Warren Wilson College
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

https://www.warren-wilson.edu/about/employment/
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The College's Non-Discrimination policies/statements are also included in the student, staff employee and faculty handbooks. These documents are in password protected sections of the College's website, available to all employees and students.

Warren Wilson College Non-Discrimination Policy

Warren Wilson College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender, gender identity, or gender expression, age, marital status, military/veteran status, disability, or sexual orientation, in the administration of its educational policies, recruitment or admission of students, scholarship, grant or loan programs, athletic or
other College administered programs, employment procedures, training programs, promotion policies or other related personnel practices.

Title IX

Additionally, any act of sex-based discrimination or harassment (including
gender-based discrimination, and sexual violence) can also be reported to the
College’s Title IX Coordinator or Deputies. Sexual violence includes attempted or
completed rape or sexual assault, as well as sexual harassment, stalking,
voyeurism, exhibitionism, verbal or physical sexuality-based threats or abuse, and intimate partner violence.

Warren Wilson Work Program Non Discrimination Statement (only in password-protected Student Handbook)

The Work Program is committed to Warren Wilson College’s belief that we are a
community that respects the dignity of its members. The College and the Work
Program are committed to maintaining a positive learning and working environment
where diversity is honored and individuals are treated with respect. Harassment
and discrimination, including sexual harassment [discrimination], in any form are
detrimental to this environment and fundamentally at odds with the values of the
College.

All persons shall have equal access to the College’s programs, facilities and
employment without regard to age, color, disability, ethnic or national origin, gender or gender identity, race, creed, religion or sexual orientation. Any student, employee, volunteer, or other community member who violates this policy will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal, whether such conduct occurred on or off campus.

Warren Wilson's Bias Response Team supports the following College Policy:

6.2.3.19-2 Bias Policy

The Southern Poverty Law Center defines a bias incident as “conduct, speech or expression motivated, in whole or in part, by bias or prejudice. It differs from a hate crime in that no criminal activity is involved." Bias incidents include completed, attempted or threatened abusive or hostile language and behaviors against persons, property or an institution that involve a target(s) selected on the basis of the target's actual or perceived status (including race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, national origin, military/veteran status, and/or disability) that reasonably is understood to demean, degrade, threaten, or harass. Warren Wilson College will respond to unwelcome, discriminatory conduct that is severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive, and that so undermines and detracts from the target(s) educational experience so that the target(s) is effectively denied equal access to an institution’s resources and opportunities. By its very nature, bias will be deemed an aggravating circumstance to any violation of the Code of Student Conduct. Having and voicing an opinion is protected by freedom of speech. Warren Wilson College is a place for growth and discussion with a primary focus on the positive exchange of ideas. While this value of openness protects individual thought, it does not protect harassment or expressions of bias or hate aimed at individuals that violate the community standards.

Typical Sanctions

Response will be through the grievance procedures and educational opportunities provided by the college. A range of sanctions is possible from intervention to suspension or expulsion depending on the nature and severity of the offense.

Two years ago, there were two reported incidents of racial bias on campus that were investigated by the Bias Response Team. The anonymous incidents were gravely unacceptable to the campus community. They have served to strengthen the College's commitment to an equitable and inclusive campus since that time, and helped to catalyze new DEI initiatives on campus.

The composition and the function of the Bias Response Team is as follows:

Bias Response Team Members:

Vice President for Student Life, Paul Perrine
Director of Spiritual Life, Brian Ammons
Director of WIDE (The Wilson Inclusion, Diversity & Equity Office), Clarissa Harris
Director of Public Safety, Emergency & Risk Management, Justin Gildner

Process
Each member plays a different role on the team.

The Vice President for Student Life oversees and coordinates the process, and depending on the nature of the incident, may be involved in investigation or working with appropriate staff in a conduct process. He also takes lead in campus communication.

The Director of Public Safety, Emergency and Risk Management takes the lead on investigation and in some instances interfacing with law enforcement.

The Director of WIDE and the Director of Spiritual Life take on three responsibilities:

1. Support and accompaniment of the targeted student (if primarily a race or ethnicity incident it’s the WIDE Director; if a religious incident, it’s the Director of Spiritual Life). Specifically, this looks like accompanying the student to meetings, clarifying the process to the student, helping connect the student with other campus resources, and being available to the student for emotional support.

2. Serving as process-watchers to help ensure appropriate and timely response (whomever is not in the primary support role)

3. Supporting a community response, often in concert with other offices.

Should the incident fall outside of the category of race, ethnicity, and religion, and also not fall into the scope of the parallel Title IX process (eg disability, veteran status, age) we may add other appropriate support staff to the response team.

Warren Wilson's recruitment of underrepresented student groups includes the following:

•Ensure a network of support resources on campus for all enrolled students
•Include recruitment outreach specifically to diverse populations; Warren Wilson does so through partnerships it has developed with educational programs that serve diverse students
•Make a Warren Wilson education affordable

In 2018-2019, Warren Wilson implemented two affordability programs that have been invaluable for many students who would not otherwise have been able to attend:

•North Carolina Free Tuition Plan for qualified North Carolina students: Every NC undergraduate student who is eligible for federal and/or state need-based aid can attend Warren Wilson tuition-free.
•Full-tuition Milepost One scholarships: For qualified students with total family income levels equal to or below $125,000 per year, even families who may not be eligible for federal or state need-based grants have an opportunity to earn a full tuition scholarship. This includes eligibility for international and DACA students.

Human Resources is committed to inclusive and equitable recruitment of all applicants, which they emphasize when they meet with each search committee for staff and faculty positions. The following statement appears at the College's employment website:

"Welcome and thank you for your interest in a career at Warren Wilson College. Warren Wilson College is committed to ensuring that students from a diverse range of identities are able to access education. We recognize that to do so we need to ensure that our staff and faculty reflect a diverse range of identities, worldviews and backgrounds. As a college we particularly seek and welcome candidates from racial and ethnic minorities, women, and members of underrepresented groups."

Human Resources selects specific job posting outlets for discipline-focused searches. All searches, however, are posted to the following outlets to reach a diverse audience: Indeed, Glassdoor, Google for Jobs, WayUp, JobRapido, and ZipRecruiter.

The following programs are specifically designed to support students and employees from underrepresented groups. For Warren Wilson, underrepresented groups range from gender identity to race, ethnicity, international student, and those in need of support for particular needs re learning styles and substance abuse prevention.They are supported with a wide range of programs, services, clubs and organizations.

Arms Open WIDE

Diversity begins with inclusion and Warren Wilson strives to offer an inclusive environment for all students. The Wilson Inclusion, Diversity & Equity Office (WIDE) is central to this effort. WIDE provides advocacy, community building, empowerment, and identity affirmation in support of underrepresented student populations, including students of color and international students. Its focus is on community building and sharing of one’s racialized or ethnic identities to create a celebratory platform with which students can feel both visible and have agency on campus. WIDE seeks to create and to support programming based upon the core values of social justice, equity, and civic agency in pursuit of these goals:

•Develop consciousness around issues of racial and ethnic diversity
•Engage multicultural perspectives through critical dialogue and programs
•Promote universal love and intercultural competency
•Create inclusive and equitable spaces in appreciation of differences

WIDE works with students, staff, and faculty through a range of programs. The WIDE Heritage Series presents awareness, celebration, and dialogue programs throughout the year including Hispanic and Latin@ heritage, Indigenous and Native American heritage, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, Black World History Month, Chinese New Year, International Women's Month and Asian/Pacific Islander heritage. The WIDE student work crew provides classroom/crew presentations, conferences, trainings and workshops, social justice campaigns, solidarity programming and support of aligned student demonstrations. WIDE collaborates with organizations and higher education institutions in the surrounding region. The WIDE office also serves as an advocate and response unit.

Building Diversity: The Change Project

Through a community-wide decision-making process in 2015, Warren Wilson College aligned campus needs and goals to focus its priorities on BUILDING Diversity, a 5-year initiative that improves student learning through curriculum and campus climate, while expanding abilities as educators. Building Diversity is designed to critically engage students with diversity and to infuse pedagogical strategies into the curriculum that are inclusive of all communities and identities and in doing so, create permanent change in curricular content.

At the heart of BUILDING Diversity is the Change Project. Each year, Diversity Fellows design and/or revise their teaching environments to increase the diversity content. This broadened lens considers knowledge and the student experience from the perspectives of various and often intersecting social identities—especially the impact of race and ethnicity—and including the influence of ability, sexual orientation, gender expression, religious identity/spiritual path, socioeconomic background and first-generation-college status. The work of the Project improves campus climate for everyone, and helps to create a more supportive environment for underrepresented groups.

The Change Project uses the existing structure of Warren Wilson’s educational model— an integrated framework of liberal arts academics, work and community engagement — to develop three categories of campus educators who create Change Projects wherever their work occurs at the College. Each Fellow designs a Change Project to improve student learning about diversity and inclusion.

The Center for Student Well-Being: Center for Gender and Relationships, Wellness Center and Substance Abuse Prevention

Center for Gender and Relationships (CGR)
Queer Resource Center

Recognized for dedication to inclusivity by the Princeton Review as the No. 2 “most LGBTQ-friendly” in the nation, Warren Wilson has dedicated resources to support this inclusive climate. The mission of the Center for Gender and Relationships (CGR) is to build and to sustain healthy relationships within the Warren Wilson Community. CGR offers education, advocacy and resources within the LGBTQIA community and especially in sexual assault and relationship violence prevention, gender equity and intersectionality, and sexual health and education. The CGR mission is accomplished specifically by providing the community with creative and relevant programming and workshops, affinity support groups, trainings, outreach through social media, and opportunities for community service and activism. In all events the CGR aims to acknowledge and embrace the intersectionalities of gender, race, class, sexual orientation, religion, nationality and ability. To further support the campus’ LGBTQIA community, the CGR also provides the Queer Resource Center as a gathering place and social hub.

Center for Substance Abuse Prevention

The mission of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) is to enhance the health and well-being of the Warren Wilson College community through thoughtful dialogue and programming on alcohol, tobacco and other drug-related issues. CSAP serves as a support and resource for all students. Programs are available for students in recovery, students whose lives have been affected by substance use or abuse, and educational programming for community members who are interested in learning more about substance use and substance abuse prevention.

Global Engagement Office: International Student Resources

Warren Wilson recruits and is enriched by students from around the world, as well as DACA students, and provides a broad array of customized support. The following resources are coordinated by the College’s Global Engagement Office:

•International student recruitment
•New student orientation to help international students acclimate to US and to Warren Wilson culture
•ESL classes and writing labs for international students whose first language may not be English
•International student advising to assist with academics, cultural transitions and the visa and immigration process
•International student activities throughout the year, open to the entire Warren Wilson community, that include food and culture celebrations honoring the diverse nationalities represented on campus

Clubs and Organizations

Student clubs and organizations at Warren Wilson nurture and celebrate diversity. A sampling of active clubs in the past three years follows: ACLU, Animal Collective Club, Bible Study, Black Student Union, Buddhist Sangha, Chinese Club, College Democrats, College Republicans, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Indigenous Student Association, Jarheads, Kehila Hillel, Libertarians, Men’s Support Club, Merry Pagans, Norse Club, Ozone, QSU, Showing up for Racial Justice (SURJ), Spectrum, WHOLA.

Values-Based Living Opportunities

Student Life staff at Warren Wilson are committed to supporting a positive and inclusive campus climate. In addition to programs throughout the year to build community, they provide themed living opportunities to honor diversity and create links between living and learning experiences. Students in themed communities develop a supportive living environment together. Recent examples include the following:

•Alliance Floor: This community is an intentional and supportive space of all gender and sexual identities especially for students who identify as LGBTQIA and their allies. Residents engage in honest dialogue about gender, gender identity, sexuality and interpersonal relationships as a means to self-awareness.

•Wellness/Substance Free: This community is for students who are engaged or want to become engaged in a wellness lifestyle. Students are introduced to a wide range of wellness topics such as substance-free living, physical wellness, emotional wellness and the mind-body-spirit connection. Residents of this community sign a floor agreement stating that they will not have substances in their room at any time, nor will they enter the floor under the influence of any substances.

•Single gender identity dorm: female (gender-specific bathrooms)

•Single gender identity dorm: male (gender-specific bathrooms)

Center for Integrated Advising and Careers: Academic Support Center, Disability Access and Services

Academic success at Warren Wilson College is dynamic, personal and cross-disciplinary. The Center for Integrated Advising and Careers (CIAC) honors all learners with custom resources for success. Its team of advisors assist all students in fulfilling educational requirements in civic identity, academics, work and community engagement. CIAC provides career counseling and a diverse array of discipline- or career-focused internships. In addition, through the Academic Support Center and the Office of Disability Access and Services, CIAC also provides one-on-one tutoring, writing support from our Writing Studio, academic coaching, time management assistance and support for students seeking accommodations.

Academic Support Center

The Academic Support Center helps students become more effective, engaged and intentional learners. Working collaboratively and one-on-one with support staff, students achieve academic success as follows:

•Gain an understanding of their learning behaviors
•Master learning strategies that can be applied to general knowledge acquisition or specific course work
•Connect with campus resources to assist them throughout your learning experiences at Warren Wilson College

Disability Access & Services

Warren Wilson College strives to be in full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA of 2008), and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. An individual with a disability is defined by the ADA as a person who has a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment or a person who is perceived by others to have such an impairment. Warren Wilson promotes self-advocacy and equal opportunity through awareness, education and understanding of disabilities. The Director of Disability Access assists students with documented disabilities by designing plans with reasonable, appropriate accommodations for full and equal access to their educational program and serves as a resource by providing consultation to students, faculty, and staff when implementing an accommodation plan.

College Academic Strategies Course

The focus for the College Academic Strategies course is to explore the learning terrain through an individualized learning process. Students are paired with an instructor who works with them to define and address areas of need and interest that will enhance their college academic experience. Topics covered might include goal setting and prioritizing, time management, focus strategies, exam preparation and course scheduling support.

Counseling Center

The Counseling Center offers confidential counseling for dealing with issues and life problems with trained professionals. Students often seek counseling when they realize that they need help making difficult life choices: managing conflicts in personal, family, or work life; coping with stress and anxiety; dealing with depression; healing from sexual assault; improving troubled relationships; grieving personal losses; healing wounds of emotional, physical, or sexual abuse; overcoming fears or phobias; recovering from addiction (tobacco, food, internet, gambling, drugs, alcohol, sex); exploring spiritual crises; creating a healthier, happier lifestyle; building self-esteem; clarifying sexual identity; establishing healthy sexuality; clarifying life goals; addressing loneliness; deciding about pregnancy, birth, and parenting; or setting personal boundaries.

This data was compiled from a number of different offices on campus, several campus administrators and the director of Human Resources. See attached report for a comprehensive look at Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Warren Wilson, which has also been submitted as a Program of Distinction.

Though we do have gender neutral bathrooms all over campus, we do not provide a directory of them.

In response to the STARS review team's comments, additional information has been shared about the Bias Response Team's members and process; the weblink to the non-discrimination statement was corrected; and the support programs have been trimmed to those for underrepresented groups only.