Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 68.31
Liaison Lisa Noriega
Submission Date Aug. 3, 2020

STARS v2.2

Yale University
PA-6: Assessing Diversity and Equity

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.75 / 1.00 Amber Garrard
Associate Director
Yale Office of Sustainability
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Has the institution engaged in a structured assessment process during the previous three years to improve diversity, equity and inclusion on campus?:
Yes

A brief description of the assessment process and the framework, scorecard(s) and/or tool(s) used:
In 2018, President Salovey commissioned Benjamin D. Reese Jr., Psy.D., vice president for the Office for Institutional Equity at Duke University and Health System and a national expert on diversity, equity, and inclusion to to examine the infrastructure that supports Yale's institutional responses to discrimination and harassment so that the University can make any needed adjustments to enhance its ability to support all members of our community.
This initiative included
• A review of the operations of the Office for Equal Opportunity Programs, including its structure and procedures; staffing and resources; name, recognition, and relevance, and relationships with other entities on campus.
• Meetings with a range of stakeholders on campus, including the President and senior leaders; officers, committees, and individuals dealing with D&H issues; students, including members of official advisory bodies and unofficial groups; and deans and faculty members. I also spoke with members of the Yale Corporation, which is the institution’s board of trustees.
• A study of current D&H policies and procedures for student complaints, including organization and workflow of relevant offices, committees, and structures.
• An analysis with recommendations for proposed improvements to the D&H infrastructure
This was done in close partnership with Donna Cable, Associate Vice President for Human Resources, who focused on how the resources support staff members and made contributions accordingly to the overall recommendations.

Does the assessment process address campus climate by engaging stakeholders to assess the attitudes, perceptions and behaviors of employees and students, including the experiences of underrepresented groups?:
Yes

Does the assessment process address student outcomes related to diversity, equity and success?:
No

Does the assessment process address employee outcomes related to diversity and equity?:
Yes

A brief description of the most recent assessment findings and how the results are used in shaping policy, programs, and initiatives:
Dr. Reese recommended that we clarify and communicate the leadership structure for the Belonging at Yale initiative. In response, President Salovey tasked Secretary Goff-Crews to lead the coordination, strategy, and alignment of all campus-wide Belonging at Yale and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Under Secretary Goff-Crews’s guidance, a new deputy secretary will support the implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives by schools and units, working directly with members of the university cabinet and other leaders to ensure our efforts are strategic and unified. The deputy secretary will supervise specialists who will provide ongoing, targeted training for Deans’ Designees, student leaders, and other university members on responding to discrimination and harassment and on creating a culture of belonging to prevent such behaviors. Some of his recommendations, such as improvements in how we communicate across the campus after an incident of discrimination or other event of concern, have already been put in place.

In addition, in early 2020, President Salovey charged eighteen members of the President’s Committee on Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging to meet throughout the spring and develop, by the end of the term, recommendations for high-level goals for a campus culture of inclusion and belonging. The committee began meeting in late January and continued its work remotely starting in mid-March, as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic became clear.

Although COVID-19 initially disrupted the its original plans, the committee has completed its officially scheduled work, and is now crafting recommendations designed to create a more supportive and inclusive campus climate in the long term. Committee members will continue to meet as needed in the coming months with the goal of formally submitting recommendations to President Salovey in the fall.

Are the results of the most recent structured diversity and equity assessment shared with the campus community?:
Yes

A brief description of how the assessment results are shared with the campus community:
Recommendations were shared publically in a report online.
http://belong.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/Recommendations.pdf

Are the results (or a summary of the results) of the most recent structured diversity and equity assessment publicly posted?:
Yes

The diversity and equity assessment report or summary (upload):
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Website URL where the diversity and equity assessment report or summary is publicly posted:

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s diversity and equity assessment efforts 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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