Bowdoin College
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Respect for the rights of all and for the differences among us is essential for the Bowdoin community. Discrimination or harassment has no place in our intellectual community. Bowdoin College complies with applicable provisions of federal and state laws that prohibit unlawful discrimination in employment, admission, or access to its educational or extracurricular programs, activities, or facilities based on race, color, ethnicity, ancestry and national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, age, marital status, place of birth, genetic predisposition, veteran status, or against qualified individuals with physical or mental disabilities on the basis of disability, or any other legally protected statuses. If members of the Bowdoin community experience or witness any apparent incident of harassment or discrimination by students, faculty, or staff, they may discuss their concerns or request advice from deans, academic advisors, proctors, or resident advisors. Such incidents violate both the ideals of the College and its Social Code and may be subject to appropriate disciplinary sanctions. When such incidents violate the statutes of the State of Maine or Federal Law, criminal prosecution may be pursued. https://www.bowdoin.edu/dean-of-students/student-handbook/discrimination-policy.html

When students report incidents of bias on the Campus Climate Index, the president convenes the Bias Incident Group to create a community response. Read here for more information: https://www.bowdoin.edu/dean-of-students/resources/bias-reporting/bias-incident-protocol-2018.pdf

Students: Bowdoin partners with QuestBridge—a nonprofit organization that matches high-achieving, underserved students with opportunities in higher education. Bowdoin participates in National College Match and enrolls a number of QuestBridge students each year, some through ""match"" and others through Bowdoin's own admissions processes. https://www.bowdoin.edu/admissions/apply/questbridge/index.html For faculty and staff, the college advertises job openings through a variety of channels where underrepresented groups are the primary audience, including job boards, listservs, association groups, other higher ed institutions, social media, direct outreach, email lists, etc. Applicant EEO reports are reviewed by the Office of Human Resources to ensure minority candidates are fairly represented during each phase of the selection process. Diversity and inclusion training is provided to search committee members, with emphasis on recruitment and hiring. The Committee for Faculty Diversity and Inclusion (CFDI) promotes the hiring and retention of a diverse faculty at Bowdoin by serving as outside members on tenure-track searches, and by undertaking other activities to increase the diversity of the faculty. Specific activities include: * Diversity and Inclusion for Faculty Hiring and Mentoring - an annual 3-part workshop program for members of faculty tenure-track search committees. The program includes suggestions for where and how to recruit faculty and ways to reduce bias in searches. * Consortium for Faculty Diversity – national postdoctoral fellow program for which Bowdoin has participated and supported postdoctoral fellows from underrepresented groups for more than 30 years. https://www.gettysburg.edu/offices/provost/consortium-for-faculty-diversity/ * Target of Opportunity hiring procedures - https://www.bowdoin.edu/academic-affairs/pdf/target-of-opportunity-hiring-procedures.pdf

Bowdoin's programs to support faculty from underrepresented groups includes: * Diversity and Inclusion for Faculty Hiring and Mentoring - an annual 3-part workshop program for members of faculty tenure-track search committees. The program includes discussion of experiences of women and of faculty color, invisible (or unrecognized) labor, micro-aggressions and micro-support, and ways to create inclusive environments that help faculty to thrive. *Consortium for Faculty Diversity – An Associate Dean from Academic Affairs is the representative to the national program and provides specific one-on-one and group mentoring to the College’s postdoctoral fellows who are from underrepresented groups * Faculty of Color and International Faculty – self-identified group of faculty offering peer support. Academic Affairs also helps to coordinate events with similar groups at two other regional colleges. National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity * College is an institutional member that provides access to webinars, resources and other on-line support for faculty development and mentoring. In addition, the College sponsors around five faculty annually for the center’s intensive Faculty Support Program. http://facultydiversity.org Bowdoin's programs to support students from underrepresented groups includes: There are a number of institutionally funded student organizations for underrepresented groups on campus. In Student Affairs, the Student Center for Multicultural Life, which is made up of two sister spaces, 30 College Street and Russwurm African American Center, serves as a hub of multicultural programming with a full-time director. The Center helps advise several student groups and works with a number of student employees to create programs not covered by student groups. Examples include MLK Day programming, a seven-week training of student facilitators to host conversations on race throughout campus, and Women of Color Retreats. In addition, the Center will work with the dean of students of diversity and inclusion to strengthen and grow current programs that support students of color and first-generation college students. Such programs include a network for first-generation students connecting them with other first-generation students, staff, and faculty and the first-year retreat for students of color and first-generation college students. Additionally, the Sexuality Women and Gender Center provides programs in and out of the Center to create support for LGBTQ students as well as women students. In Academic Affairs the newly created THRIVE Program holds a variety of programs that support first generation and underrepresented students. In addition to being an intensive summer and year-round program created this past year, they also help students connect with other existing programs including: the BASE Advising program, aimed at providing more international (?) and involved advising for students who may need greater support transitioning to Bowdoin, The Bowdoin Science Experience, and the Bowdoin Science Scholars. https://www.bowdoin.edu/thrive/ for more information. Bowdoin's programs to support staff from underrepresented groups includes access to resources through the Anthem Employee Assistance Program (24/7) and the Workplace Advisors. Support is also available through: Q&A (Queers and Allies -- Bowdoin's LGBTIQA Staff and Faculty Group); and, multicultural lunches and dinners.

The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship supports promising students committed to pursuing doctoral studies. https://www.bowdoin.edu/mellon-mays/index.html