Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 57.29
Liaison Jennifer Kleindienst
Submission Date Dec. 1, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Wesleyan University
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Antonio Farias
VP for Equity & Inclusion
Office for Equity & Inclusion
"---" 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:

In the summer of 2015, Wesleyan adopted "One Policy: Discriminatory Harassment and Sexual Misconduct," available at http://www.wesleyan.edu/inclusion/titleix/titleix.html.


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):

The online INCIDENT REPORTING FORM is one of several ways for members of the University community to report any type of incident that is concerning, harmful, and/or contrary to the Wesleyan's Community Standards. Coordinated through the Office of Equity & Inclusion, Wesleyan responds to harassment and discrimination on the basis of sex or gender in a prompt,effective,and equitable manner. Each incident reported is investigated and steps taken to eliminate the behavior, prevent its recurrence, and remedy the effects.


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:

Wesleyan recruits, hires, trains, promotes and educates individuals without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, veteran status, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Wesleyan University administers all personnel action such as compensation, benefits, transfers, layoffs, return from layoffs, education, tuition assistance, and social and recreational programs without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, veteran status, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

The Office for Equity and Inclusion coordinates five Wesleyan cohort programs: the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, the Wesleyan Math and Science Scholars Program (WesMaSS), the Upward Bound Math-Science Program, and the Posse Veteran Scholars Program. Together, these five communities make up the Pathways to Inclusive Excellence (PIE).

The purpose of PIE is to increase a sense of community amongst students, faculty and staff. Our goal is to remove obstacles along the pathways to secondary and post-secondary education for students in grades 9 through 16, who come from historically underrepresented backgrounds and to provide opportunities and access to programs that require complex thinking and a complex interdisciplinary understanding of belonging in the pursuit of excellence.

Wesleyan University's affirmative action program is designed to achieve diversity among faculty, administrators and staff; to treat all appointments and promotions in a manner free from discrimination; and to correct any under-utilization of women and minorities in employment positions. Wesleyan, as an institution is dedicated to excellence in liberal studies, has a responsibility to itself to seek out the most talented people and a responsibility to society to further the goal of achieving equality of opportunity.

For that reason, along with the principle of nondiscrimination, the University is committed to a program of affirmative action with regard to members of certain groups as specified by the U.S. Department of Labor. Wesleyan, therefore, makes concerted efforts to recruit, employ, and promote qualified members of minority groups, women, handicapped individuals who are otherwise qualified, special disabled veterans, and veterans of the Vietnam era.


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?:
Yes

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

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

The Connections program connects students (open to all students, but targeted at students from underrepresented groups) with faculty and staff mentors. The First Class and Questbridge programs offer ongoing mentoring support for first generation and low-income students, respectively. Several additional cohort programs such as Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program, Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program, and WesMaSS are in place to support students thrive at Wesleyan.

All faculty and staff of color have the opportunity to join AFCA (Administrators and Faculty of Color Alliance). AFCA’s mission is to create a supportive environment for promoting personal and professional growth through experiences, events, and resources for administrators, faculty, and staff of color. AFCA is a community building organization that seeks to strengthen the relationship between its members, allies and other members of the Wesleyan community. While AFCA maintains a particular focus on the needs of administrators, faculty, and staff of color, all those who share in its mission and values are welcome to be part of AFCA and help uphold its mission. For more information, visit http://www.wesleyan.edu/groups/afca/index.html.


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?:
Yes

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

Wesleyan's Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship and Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program prepare and encourage undergraduate or other non-terminal degree students to pursue further education and careers as faculty members. Wesleyan does not have programs for Master's degree students, but all PhD students spend 1-2 years as teaching assistants in undergraduate courses.


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:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program: http://www.wesleyan.edu/mellon_program/
Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaurete Achievement Program: http://www.wesleyan.edu/mcnair/)
Administrators and Faculty of Color Alliance: http://afca.blogs.wesleyan.edu


Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program: http://www.wesleyan.edu/mellon_program/
Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaurete Achievement Program: http://www.wesleyan.edu/mcnair/)
Administrators and Faculty of Color Alliance: http://afca.blogs.wesleyan.edu

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.