Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.38
Liaison Olivia Shehan
Submission Date Nov. 13, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Wellesley College
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.50 / 3.00 Dorothea Von Herder
Sustainability Coordinator
Facilties
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have a publicly posted non-discrimination statement? :
Yes

The non-discrimination statement, including the website URL where the policy is publicly accessible:

Policy accessible here: https://www.wellesley.edu/administration/policies/non-discrimination

Commitment to Non-Discrimination:

Wellesley College is committed to providing equal opportunity in employment and education to all employees, students, and applicants. No employee or student shall be discriminated against or harassed on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, ethnic or national origin or ancestry, veteran status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, veteran or military status, membership in Uniformed Services, or any category protected by applicable state and federal laws. The same principles apply to admissions policies and practices concerning women applicants. Similarly, Wellesley College is committed to making its programs and campus accessible and compliant with all applicable non-discrimination laws.

Sexual harassment, including sexual violence, is a form of sex discrimination that is illegal under federal laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and Massachusetts General Laws. To review the definitions of unlawful discrimination and harassment (including sexual harassment and sexual misconduct), see the Policy Against Sexual Harassment and other Unlawful Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation or the Student Sexual Misconduct Policy.

Retaliation against any individual for making a complaint of conduct prohibited under this Notice, or for assisting in the investigation of such a complaint, is illegal and will not be tolerated. Any acts of retaliation will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action and sanctions (as noted below).The College will investigate complaints of conduct prohibited under this Notice. Persons who engage in conduct prohibited under this Notice will be subject to disciplinary actions and sanctions. Disciplinary actions and sanctions will vary, depending upon the facts, and may include (but are not limited to) reprimand, change in work assignment, loss of privileges, mandatory training, removal from classes, programs, activities and/or campus, suspension, expulsion, termination of employment, and/or termination of the contractual or other relationship with the College.


Does the institution have a discrimination response protocol or committee (sometimes called a bias response team) to respond to and support those who have experienced or witnessed a bias incident, act of discrimination or hate crime?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s discrimination response protocol or team (including examples of actions taken during the previous three years):


Compliance Hotline - https://www.wellesley.edu/risk/compliance-call-line

At Wellesley College, we are committed to upholding the highest standard of ethical behavior. We have made a concerted effort to provide faculty, staff, and members of our unions with effective means to report work-related concerns, including compliance and ethical issues. Currently, employees are encouraged to report such concerns by contacting their supervisor, a Human Resources representative, or the College’s Ombudsperson. In addition to these established methods, we have implemented aCompliance Hotline to be used by those who might not feel comfortable speaking with their supervisor, a Human Resources representative, or the Ombudsperson. Matters involving sexual misconduct, discrimination on the basis of sex, or discrimination on the basis of a disability can be reported directly to the Wellesley College Title IX/504 Coordinator. The Compliance Hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-877-269-6176.
The hotline is managed by Compliance Line. Individuals who choose to report an issue via the hotline will not be required to provide their name. If requested by the caller, a Compliance Line support services team member may return the call to gather more information. Compliance Line support services will advise the College’s General Counsel to alert the College about a reported issue. Upon notification, Counsel will contact the appropriate College administrators to evaluate the issue and proceed with any next steps, which may include a formal or informal investigation. As part of such an inquiry, employees may be asked to provide information that could help the College fully investigate and remedy the situation.

Wellesley College strictly prohibits retaliation against anyone who, in good faith, makes a report to the Compliance Hotline or participates in any related investigations. This is documented in several policies, including the College's Whistle Blower Policy. We will take appropriate disciplinary actions (up to and including termination of employment) against anyone who engages in retaliatory conduct.

The Wellesley Policy Against Sexual Harassment and Other Unlawful Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation is posted on the College website at: https://www.wellesley.edu/sites/default/files/assets/departments/humanresources/files/policies/sexualharassmentandotherpolicy.pdf and https://www.wellesley.edu/hr/currentfacultystaff/handbook/adminhandbook/ahb01#1-04. This policy outlines our discrimination response protocol under “VI. PROCEDURES FOR ADDRESSING COMPLAINTS OF VIOLATIONS OF THIS POLICY”.

When Wellesley College receives any complaint of harassment it will promptly investigate the allegation in a fair and expeditious manner. Wellesley College will make every effort to proceed in such a way as to maintain confidentiality to the extent practicable under the circumstances. If it is determined that inappropriate conduct has occurred we will act promptly to eliminate the offending conduct, and where appropriate we will also impose disciplinary action.

Procedure

If an individual believes that s/he has been subjected to discrimination or sexual or other harassment prohibited by this policy, whether by a supervisor, a co-worker, faculty member, student, vendor, contractor or any other person with whom s/he comes in contact at the College, the individual should report the incident promptly to his/her supervisor or Department Head, the Title IX Coordinator and Director of Title IX/Nondiscrimination Initiatives, 781-283-2451, or those listed in Section X of this policy.

If the particular circumstances make a discussion with or a complaint to an employee’s own supervisor inappropriate (for example, the complaint involves the employee’s supervisor, or the employee fears retaliation by his/her supervisor), the employee should bring the matter immediately to his/her Department Head, the Title IX Coordinator and Director of Title IX/Nondiscrimination Initiatives, 781-283-2451, or to those listed in Section X of this policy. Any person who receives a complaint of sexual harassment or discrimination from an employee or student, or who otherwise knows or has reason to believe that an employee or student has been subjected to sexual harassment or discrimination, is expected to report the incident promptly to the Title IX Coordinator and Director of Title IX/Nondiscrimination Initiatives, 781-283-2451.

The following is an outline of the procedure generally followed once a complaint has been brought to the attention of the College:

• A prompt, fair and impartial investigation of the complaint is conducted by one or more College Investigators or by their designee. The investigation will consist of (but will not necessarily be limited to) interviews of the individual who made the complaint, of the person or persons against whom the complaint was made and of other individuals who may have witnessed the reported incident or incidents.
The investigator(s) will submit findings to a trained individual designated by the Title IX Coordinator and Director of Title IX/Nondiscrimination Initiatives for determination of responsibility, based on a preponderance of the evidence standard, and for determination of any sanctions/remedies. Where possible, the designee will not be the same person who served as the investigator, and will typically be the Provost for cases where the responding party is a faculty member, and the AVP for Human Resources where the responding party is a staff member. The responding party and reporting party will receive simultaneous written notice of the outcome.
COLLEGE INVESTIGATORS OF COMPLAINTS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND UNLAWFUL EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION

The College has designated Sonia Jurado, Interim Title IX Coordinator, 781-283-2451, as the College’s Title IX Coordinator. Additionally, the following investigators are designated as those persons who are charged with coordinating the College’s implementation of this policy, and investigating complaints of sexual harassment and unlawful discrimination for the College. They may be contacted to initiate an investigation under the policy or to answer questions regarding this policy. The College also reserves the right to retain an outside investigator to investigate complaints regarding violations of this policy.
Andrew Shennan, ext. 3583
Room 349 Green Hall
Provost and Dean of the College

Sarah Staley, ext. 2214
Room 141 Green Hall
Assoc Director of Talent Management and Development

Carol Bate, ext. 2370
Room 342 Green Hall
Associate Dean of Students

Carolyn M. Slaboden, ext. 2216
Room 141 Green Hall
AVP for Human Resources and EO


Does the institution have programs specifically designed to recruit students from underrepresented groups?:
Yes

Does the institution have programs specifically designed to recruit staff from underrepresented groups?:
Yes

Does the institution have programs specifically designed to recruit faculty from underrepresented groups?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s programs to recruit students, staff and/or faculty from underrepresented groups:

Wellesley offers many resources to support diversity in our employment: https://www.wellesley.edu/about/missionandvalues/diversityandequity/diversityresources.
Ines Maturana Sendoya was newly hired as Wellesley’s Associate Dean for Inclusion and Engagement, and she will continue to develop our approach, resources and programming in this area. Sarah Staley, Associate Director of Talent Management and Development, was also recently hired and has implemented adjustments to recruiting process to provide more support upfront to hiring managers related to diversity outreach strategies, developed a more robust list of regional resources for a diverse faculty and staff who are new to the area, and developed checkpoints in the recruiting process to review aggregate diversity data with hiring managers as they narrow the pool of qualified candidates.

The Provost’s Office—as recommended by CERE (Committee on Ethnicity, Race and Equity)—launched a new targeted faculty hiring initiative. A centerpiece of the initiative will be an open call for proposals for targeted hires at the level of associate and full professor.

Wellesley also has a Diversity and Recruitment team which is committed to recruiting and enrolling students of color and other underrepresented students. The team flies in students for open campus weekends.


Does the institution have mentoring, counseling, peer support, academic support, or other programs to support students from underrepresented groups on campus?:
Yes

Does the institution have mentoring, counseling, peer support or other programs to support staff from underrepresented groups on campus?:
No

Does the institution have mentoring, counseling, peer support or other programs to support faculty from underrepresented groups on campus?:
No

A brief description of the institution’s programs to support students, staff and/or faculty from underrepresented groups:

The Office of Intercultural Education supports Wellesley College’s commitment to educating students for national and global citizenship by implementing co-curricular programs of intercultural education that equips students with the knowledge and skills they will need for leadership and life in a diverse and interdependent world. The Intercultural Education Team has responsibility for the development and leadership of intercultural education activities, trainings and programs that educate and promote awareness, understanding and appreciation of diversity and inclusion on campus and increasing multicultural competency throughout the campus community.

In addition Intercultural Education Team members serve as advisors to particular student cultural communities, mentor students, and support clubs and students on issues related to academic achievement, student development, leadership, conflict resolution, community building and collaboration with other students and student groups on campus.

There are also spaces set aside on campus for underrepresented groups. Harambee House is a space on campus for students of African Descent, and there are also spaces for Latinx students and those of Asian descent. Additionally, there are staff advisors for each of these groups.


Does the institution have training and development programs, teaching fellowships and/or other programs that specifically aim to support and prepare students from underrepresented groups for careers as faculty members?:
No

A brief description of the institution’s programs to support and prepare students from underrepresented groups for careers as faculty members:

What's in place right now in terms of support: The Associate Provost and Academic Director of Diversity & Inclusion works with departments to assist them in trying new practices and expanding their networks. In doing so they can broaden their connections for posting when hiring and in non-search years. Wellesley also belongs to several consortia that help them with this:
- LADO
- Boston Metro-area Faculty Affairs Groups
- New England HERC
- HERC

Established in 1992, the Pforzheimer Learning and Teaching Center (PLTC) supports the intellectual life of both students and faculty at Wellesley College. The mission of the Center is twofold: 1. to help students maximize their educational opportunities and realize their academic potential and 2. to help faculty explore different methods of teaching and implement pedagogical innovations. The PLTC plays a significant role in supporting the intellectual life of both students and faculty on the Wellesley campus. The Center provides students with a variety of programs and services designed to help them realize their academic potential and to give faculty members the opportunity to explore issues in higher education, teaching methodologies and the academic culture of Wellesley College. Faculty members participate in programs that enable them to share insights, refine teaching skills, and implement pedagogical innovations. Information about current programs can be found here: https://sites.google.com/wellesley.edu/pltcfall2018/upcoming-workshops. Wellesley Human Resources also offers the Wellesley SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) Program (https://www.wellesley.edu/hr/thewholeyou/engageyou/seed) and Community Conversations (https://www.wellesley.edu/hr/empdev/community-conversations) programming to faculty and staff. Community Conversations programming focuses on core concepts and social identities (for example: race, socio-economic class, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation) and skills, such as leadership, cultural competence and action planning. The goal of Wellesley SEED is to create conversational communities that drive change. The Wellesley SEED group is open to faculty and staff who want to engage with each other across roles and responsibilities in order to better understand how aspects of identity (gender, class, sexual identity, ability, age, race/ethnicity, religion, nationality, etc.) interact with systems to either promote equitable learning spaces or not, and explore ways to create more inclusive and equitable campus environments for every member of the Wellesley community.


Does the institution produce a publicly accessible inventory of gender-neutral bathrooms on campus?:
Yes

Does the institution offer housing options to accommodate the special needs of transgender and transitioning students?:
Yes

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.