University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
PA-4: Diversity and Equity Coordination

OFFICE http://www.uww.edu/sdes Office of Student Diversity, Engagement and Success The Office of Student Diversity, Engagement and Success (SDES) supports the mission and core values of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UW-W) by providing programs that enhance, engage, and support students for success in their academic programs and beyond. SDES programs encompass curricular and co-curricular experiences that champion student diversity, engagement, educational achievement and success. Our mission is achieved by engaging in collaborative relationships with faculty and staff in academic departments, student affairs leaders, university leaders, student leaders, and student organizations. SDES programs aim to facilitate enhanced student access, retention, engagement, graduation, and success. SDES houses several High Impact Practices (HIPs), which complement other SDES initiatives and campus programs. SDES and UW-W collaborators, together, foster a campus community that is characterized by inclusive excellence and that promotes holistic educational experiences for all students at UW-W. http://connectuww.orgsync.com/Pride_Center PB Poorman Pride Center Established in 2008, the PRIDE Center is a safe place for ALL students to socialize, study, and simply be themselves. The PB Poorman PRIDE Center provides the campus with an inclusive, safe, and fun atmosphere that embraces diversity and allows individuals to explore issues of gender and sexual identities. The PRIDE Center staff strives to support the social, emotional, academic, and professional development of the LGBT* community and allies by providing high quality services, information, and opportunities in order to Empower students, Foster leadership, Strengthen awareness, Advocate for equality, and Cultivate community. OFFICER The Chief Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer (CEDIO) serves as an executive level, senior administrator who oversees the development and implementation of university policies and plans for promoting equity, diversity and inclusion and guides campus practice to promote a diverse and inclusive campus culture that aligns with University values, mission, vision and goals as described in the new Strategic Plan. The CEDIO leads efforts to define, understand, assess, foster and cultivate diversity by working closely with administration, faculty, staff and students. The CEDIO is responsible for the preparation and completion of federal, state and other compliance reports related to diversity, equity and inclusion. The CEDIO serves in a leadership and/or membership role on committees and working groups within the institution, UW System and the local community to promote the University’s diversity-related initiatives, vision, mission, values and goals. http://www.uww.edu/diversity/inclusive-excellence-fellowship-program Inclusive Excellence Fellowship Program The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Inclusive Excellence Fellowship Program seeks applications from scholars, artists and educators who can contribute significantly to UW-Whitewater’s Inclusive Excellence initiatives. The IE Fellowship Program supports the university’s commitment to fostering greater understanding of individual, societal and group differences at every level of university life. Fellows play a crucial role in intentionally integrating those differences into the core aspects of the institution. The Fellowship Program offers a unique opportunity to work in a university environment that is committed to creating learning environments in which students of all backgrounds can thrive, and one that demands that the ideals of inclusion, equity, diversity and excellence be pursued as interconnected and interdependent goals. COMMITTEES https://www.uww.edu/university-committees/administrative-committees/affirmative-action Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Committee: The Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Diversity Committee is the campus committee whose members are representative of campus constituencies. Their function is to afford advisory assistance to the Chancellor, Provost and Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Officer to insure that affirmative action and equal opportunity continue to be carried out as fundamental responsibilities of the institution and are carried out appropriately in all aspects of employment and student life. http://www.uww.edu/university-committees/administrative-committees/chancellors-committee-on-disability Chancellor’s Committee on Disability Concerns: The purpose of this committee is to identify and deal with campus wide concerns of persons with disabilities and to make recommendations to the Chancellor for resolving problems and/or concerns that are brought to the attention of the committee. http://www.uww.edu/university-committees/administrative-committees/chancellors-committee-on-disability https://www.uww.edu/diversity/inclusive-excellence Chancellor’s Committee on Inclusive Excellence: The purpose of this committee is to identify and engage with campus-wide efforts focusing on Inclusive Excellence, to advocate for diversity in all its forms, to act as a source of education and programming for these issues, and to make recommendations to the Chancellor for resolving problems and/or concerns that are brought to the attention of the committee. https://www.uww.edu/university-committees/administrative-committees/lesbian-gay-bisexual-awareness- Chancellor's Committee on LGBT* Issues: The function of the Chancellor's Committee on LGBT* Issues is to offer advice and assistance to the Chancellor, Provost, and Equal Opportunity Officer, ensuring that the voices of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender* (LGBT*) employees and students are heard and that equal opportunities for LGBT* employees and students continue to be carried out as fundamental responsibilities of the institution and are carried out appropriately in all aspects of employment and student life. A key role of this committee will be to advise university officials and students on the educational programs, services, and policies needed to achieve equal opportunities. The committee shall monitor implementation of the responses to the Chancellor's Committee on LGBT* Issues recommendations and continue to assess the changing needs of the campus LGBT* population. *No single acronym will capture the diversity of identities related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and their intersections. A sample of related terms includes queer, questioning, genderqueer, pansexual, two-spirit, same gender loving, fluid, intersex, asexual, etc. http://www.uww.edu/university-committees/faculty-committees/diversity-committee Faculty Diversity Committee: To promote better diversity in curricular content and process. To review and develop proposals for changes in policies on diversity issues affecting curricular matters. To recommend diversity-related change proposals to the committees involved in curricular approval process, including General Education Review Committee, University Curriculum Committee, Graduate Council, and, Race and Ethnic Cultures Advisory Committee. To collaborate with other committees and entities for making progress on diversity issues. To review course proposals seeking Diversity Credit and to make recommendations to the University Curriculum Committee concerning course proposals seeking Diversity Credit. To take a leadership role in fostering a range of diversity-related experiences on campus. https://www.uww.edu/university-committees/administrative-committees/sexual-assault-prevention Sexual Assault Prevention Advisory Committee: The function of this UWW administrative committee is to advise the Sexual Assault Prevention Coordinator regarding: identifying campus needs for sexual assault prevention efforts; setting biennial goals; designing a campus plan to meet the goals; suggesting departmental responsibilities for implementation; and reviewing progress, as requested by the Coordinator. An annual summary of programming and progress on goals will be submitted to the Dean of Students. This committee holds open meetings and all students, staff and faculty are welcome to attend. http://www.uww.edu/cls/faculty-staff/wic http://www.uww.edu/university-committees/administrative-committees/womens-issues-committee Women’s Issues Committee: Promote interest in women and women's issues on campus, provide educational programming to celebrate women and their accomplishments (e.g. Sponsor Women's History Week), to combat sexism, and to encourage content on women to be included throughout the curriculum, advocate for and support the development of an Office of Women on campus, and conduct research to investigate the status of women on campus, their concerns, and their needs. http://www.uww.edu/university-committees/administrative-committees/womens-issues-committee http://www.uww.edu/housing/staff/diversity-advocates Diversity Advocates: The DA program: - Is a group of UW-Whitewater students recruited and trained by University Housing. Training includes: leadership skills, group dynamics, needs assessments and program facilitation. - Is designed to raise awareness and to promote understanding and appreciation of the diversity of our community. - Creates an environment for enlightened discussion, dialogue, and sometimes debate, among students and peers. - Provides correct and current information which allows students to think about issues that relate to difference and diversity. http://www.uww.edu/campus-culture/campus-culture-committee Campus Culture Working Group As members of the Warhawk family, all of us have a responsibility to treat one another with respect and dignity. UW-Whitewater strives to be a supportive, diverse and empowering institution where people come together to learn and achieve success. We want to know about your experiences. We want to hear your stories. If you have an idea about how to improve the campus culture, we hope you'll share it with us. INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE COLLEGE COMMITTEES College of Letters and Sciences: https://www.uww.edu/cls/inclusive-excellence College of Business and Economics: http://www.uww.edu/Documents/diversity/inclusive-excellence/COBE%20Inclusive%20Excellence%20Committee%202015%20-%2016.pdf College of Arts and Communication: http://www.uww.edu/Documents/diversity/inclusive-excellence/College%20of%20Arts%20and%20Comm%20Inclusive%20Excellence%20Committees.pdf

STUDENT-FOCUSED https://www.uww.edu/diversity/racial/ethnic-diversity-course-guidelines U.S. Racial/Ethnic Diversity Course Requirement: The 3-credit Diversity Course Requirement discussed here was instituted in 1988 by the UW-System to focus specifically on the experiences and concerns of four historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups within the United States: Native American, African American, Latino/a, Asian American. In May 2014, the University Curriculum Committee and the UWW Faculty Senate approved renaming it the U.S. Racial/Ethnic Diversity Course Requirement. This is not a new course requirement for students—only a name change. This name change was made to clarify what the Diversity course requirement is. While UWW recognizes the importance of other forms of diversity—gender, sexual orientation, physical ability status, nationality, etc., the intention of the course requirement is to better prepare all UW-System undergrads for workplace and civic engagement in an increasingly multiracial/ multi-ethnic United States by focusing on the four historically underrepresented groups above. http://www.uww.edu/cls/diversity-leadership-certificate Diversity Leadership Certificate: The Certificate is designed to allow students, across the disciplines, to engage in in-depth diversity learning around issues of gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality and ability. Geared toward building responsible citizens and reflective professionals, the Diversity Leadership Certificate uses curricular and co-curricular activities to enhance knowledge, develop facilitation skills, and engage in productive collaborations across differences. Assessed through artifacts submitted to an ePortfolio, students gain skills at building inclusive environments and an ability to address complex social issues. The Certificate complements all Majors and Minors and is well suited for those who plan to work in government, nonprofit or private sectors of the economy and in the fields of business, education, health or community organizing. http://www.uww.edu/fye/freshmen/new-student-seminar New Student Seminar This course is designed to help students make a positive adjustment to college through discussing, writing, and critically thinking about a variety of relevant topics, engaging with faculty and other students in class, and attending university events and programs. Students will explore the purposes of higher education and the expectations of an academic community; review the university’s resources, policies, and procedures; investigate personal interests and strengths while setting academic and personal goals; and explore one’s identity and the multiple dimensions of diversity. More than 90% of the freshman class at UW-W enrolls in the New Student Seminar. ENTIRE CAMPUS Safe Zone Training: Provides a safe space for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, fluid, pansexual, asexual, genderqueer, gender transitioning* campus community. It is an office or place where staff is willing to talk with members of the campus community in a non-threatening environment and will remain non-judgmental. Topics of discussion may or may not relate to the person’s sexual orientation or gender identity & all discussions will remain confidential. http://www.uww.edu/Documents/diversity/safe_zone.pdf https://www.uww.edu/news/archive/2016-10-diversity-forum Campus Diversity Forum: The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater continues a conversation of inclusivity and embracing diversity at the annual Campus Diversity Forum. This event will be held across campus with various sessions to engage students, faculty and staff and the Whitewater community. Each year, one of the four academic colleges hosts the Forum on a rotating basis. https://www.uww.edu/news/archive/2016-10-diversity-forum http://www.uww.edu/ce/travel/civil-rights Civil Rights History - Traveling Freedom’s Main Line A travel study course with in-person class sessions, a week-long bus tour to various U.S. cities significant to the struggle for civil rights. The course is offered by the Departments of History and Race and Ethnic Studies in cooperation with the Office of Continuing Education, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (HISTORY/AFRIAMR 241, 3 undergrad credits; course fulfills the University’s Diversity requirement) https://www.uww.edu/improving/aboutdiversity LEARN Center - About Teaching Diversity Diversity in higher education means many things: recruiting and maintaining a diverse student body and faculty, teaching to a diverse group of students, having an inclusive curriculum that reflects non-Western and minority group contributions and thinking, teaching in ways that critically examine the humanities and the professions from perspectives of groups that have been marginalized. This website does not attempt to cover all of that territory. It focuses on course organization and classroom teaching. To assist University of Wisconsin-Whitewater faculty to prepare students to live and work in an increasingly heterogeneous society and world, an approach for teaching diversity is presented. This approach for teaching diversity centers on A Dozen Suggestions for Enhancing Student Learning. For each of these, additional background material and suggested additional reading is provided. A description of applicable Exercises and Simulations is another important part of this website. Additionally, there are Resources for Teaching Diversity (both on-campus and Internet-based) and a Calendar of Diversity Events for the semester. This section of the LEARN Center website was funded under a UW-Whitewater Curriculum Diversity Infusion Training and Development Grant in Spring, 2003 and created by Jim Winship, Associate Professor of Social Work at the UW-Whitewater. Additionally, the LEARN Center offers a variety of workshops each year. Some focus on diversity issues (example below) and all new faculty are required to go through the LEARN Center First Year program and get exposure to a wide variety of aspects regarding the university and teaching tools and strategies. Most faculty regularly utilize the LEARN Center Resources - Long Term University-Community Engagement and Community-Based Learning: Engaged Relationship Building for Diversity and Equity https://www.aacu.org/making-excellence-inclusive http://www.uww.edu/Documents/leap/Handouts%20and%20Worksheets/LEAPhandout.pdf Liberal Education & America's Promise (LEAP) Inclusive Excellence LEAP, Liberal Education & America's Promise, is a national higher education initiative established by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). Wisconsin was the first state to adopt the LEAP initiative, with campuses in the UW-System working together to define shared learning goals for all undergraduate students that mirror LEAP's Essential Learning Outcomes. LEAP embraces the value of a broad-based liberal education and stresses the importance in preparing students with a variety of well-developed skills that will make today's students stronger candidates for 21st-century careers and citizenship. Our campus has made a notable and significant commitment to integrating principles of LEAP. Inclusive Excellence is a central tenant of LEAP, reminding us to provide excellent, high-quality educational opportunities for all students and not just a select few. All faculty, staff, and students that participate in the annual LEAP Workshop receive a training session on LEAP's perspective on Inclusive Excellence. Additionally, several groups have created Action Plans through the LEAP Workshops that have an Inclusive Excellence Focus (http://www.uww.edu/leap/leap-action-summaries/inclusive-excellence).

http://www.uww.edu/diversity/policies http://www.uww.edu/diversity/inclusive-excellence