California State University, Long Beach
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Under Executive Order 1074, California State University, Long Beach affirms that students, employees, volunteers, members of the public, and recipients of services, and/or benefits provided by CSULB have the right to a university free from discrimination and harassment, including hostile environment, on the basis age, disability, gender, genetic information, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, as well as Veteran Status. This policy is established in compliance with the California Equity in Higher Education Act (Education Code §66250 et seq.), Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, among other applicable state and federal laws. Retaliation for exercising one's right to protection from discrimination and/or harassment or for participating in the investigation of a complaint is prohibited by law, and will not be tolerated. The policy applies to all CSULB programs and activities, including, but not limited to, educational, cultural, recreational, and social and/or athletics programs and activities provided, sponsored, administered, or assisted by CSULB; CSULB academic programs and/or activities; CSULB-sponsored off-campus programs; housing supplied or regulated by CSULB; the administration of educational policies, admission policies, and employment policies and actions, including but limited to, recruitment, hiring, education, upgrading, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, recall, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation, and selection for training, including apprenticeships; choice of contractors and suppliers of goods and services; provision of services and benefits to CSULB students, employment, volunteers, or the public; receipt of CSULB services and benefits provided by CSULB contractors or vendors. Federally required affirmative action plans are available for inspection at the Office of Equity & Compliance during normal business hours.

The full policy can be found here: https://www.csulb.edu/sites/default/files/2022/documents/regs_book_full.pdf

As a large public urban university with over 38,000 students and over 4,000 faculty and staff, CSULB provides a comprehensive approach for both reporting and support of our campus community who have experienced or observed incidents of bias, prejudice, or discrimination. Formal reports are submitted to the Office of Equity and Compliance for all on-campus constituent groups. However, there are several teams to help address and/or support individuals and/or groups. Behavior Intervention Team (BIT). The BIT receives reports of disruptive, problematic, or concerning behavior or misconduct via multiple campus entities, colleges, campus services, or other campus resources. BIT makes an assessment and develops a management strategy for warning/notification, intervention, support, and response. The Faculty & Staff Assistance Program, also known as FSAP, is a free, confidential resource to help resolve personal, family, or work-related problems. Services provided by FSAP are free. Faculty or staff who have experienced or witnessed discrimination and need emotional support or counseling are encouraged to take advantage of this resource. We have a variety of resources to support our students in times of crisis or need. The purpose of the CARES Team is to provide a centralized structure for the campus community in our support of students. We provide early intervention and crisis mitigation for students through collaboration with campus departments, faculty, and staff. One of the programs under the umbrella of CARES is Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). Students who have experienced or witnessed discrimination and need support for the emotional impacts of that experience would be encouraged to reach out to CAPS to receive emotional support in dealing with those impacts. Our Office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development provides both formal and informal ways to address conduct in the university setting. The formal approach is to file an official complaint with the office. The informal approach brings in restorative justice practices. Restorative Justice is a collaborative decision-making process that includes harmed parties, offenders, and others who are seeking to hold offenders accountable by having them accept and acknowledge responsibility for their offenses, repair harm, and work to rebuild trust. The Office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development hosted 4 workshops throughout the 2022-2023 school year on Restorative Justice Approaches to Academic Integrity for the Faculty Center. These workshops were attended by 51 faculty members from across the university. We provide 2 ways students can use these tools to assist them. The Welcoming Accountable Voices in Education (WAVE) conferences provide students with an opportunity to meet with those who are responsible for violating the CSULB student conduct policies so that they can take responsibility for their actions and work directly with those that they have harmed. WAVE Community circles help to address issues that may be affecting members of the CSULB community such as social issues and current events. These circles provide CSULB community members with an opportunity for those with different opinions, values, beliefs, and backgrounds to come together to discuss difficult topics in a safe space. The Office of University Ombuds is an independent, neutral resource for informal problem-solving. The Office serves all members of the campus community - students, alumni/ae, faculty, staff, administrators, emeriti/ae, and retirees. People from the larger community may also bring campus-related problems to the attention of the Ombuds for discussion and resolution.

Student Recruitment: CSULB is part of the Long Beach College Promise, which aims to fulfill the academic potential of all youth by offering guidance and continuous support along every step of the student experience, from pre-K through college and onto career and life. The Promise creates a culture of college expectation, increases college readiness, and improves graduation rates among Long Beach students, raising the education attainment rates of the entire Southern California region. Since the population of Long Beach is majority-minority, the program's focus on supporting local students is one major component of our efforts to recruit underrepresented students. Additionally, Enrollment Services and the Office of University Outreach and School Relations recently committed to improving coordination to increase enrollment of Black and other underrepresented students at CSULB. Outreach and School Relations created a Black Student Outreach Fall 2021 Recruitment Plan, which includes increased outreach to organizations, community colleges, schools, parents, and community organizations. These efforts are in addition to the existing programs that the university supports to recruit and retain students from underrepresented populations including The Beach Pathways program, which encourages applicants from targeted communities based on low socioeconomic status and historically low rates of college attendance. The Upward Bound (UB) program serves high school students from low-income families, high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree, and low-income, first-generation students who are preparing to enter post-secondary education and who demonstrate academic need. UB provides fundamental support to participants in their preparation for college entrance as well as opportunities for participants to succeed in pre-college performance and ultimately in higher education pursuits. Educational Talent Search (ETS) helps low-income and potential first-generation students successfully graduate from secondary school and enroll in post-secondary education. Targeting 13 high schools in the Long Beach/Los Angeles area, ETS advisors guide students in their search for higher-education enrollment and career possibilities. California Student Opportunity and Access Program (Cal-SOAP) seeks to increase the accessibility of post-secondary educational opportunities for underrepresented high school students by providing services related to college preparation, career readiness, financial aid assistance, and academic motivation. Employee Recruitment: CSULB is committed to supporting the university's devotion to increasing and retaining the number of historically underrepresented staff, faculty, and leadership; infusing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in the campus culture at the operational level; and confronting patterns of systemic inequity that affect students, faculty, and staff. In late 2023, the Office of Staff Human Resources launched a new webpage that compiled resources aimed at supporting employees in improving their knowledge about DEIA issues and practices as well as their ability to apply these practices during employee recruitment, hiring, and training. At the same time, the university also launched a new required training for all staff and managers who are or will be serving as search committee members. The training covers best practices for conducting fair and effective searching and provides staff and leadership with tools and resources to support them in their role. Additionally, the university makes it a point to advertise very broadly to obtain the most diverse applicant pools possible. In addition to having advertised in Women in Higher Education, Hispanic Outlook, and Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Faculty Affairs advertises all tenure-track positions in the following venues: • AsiansInHigherEd.com • BlacksInHigherEd.com • CalJobs.ca.gov • DisabledInHigherEd.com • HACU.net • HigherEdJobs.com • HispanicsinHigherEd.com • InsideHigherEd.com • LGBTinHigherEd.com • NativeAmericansinHigherEd.com • VeteransinHigherEd.com • WomenAndHigherEd.com The Office of Equity and Diversity also provides training to search committees on best practices related to ensuring equitable recruitment practices and avoiding bias.

Support for Students TRiO and Migrant Programs - These programs are dedicated to the academic advancement of military veterans, disabled individuals and low-income, first-generation students. The programs provide academic opportunities, counseling, tutoring and support to eligible individuals who are motivated to complete an undergraduate and/or advanced degree. TRiO and Migrant Programs offer a variety of innovative, federally-funded, student-centered programs designed to meet the needs of traditionally underrepresented individuals in higher education. These programs are: • Educational Opportunity Center (EOC), which serves enrolled, re-entry and continuing adult students • McNair Scholars Program, which supports low-income, underrepresented minority students in their pursuit of doctoral studies • Student Support Services (SSSP), which provides academic support and assistance to low-income, first-generation to college, and disabled students - • College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), which assists students who are migratory or seasonal farm wokers (or children of such workers) during their first year of undergraduate studies Other Student Support Services: • The Men’s Success Initiative (MSI) seeks to support young men of color in their academic endeavors at Long Beach State University. The goal is to improve access, retention and graduation rates by providing academic support, professional development and mentoring. • Basic Needs Program - Campus-wide program with targeted services to address housing and food insecurity on our campus. The program includes the Beach Pantry (food pantry), CalFresh Outreach Program/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Student Emergency Intervention and Wellness Program, which provides emergency grants up to $500, short-term housing, and meal assistance. • Bob Murphy Access Center (BMAC) assists students with disabilities in their pursuit of their educational goals • Dream Success Center empowers undocumented students in their pursuit of higher education and fosters a supportive campus community dedicated to their educational and personal success. • Guardian Scholars assists students who are current and former foster youth in their educational pursuits. • Women's and Gender Equity Center is a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment that offers services, support, and resources for students • Support for Pregnant and Parenting students - With the support of Student Affairs and Associated Students Incorporated, the university provides targeted services to pregnant and parenting students, including on campus childcare/pre-school, lactation rooms, emotional support, and family friendly study areas. Support for Employees (academic and non-academic staff): • Black Faculty and Staff (BFAS) Community's mission is to build community amongst Black professionals at CSULB that cultivates a supportive atmosphere, provides an opportunity connect, and contributes to student success by building a foundation of resources for the community and support for Black students at the Beach. • Latinx Faculty and Staff Association (LFSA) aims to provide support, advocacy, and community building for Latinxs at CSULB. The organization will facilitate activities and opportunities to promote recruitment, retention, professional development, and the advancement of faculty and staff at the university, thereby, upholding principles of educational equity and empowerment of Latinxs students at CSULB and contribute to the overall progression of all underrepresented students. Additionally, Faculty Affairs puts on a New Faculty Orientation and mentoring program available to all new tenure-track faculty, which includes faculty from underrepresented groups. In addition, all faculty may utilize resources provided by the Faculty Center for Professional Development (https://www.csulb.edu/faculty-center), and all employees may utilize the Faculty and Staff Assistance program for assistance with personal and family issues (http://web.csulb.edu/divisions/students/caps/FSAP/) and the university Ombuds for professional issues (http://web.csulb.edu/president/ombuds/).

The McNair Scholars Program prepares and supports underrepresented, first-generation and low-income CSULB undergraduate students in their pursuit of doctoral studies. The CSU Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive Program (http://www.calstate.edu/hr/cdip/) aims to increase the number of promising doctoral students applying for future CSU instructional faculty positions by offering financial assistance in the form of a loan and mentorship by CSU faculty. Additionally, there are collective efforts to develop the STEM pipeline, such as the BUILD grant (https://www.csulb.edu/build), and SACNAS (http://sacnas.org/), a program aimed and "Advancing Chicano/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science.

Reporting year 2022-23 Raul Pacheco, Staff Equity and Inclusion Advisor Trace Camacho, Associate Dean of Students