Yale University
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Yale University is committed to basing judgments concerning the admission, education, and employment of individuals upon their qualifications and abilities and affirmatively seeks to attract to its faculty, staff, and student body qualified persons of diverse backgrounds.
https://www.yale.edu/nondiscrimination

The Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA) is responsible for ensuring Yale’s commitment to equitable and inclusive working and learning environments. This includes administering Yale’s Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment. OIEA plays a leadership role in the university’s efforts to provide equitable treatment and accessibility within Yale’s programs and activities. OIEA encourages any student, faculty member, staff member, or applicant for employment or programs at Yale who is concerned about discrimination, harassment, or retaliation to report their concern to the office.
They manage the Discrimination and Harassment Resources website that includes various options, resources, offices, and individuals who are available to provide guidance to those who’ve experienced discrimination.
https://dhr.yale.edu/

Over the last three years, OIEA has received reports via the Yale University Hotline, the OIEA reporting form, resources listed on the University Resources page of the DHR website, and students, faculty, and staff. In each instance, an OIEA staff member met with the reporter, inquirer, or complainant to discuss the matter. Statements, materials, and the severity of the concern were valuated to determine appropriate next steps and the matters were reviewed, resolved, or referred as appropriate.

STUDENTS:
Admissions officers routinely target their outreach to high schools and community-based organizations that serve high achieving students from under-represented populations. Admissions officers also participate in several national conferences and events hosted by non-profit organizations that serve low-income and under-represented students, including QuestBridge, College Horizons, Leadership Enterprise for Diverse Scholars (LEDA), Cherokee College Prep Institute, and EMERGE. Each fall, our office also holds a Multicultural Open House which connects students to current students, faculty, staff, and of course, our four cultural centers.

Since 2005 more than 1,000 Yale undergraduates have delivered a message of accessibility and affordability to tens of thousands of high school students across America through the Yale Ambassador Program. The program’s goal is spread awareness about Yale to high school students who would not normally consider highly selective colleges. During their visits to schools, ambassadors present information to students and counselors about Yale’s extraordinary need-based financial aid, holistic admissions process, the liberal arts experience, and student life. In 2019, a record 319 ambassadors visited 722 high schools in 46 states, reaching approximately 8,400 prospective students.

Since 2013 Yale has used a geo-location service to identify and mail targeted messages to high-achieving high school students who are likely to live in low-income households. The campaign, which is modeled on research by economist Caroline Hoxby, provides students and their families with information about Yale’s “net-cost” for financial aid recipients and the easy process of receiving an application fee waiver. In its first year, the campaign reached approximately 20,000 high school students, and applications from students in the targeted census tracts increased at twice the rate of the overall application pool. After three cycles of the campaign, applications from targeted areas have increased by almost 15%, compared with a 6% increase overall. The number of incoming freshmen receiving federal Pell grants increased 43% during the same time.

STAFF:
The following initiatives have been taken by the HR staffing team;
o Partner with the eight Yale affinity groups to promote job opportunities and assist with recruitment
o Have a presence at virtual job fairs, whose primary audience includes underrepresented populations (i.e. Veterans)
o Solicit speaking engagement opportunities to promote job opportunities at Yale University
o Create partnerships with local and national organizations that support underrepresented groups (NAACP, National Black Social Workers, Veteran Associations, etc.)
o New Haven Hiring Initiative
o Launch of New Haven Hiring Initiative newsletter distributed to community members, features local hires (spotlight: photo & interview)
o Recent New Haven Hires Spotlights, share there learning and career journey in curated talks
o New Haven Promise Program; an internship to employment pathway
o Established Linked In Account to source talent
o Advice various units on campus about establishment of partnership with Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU’s)
o Establishment of the Employee Referral Program; financial incentive, with an additional incentive for New Haven Hires

FACULTY:
In 2015 the $50 million, five-year Faculty Excellence and Diversity Initiative (FEDI) launched, recruiting 84 faculty members within the first four years. In 2019, that was extended for another half decade with an additional $85 million. By so doing, Yale makes an emphatic statement about welcoming to Yale the most distinguished scholars, who will bring excellence and help diversify the university, transform their fields, create knowledge to improve the world, and inspire our students to lead and serve all sectors of society. The renewal of FEDI includes funds for start-up packages for faculty members forming research groups and new support for recruiting senior faculty members.
https://faculty.yale.edu/diversity/faculty-excellence-and-diversity-initiative/faculty-excellence-and-diversity-initiative

STUDENTS: Belonging at Yale outlines the many programs and resources available to support students, staff and/or faculty from underrepresented groups.
https://belong.yale.edu/get-support

STAFF:
Yale's Affinity Groups are open to all employees and provide support and representation to underrepresented groups.
https://your.yale.edu/community/diversity-inclusion/affinity-groups
https://belong.yale.edu/get-support

FACULTY:
Faculty at Yale have access to Faculty Development and Diversity Resources for All Faculty, as well as specific resources identified for Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
https://belong.yale.edu/get-support
https://fas.yale.edu/faculty-resources/diversity-and-faculty-development
https://faculty.yale.edu/diversity/faculty-excellence-and-diversity-initiative/faculty-excellence-and-diversity-initiative

Yale sponsors a number of “pipeline programs” that help our students and alumni transition into graduate programs and into the academy, including the Edward A. Bouchet Fellowship, the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program, the James and Mary Pinchot Fellowship at the School of the Environment, and the Diversity Fellows program in the Graduate School’s Office for Graduate Student Development & Diversity. To expand on these efforts, the Faculty Development and Diversity team has partnered with the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences to create the Emerging Scholars Initiative supporting recruitment and retention of outstanding graduate students who demonstrate outstanding academic promise and achievement and whose backgrounds and/or research interests contribute to this pipeline.

https://faculty.yale.edu/diversity/initiative-faculty-excellence-and-diversity
https://yalecollege.yale.edu/life-yale/student-faculty-awards/edward-bouchet-undergraduate-fellows-program
https://yalecollege.yale.edu/finances/financial-awards-prizes/mellon-mays-undergraduate-fellowship-program
https://environment.yale.edu/news/article/pinchot-fellows-bring-new-voices-to-fes
https://gsas.yale.edu/diversity/staff-fellows
https://faculty.yale.edu/diversity/deans-emerging-scholars-initiative