Oregon State University
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Oregon State University, in compliance with state and federal laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status in any of its policies, procedures, or practices. Oregon State University policy prohibits any act that either in form or operation, and whether intended or unintended, unreasonably differentiates among persons on the basis of a protected status. This definition reserves to the University, in furtherance of its educational mission, the right to address conduct that would not necessarily be unlawful. It is not intended to create individual or group rights, whether contractual or otherwise, that do not exist under existing law. Oregon State University policy prohibits behavior based on another's protected status that is sufficiently severe or pervasive that it has the effect, intended or unintended, of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work or academic performance because it has created an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment and would have such an effect on a reasonable person of that individual’s status. This policy is not intended to and will not be applied in a way that would violate rights to academic freedom and freedom of expression. https://eoa.oregonstate.edu/discrimination-and-harassment-policies#protected%20status Additionally, OSU Extension services have their own statement which can be found here: https://employee.extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/employee/files/2017-10/osues-assurance-of-non-discriminatio-form-2016.pdf

The Office of Institutional Diversity coordinates the University's Bias Response Team which is responsible for applying the Reported Bias Incident Response Protocol. The Reported Bias Incident Response Protocol provides a process to comprehensively, collaboratively, and consistently address bias incidents that affect Oregon State University students, faculty, and staff. The process of reporting incidents of bias begins with submitting a bias incident report. After submitting a bias incident report, the Bias Response Team evaluates the report and works collaboratively to develop an appropriate response. Responses include providing care and support to community members negatively affected, learning more about the incident, engaging in educational conversations and interventions, providing access and referrals to campus resources and coordinating efforts to restore individuals and groups negatively affected. https://diversity.oregonstate.edu/bias-incident-response-process

The Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program at Oregon State, funded by the National Science Foundation, is dedicated to increasing the number of traditionally underrepresented students successfully completing STEM baccalaureate degree programs. Programming includes a residential bridge program for incoming freshman and the Second-year & Transfer Experience Program, focusing on increasing the retention rate of these students and getting them engaged in their academics at OSU. The program also offers financial scholarships to make college more attainable for low income and minority groups. http://lsamp.oregonstate.edu/ The College of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering offers a one-week summer program, Summer Experience in Science and Engineering for Youth (SESEY). The program targets high school girls and minorities with an aptitude for math and science, allowing them to gain experience in the world of engineering. It takes place at Oregon State University, exposing high school students to the opportunities they may have at OSU. http://cbee.oregonstate.edu/sesey The university’s Tenured Faculty Diversity Initiative is designed to help enhance the culture of racial and ethnic diversity at OSU through hires that promote positive changes to the academic climate. Faculty members will be selected for academic excellence and for their ability to positively impact the hiring unit’s (and/or the university’s) organizational culture to be more inclusive of and accommodating to students, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds. Preference will be given to faculty appointments that meet the requirements to be hired with tenure, though strong candidates who meet all other criteria will be considered for hire at the advanced assistant professor level. http://academicaffairs.oregonstate.edu/tenured-faculty-diversity-initiative Established in 2008, OSU’s Search Advocate program enhances equity, validity, and diversity in the university’s hiring practices. Search advocates are OSU faculty, staff, and students who are trained as search and selection process advisers. Their preparation includes a two-part workshop series addressing current research about implicit bias, diversity, the changing legal landscape in hiring, inclusive employment principles, practical strategies for each stage of the search process, and effective ways to be an advocate on a search committee. As a quality assurance measure, advocates who wish to remain eligible beyond the first year must engage in relevant continuing education that is recorded and approved through the Search Advocate program. http://searchadvocate.oregonstate.edu/about

The Office of Diversity & Cultural Engagement (DCE) consists of several programs and seven Cultural Resource Centers (CRCs) which provide students, staff and faculty with opportunities to critically explore the world we live in, engage in transformative learning experiences, and advance scholarly research and personal goals. Though primarily geared towards students, many of the services and programs are available for staff and faculty as well. The CRCs provide support services to students, as well as opportunities for all members of the OSU community to learn about different cultures and communities in a safer environment. Events and activities at the centers include national history and heritage month programs, social justice workshops (retreats), cultural holiday celebrations, cooking demonstrations, craft nights, and many other programs. Several of the social justice retreats are targeted towards faculty and staff, while others are aimed for students. Current retreats can be found at the link provided below. Retreats last year centered around similar topics. http://dce.oregonstate.edu/retreat http://dce.oregonstate.edu/programs-initiatives OSU's Student Health Services is committed to providing holistic care to meet the needs of all students while striving to reduce health inequities. They work closely with colleagues in Counseling and Psychological Services to provide multi-disciplinary care that is centered on the complex needs of OSU's transgender students. https://studenthealth.oregonstate.edu/transgender-care The President's Commission on the Status of Women actively advocates for and promotes a positive climate for all university women including students, staff, faculty, and administrators. Now in its fourth decade, PCOSW gives voice to women's experiences and perspectives by advocating for gender parity at our university. Rooted in feminist principles, the Commission works to identify and address the changing needs of all women in our university community. By building partnerships and collaborating with others from historically underrepresented groups, PCOSW now seeks to improve the collective status of all who have been silenced or excluded by unexamined norms, beliefs, and practices of the OSU community. http://leadership.oregonstate.edu/pcosw/ For faculty, OSU offers ADVANCE Faculty Fellowships. OREGON STATE ADVANCE is part of the National Science Foundation's ADVANCE program, which is aimed at increasing the participation and advancement of women in academic science and engineering careers, thereby developing a more diverse science and engineering workforce. Oregon State is the recipient of an ADVANCE Institutional Transformation (IT) award, which is intended to produce large-scale comprehensive change within our university. The primary goal of OREGON STATE ADVANCE is to serve as a catalyst for advancing the study and practice of equity, inclusion, and justice for women and others from historically underrepresented groups in the academy. The purpose of the one-year ADVANCE Faculty Fellowships is to support the work of tenure-line faculty to embed our commitments to equity, inclusion, and justice throughout the university. http://advance.oregonstate.edu/faculty-fellows For staff and faculty, the Association of Faculty for the Advancement of People of Color (AFAPC) works to recruit, retain, build community, and provide support (nourishment, enrichment, and inspiration) for faculty and staff of color, and indigenous, and mixed-heritage identities at Oregon State University. The group provides a climate of acceptance and promotes the principles of diversity and inclusion. AFAPC strives to be a community of committed individuals who support and sustain each other professionally and personally, who affirm and hold close shared identities, who embrace and bridge the unique identities within each of us, and who affirm the importance of building and maintaining a robust community to positively influence the entire Oregon State University community. http://afapc.oregonstate.edu/

The Graduate School at OSU offers several scholarships targeted towards typically underrepresented groups to encourage them to pursue graduate programs, which may allow for a career as a faculty member. The Diversity Scholar Recruitment Award is designed to support inclusiveness in graduate programs, to recruit and retain students from divergent and non-traditional backgrounds, and to enrich the academic environment by embracing a broad range of perspectives. http://gradschool.oregonstate.edu/awards/diversity-scholars The Graduate Diversity Recruitment Bonus is designed to augment recruitment-based assistantship and fellowship offers to incoming graduate students with meritorious records and demonstrated potential for graduate study by offering bonuses to students from divergent and/or nontraditional backgrounds. http://gradschool.oregonstate.edu/awards/diversity-recruitment-bonus The Diversity Advancement Pipeline Fellowship is intended to create support opportunities which enhance campus efforts to recruit and retain meritorious domestic graduate students from divergent and/or nontraditional backgrounds who have an expressed interest in a career in university teaching and/or research. http://gradschool.oregonstate.edu/awards/diversity-pipeline-scholarship