Evergreen State College, The
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

The Evergreen State College is committed, as a matter of principle, and in conformance with federal and state laws, to prohibiting discrimination and behaviors, which, if repeated, could constitute discrimination. The President of the Evergreen State College, as the delegate of the Board of Trustees, directs that all personnel and student-related transactions, and the operation of all College programs, activities and services, will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, age, disability, pregnancy, or status as a disabled veteran, a Vietnam era veteran or other covered veteran. Harassment on any of the above-stated grounds is a form of prohibited discrimination. This policy applies to faculty, staff and students. This policy also prohibits retaliation for reporting possible violations of this policy, for cooperating with any related investigation, or for participating in such a complaint process. https://www.evergreen.edu/policy/nondiscriminationpolicyandprocedure

Reporting of Bias Incidents Students, staff, faculty members, visitors, vendors, and contractors who experience or become aware of a possible hate crime or bias incident are asked to report the crime or incident immediately to a designated college office or official: Vice President for Student Affairs (360) 867-6296 Police Services (360) 867-6832 (available 24/7) Director of Residential and Dining Services (360) 867-6137 Senior Student Conduct Code Officer (360) 867-5113 Dean of Student and Academic Support Services (360) 867-6034 Director of First Peoples' Advising Services (360) 867-6467 Civil Rights Officer (360) 867-5371 Provost’s Office (360) 867-6400 Academic Deans (360) 867-6870 Title IX Coordinator (360) 867-5100 Notification of the report will then be made to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. The Vice President for Student Affairs will ensure that an investigation is initiated by the appropriate investigative official, will notify the appropriate vice president if the alleged incident did not occur in an area managed by Student Affairs and will decide whether to convene the Response Team. Procedures Initial Steps Front-line respondents to the incident will (a) assess and determine the need for emergency services, which may include emergency medical or psychological treatment; (b) contact Police Services; (c) help determine if there continues to be a threat to parties involved and provide appropriate protection to the targeted individual or group through Police Services. The scene where hate crimes or bias incidents have occurred should not be disturbed prior to the arrival of Police Services. Any physical evidence of the incident (messages written on doors, physical objects, etc.) must be left in place when practical and secured for police to document and investigate. Documentation of the incident will begin immediately. Police Services will be contacted to document possible hate crimes or bias incidents through such activities as photographing physical injuries, offensive graffiti and evidence of vandalism. Reports will include important details such as when and where the incident occurred and who was involved in or witnessed the incident. In cases involving students, the Vice President for Student Affairs, or the vice President's designee, may assign a case-coordinator to ensure direct services and support to students in crisis, typically the student or students targeted in an incident. The case coordinator is a student affairs practitioner trained in crisis management and emergencies. The case-coordinator assists affected students in accessing College and local support services and resources and intervenes or facilitates in matters related to the students' academic, employment, or personal well-being. The case coordinator is assigned to the student until the crisis is resolved. When requested by the student, the case coordinator will accompany the student to appointments, as well as advise the student regarding college policies. Students residing in the residence halls are assigned a case coordinator by the Director of Residential and Dining Services, and students living off campus are assigned a case coordinator by the Dean of Student and Academic Support Services. If the student shows any signs of being distraught, contact with the Counseling Center should be made immediately. Based on interactions with the student, it may be appropriate to assign a case coordinator from the student’s affinity group. If this is not possible, it may be valuable for the case coordinator to identify who within the college community could assist as additional support. Faculty may access the type of assistance provided to students by contacting an academic dean, who will provide the assistance or help secure it. Staff may obtain assistance or help identifying sources of assistance by contacting the Human Resources Office. Investigative Responses Intake investigation, fact finding and resolution of all complaints of hate crimes and bias incidents will be conducted by the appropriate authority (Police Services, Senior Student Conduct Officer, and/or Civil Rights Officer). Investigations will be conducted to determine possible violations of college policies and local, state or federal laws and regulations. Students, faculty and/or staff who have committed a hate crime or bias incident may be accountable under the criminal justice system, the Student Conduct Code and/or the applicable College policy. Knowingly making a false complaint against another member of the College community is also prohibited behavior, and may be subject to sanctions under the criminal justice system, applicable College policies, and the Student Conduct Code. A finding that a hate crime or bias incident was not substantiated is not in itself sufficient for a charge of a false accusation. (This section should not be construed as a warning against filing a complaint.) Bias Incident Response Team Once the most immediate needs have been addressed, the Vice President for Student Affairs or the Vice President's designee will convene the Bias Incident Response Team. The Response Team will be comprised of: Vice President for Student Affairs Dean of Student and Academic Support Services Director, Residential and Dining Services Academic Dean (Provost will refer to the appropriate dean) Faculty Agenda Committee Member/or Agenda Committee appointee Director of First Peoples' Advising Services Director of Police Services Senior Student Conduct Code Officer Civil Rights Officer Title IX Coordinator Director of College Relations or designee Director of Access Services President's Special Assistant for Diversity Affairs Director of Student Activities Two students appointed by the Geoduck Student Union The Vice President for Student Affairs may invite faculty and staff to serve as consultants to the team if they posses expertise that could add to the analyses in a special case. The Response Team will be provided with progress reports of an investigation. Given that criminal and judicial investigations are confidential, the Team will be kept informed of the investigation's progress to the extent allowable. Whenever possible, the Team will provide assistance to ensure that all aspects of bias-related activities are examined and that the investigation is handled in a manner that is efficient, effective and culturally sensitive. The Response Team will identify the needs of the affected individuals, as well as those of the larger Evergreen community. An email may be sent to the appropriate affected individuals describing the incident and the steps which are being taken, status of the investigation, and that the Response Team has been assembled. An update may follow once the Response Team has had an opportunity to assess the situation and determine next steps. The response team may inform the larger Evergreen community about what has transpired. The response team may organize and hold open forums for affected individuals as well as the larger community to provide details of the incident which can be revealed outside of the investigation, to gather suggestions, to denounce such incidents, to reaffirm Evergreen's values and standards and to educate about hate crimes and bias incidents. The response team may also determine incident related topic program areas for additional trainings for students, staff and faculty. All efforts should be made to identify and provide opportunities for the community that will enhance and encourage inter-group dialogue that focuses on relevant issues of bias, hate crimes, hate groups (their profiles, agendas and patterns of behavior), discrimination, and effective strategies for enhancing individual and community safety and well-being and reinforcing community values. https://evergreen.edu/studentaffairs/biasincidentprotocol

Evergreen is a part of TRiO's high school recruitment team. The Evergreen State College Upward Bound TRIO program has been funded by the U.S Department of Education since 1977. TRiO Student Success works to provide holistic support that empowers our students to persist and graduate at greater rate than those who don’t use our services. Their services are targeted to serve and assist students who are low-income, first-generation, and/or those with documented disabilities to achieve graduation with their Bachelor’s Degree. TRiO Student Success provides one-on-one support services from the day a student enters the program until graduation. TESC holds five, five-year Upward Bound Grants which are currently funded for 2017-2022, to support low income high school students in becoming the first in their family to obtain a college degree. The Tacoma Upward Bound Classic Grant serves 105 students who attend Lincoln and Mount Tahoma High Schools in the Tacoma School District. This grant is funded at $490,000 per year, totaling $2.45 million over the course of five years. The Tacoma Math-Science Program serves 60 students who attend Lincoln and Mount Tahoma High Schools in the Tacoma School District. This grant is funded at $275,000 per year, totaling $1.37 million over the course of five years. The Clover Park Upward Bound Classic Grant services 60 students who all attend Clover Park High School in Lakewood. This grant is funded at a quarter of a million dollars annually, totaling $1,250,000.00 over the course of five years. All of this funding is used to support our students graduating from high school, being accepted into a college, winning the scholarships and grants to finance their education and graduating from college. https://www.evergreen.edu/trio/upwardbound In addition, Evergreen offers a Native Pathways Program (NPP) that promotes life-long indigenous scholarship by placing value on cultural and traditional knowledge, working with indigenous research methodologies, and expanding indigeneity through academia. Designed for place-bound students deeply connected to tribal communities, the Native Pathways program is an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degree on contemporary Native American issues. The curriculum is grounded in a recognition of the vitality and diversity of contemporary indigenous communities. It focuses on tribal administration, leadership, law, sustainability, and human services with a special emphasis on what is happening in Indian communities in Washington State. https://www.evergreen.edu/nativepathways The Evergreen State College annually implements an Affirmative Action Plan (AAP) to achieve a diverse workforce and to employ and retain members of underrepresented affected groups among its administration, faculty and staff. Evergreen’s Affirmative Action Plan does not establish quotas or any kind of timelines for the achievement of goals, but identifies the levels of diversity present in labor markets relevant to College recruitment and establishes those levels as goals the College aspires to in its employment of administrators, staff and faculty. https://www.evergreen.edu/equalopportunity

•Office for Diversity Affairs and Equal Opportunity (http://evergreen.edu/diversity/): Page with various information about diversity at the college as well as resource links and related events calendars. •First People's Multicultural, Trans, and Queer Support Services (http://www.evergreen.edu/multicultural/): Skilled professionals and peers provide support to students of color and LGBTQ+ students on campus in achieving their academic and personal goals. Also provides community-building and educational events throughout the year. •Access Services for Students with Disabilities (http://www.evergreen.edu/access/services.htm): Depending on the nature of disability and how it impacts the educational experience, services and accommodations are available on an individually determined basis. •Multicultural Scholars Program (http://www.evergreen.edu/multicultural/scholars-program.htm): Two credit program open to first-year students and new transfer students and takes place during the week prior to general move-in day. It introduces incoming students to the Evergreen academic model, provides opportunities to put their learning into practice while exploring vital contemporary issues, and encourages them to build connections with other diversity-minded students, faculty and staff.

Evergreen does not offer terminal degrees.

Map of gender-neutral bathrooms: https://www.evergreen.edu/facilities/locations