org/

STAFF:
We provide on-demand and regularly scheduled trainings for search committees that give them best practices for affirmative recruiting that consider an applicants’ diversity as a positive factor which will contribute to the University’s strategic goals. We help search committees with advertising and outreach to diverse populations, and help the committee members recognize and address unconscious biases that can occur in a search process.

In addition, we give bimonthly presentations at the Department of Labor, attend diversity job fairs.

FACULTY:
There is a round of specialty scheduled trainings in September to coincide with the usual timing of faculty searches.

We provide on-demand and regularly scheduled trainings for search committees that give them best practices for affirmative recruiting that consider an applicants’ diversity as a positive factor which will contribute to the University’s strategic goals. We help search committees with advertising and outreach to diverse populations, and help the committee members recognize and address unconscious biases that can occur in a search process.

In addition, we give bimonthly presentations at the Department of Labor, attend diversity job fairs.

STUDENTS:
The Mosaic Center for Students of Color offers the MCSC peer mentoring program for first year students. The first year students are paired with an upper ­class student peer. This program includes academic, social, and cultural programming. Sisterhood Circle, The Brotherhood, and Queer & Trans POC groups are informal spaces in which relationships form and mentoring also naturally occurs while also providing spaces for affinity time and community building. MCSC has a long­standing collaboration with counseling and psychiatry services (CAPS) which has resulted in the placement of two counselors of color in the center to serve students four days per week. The MCSC spring awards banquet is a way to recognize leadership and academic achievement of students and the greater community of color at UVM.

Each summer the MCSC runs a summer bridge program called the summer enrichment scholars program (SESP) for students who identify as one of the following: modest income family, student of color, or first generation college student. SESP exists to assist first year undergraduates in transitioning from high school to college. The MCSC offers study breaks each semester so that students can de-stress, eat nutritious food and relax before going into finals. MCSC works frequently with all departments and academic units across campus to support students academically and proactively in their overall health and success as students. At the end of each semester MCSC also works closely with all the colleges to advocate for students during the studies committee meetings in person and virtually. Our advocacy has enabled many students of color to be retained at UVM

MCSC: https://www.uvm.edu/mcsc

TRIO/SSS which works with limited income/first generation students: https://www.uvm.edu/academicsuccess/trio_student_support_services

Student Accessibility Services which supports students with disabilities: https://www.uvm.edu/academicsuccess/student_accessibility_services

Outside of CFAS, the Division of Enrollment Management has Catamount Commitment which supports Vermonters who are limited income/first generation students: https://www.uvm.edu/studentfinancialservices/catamount_commitment

STAFF:
The Mosaic Center Students of Color (MCSC) has a monthly program called Sisterhood Circle and an annual Fall retreat called the Women of Color Leadership Retreat. Both are collaborative programs between the MCSC and Women’s Center to support and build community among students, staff and faculty women of color. Staff who are men of color often attend the Brotherhood to engage with the male identified community of color. The MCSC sometimes offers book groups for undergraduate and graduate students as well as staff and faculty women of color. Staff of color benefit from attending our weekly Friday breakfast program which invites all community members to end the week with a tasty informal breakfast at the Center. Collaboration with departments such as Residential Life have resulted in women of color gatherings that take place typically twice a year. Last, the MCSC staff bridges colleagues of color to various campus opportunities such as advising student ethnic identity organizations or serving on program committees. These opportunities enable staff of color to network and get engaged in meaningful service to our communities
URL: http://www.uvm.edu/~woclr/ and https://www.uvm.edu/womenscenter

FACULTY:
Purpose of Faculty Mentoring Program
The Faculty Mentoring Program pairs new and junior faculty members with senior members in a related discipline outside the mentee’s department. This relationship can support junior faculty and lecturers (the "protégés") to become familiar with institutional expectations, networks, and practices that are relevant to productivity and advancement at UVM. Research has supported the importance of mentoring for academic and career satisfaction and achievement. Research reports that mentors also gain a variety of tangible and intangible benefits from the mentoring process.

Goal: Support junior faculty (referred to as the “mentee” or “protégé”) to:
-Become familiar with institutional expectations, networks, and practices that are relevant to productivity and advancement at UVM
-Establish productive courses of scholarship, publication, and extramural funding
-Develop effective strategies in coordinating work and parenting
-Understand how to “navigate” UVM culture, systems and colleagues
-Communicate a few times each semester (1X per month)

Specific mentor characteristics that applicants most often seek are:
-Familiarity with the applicant’s scholarly area or analytical approach
-Successful history in scholarship and teaching within the UVM setting
-Experience working to balance family and work
-Gender and/or race/ethnicity identification that resembles the applicant

The Faculty Mentoring Program ascribes to a structured mentoring format based upon a guiding list of principles. In addition to matching mentors with protégés, we also provide various programmatic features to support the mentoring pairs - such as training, faculty development tips, and workshops.
URL: http://www.uvm.edu/~mentor/

George Washington Henderson Fellowship Program: The George Washington Henderson Fellowship Program was established in honor of the memory of George Washington Henderson who was one of the first African American students elected to Phi Beta Kappa and to graduate from the University of Vermont in the class of 1877. In cooperation with academic departments, the program sponsors predoctoral and postdoctoral scholars who will help advance the university's research and teaching goals and assist UVM in reaching its diversity goals, especially with respect to the academic curriculum.

The UVM Henderson Fellowship Program are field specific and these fields change from year to year. Henderson Fellows are supported for up to two years (fellowships are renewable after the first year) and are offered either as a two year predoc/postdoc fellowship. Fellows pursue their own publication, research agenda, and teach or co-teach one course per semester. U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents (LPR) are eligible to apply. The Henderson Fellowship Program is administered by the Office of the Vice President for Human Resources, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs.
URL: https://www.uvm.edu/uvmweb/hrdma/henderson-fellowship

Gender-Inclusive Housing: https://www.uvm.edu/reslife/housing_options/gender_inclusive_housing

Gender-Inclusive Bathrooms: https://www.uvm.edu/gender-inclusive-restrooms