Diversity State of Emergency

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Policy Advocacy Spring 2014

Presented by Students Bridges, Center for Education Policyand Advocacy, Student Government Association,& The

Student Power Coalition


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Diversity vs. Underrepresentation

Diversity and Underrepresentation areterms which are often misconstrued and

used interchangeably.

While we are by no means downplayingthe importance of cultural diversity in

higher education, our plan is centered

around increasing the number of

underrepresented groups i.e. groups who

have limited to no access to higher

learning institutions as a whole.


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Diversity Defined

Ethnic-Cultural-Religious: African,Latino-Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander,

Middle Eastern, Native American, etc.

Social: Students identifying as LGBTQ,First-generation college students

Economic: Lower-income families

Geographic: International students, Out-

of-state students


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Diversity and the Administration

The Office of Equal Opportunity &Diversity released a 44-page diversity

plan in January of 2014

Within the report, the OEOD lists the

various diversity initiatives dating back to

the creation of the W.E.B. DuBois

Department for African-American Studies


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Former Chancellor Robert C. Holub arrived oncampus in 2008; he made these statementsfocused on diversity and inclusion at the Faculty

Convocation:With regard to diversity and inclusion...we have done a

remarkable job with recent faculty hires, and22% ofour incoming class is from minority groups, ourundergraduate population is thus approaching in

terms of percentages the composition ofminorities in the Commonwealth (p.2)

Similarly, as the land-grant institution, we mustcontinue our efforts to provide service for thecitizens of the Commonwealth. We should pay

special attention to the communities in which wereside, and to the region in which we are situated. I amheartened that we already have an entire array ofconnections with the city of Springfield, and I hopethat we can continue to develop initiatives that bringbenefit to both the city and the campus. (p.2)


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Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy made these remarks at the

2013 Faculty Convocation:

UMass Amherst has been a wellspring of innovation that hasimproved the well-being of populations far beyond our

campus. From breaking gender, race, and sexual orientation

barriers in the academy to delivering solutions to current-day

challenges and improving the human condition, we

demonstrate the value of engaged scholarship on a daily

basis. (p.3)

As the University of Massachusetts Amherst commemorates

one-hundred fifty yearsthe Commonwealths flagship

campus is committed to the original vision of the Morrill

Land Grant Act. (p.3)


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The Morrill Land Act of 1862

Passed on July 2, 1862, the Morrill Land Actprovided each state with 30,000 acres of Federal

land for each member in their Congressional

delegation. The land was then sold by the states and

the proceeds used to fund public colleges thatfocused on agriculture and the mechanical arts.

The Morrill land grants laid the foundation for a

national system of state colleges and universities.

State colleges brought higher education within the

reach of millions of students


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The current administration under Chancellor

Subbaswamy has taken action in order to create a

more diverse campus: In 2013, Chancellor Subbaswamy appointed Amilcar

Shabazz, professor of Afro-American studies, to serve as his

faculty advisor for diversity and excellence. In his role,

Shabazz serves as the chancellors representative to all

campus groups, committees and councils involved inadvancing diversity.

In October of 2012, a Joint Task Force on Strategic Oversight

(JTFSO) was charged to "make recommendations to the

Chancellor with respect to a high-level Strategic Plan" to besubmitted to the New England Association of Schools and

Colleges (NEASC) as part of the campus's fifth-year interim

accreditation report in August 2013.


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EOD Vision Statement

Promote a campus that is accepting of all differences Develop a more culturally responsive campus community

Improve campus climate

Strengthen community connections

Increase the recruitment, hiring and retention of a diversefaculty and staff

Increase the recruitment, retention and graduationrates of undergraduate and graduate students fromdiverse backgrounds

Strengthen pipeline programs

Integrate a curriculum that fosters cultural competencies;

Incorporate universal design and universal instructionaldesign concepts

Coordinate organizational changes that support diversitygoals

Increase accountability for the achievement of diversityobjectives (p.6)


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Black/African American: UMass Amherst: 4%, State: 7.9%

Native American/Alaska Native: UMass Amherst: 0%, State: 0.5%

Hispanic/Latino: UMass Amherst: 6%, State: 10.1%


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Black/African American: UKentucky: 6.8%, State: 8.1%

Native American/Alaska Native: UKentucky: 0.2%, State: 0.3 %

Hispanic/Latino: UKentucky: 3.0%, State: 3.2%


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Our Vision as Students A redefinition of diversity encapsulating various ethnic- ALANA

(African American, Latino-Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander,

Native American) and socioeconomic students with special

attention paid to the citizens of Massachusetts

Methods and statistics which accurately report minority

presence on campus

Enrollment demographics at the University of Massachusetts

Amherst which proves our college community serves as

adequate representation of the Commonwealth.

Significant improvement in recruitment efforts, enrollment and

retention for these communities; specifically, an increase of at

least 5% of each underrepresented community within the next

3-5 years.


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How Do We Achieve Our Goals?

Increased funding for pipeline and retentionprograms (CMASS, Malcolm X Center, Yuri

Kochiyama Center, Stonewall Center, etc.)

Communication between RSOs (both cultural

and non-cultural) SGA and administration

Petition signed by SGA and various RSOs

Teach-Ins

Student Demonstrations (Sit-in, Rallies, etc.)


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Focusing on SMART Goals

Specific Concrete number and timeframe

Measurable Enrollment demographics

will show if we have reached our goal Attainable/Assignable

Realistic

Time-Related


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Questions/Comments/

Concerns?

Diversity State of Emergency

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