Raritan Valley Community College
PAE-8: Support Programs for Underrepresented Groups

Sister to Sister – The Sister to Sister program seeks to address the barriers young women face in closing the gap in completion rates as well as address other issues in academia, campus climate, personal and professional issues. This program meets bi-monthly with students and staff mentors on topics such as careers, health and wellness, academic advisement , dating and relationships. Sister to Sister sponsored two “speak out” programs this year with Brothers Helping Brothers. The programs were attended by 300 students and featured topics included A Cross talk on Relationships: Dating and Gender Communication. Coordinator: Mrs. Myra Dubar Swanson, Associate Dean of Instruction Brothers Helping Brothers - The Brothers Helping Brothers program began after concerns increased about African- American and Latino males succeeding at college. The program offer mentoring and academic assistance. Program goals include improving leadership and study skills, addressing social and cultural needs and helping males graduate and successfully transfer to four year colleges. The program recruits and retains students by providing them with the skills needed to succeed at college and life. Program activities include bi-monthly meeting with students and co-sponsorship of “speak out” programs with Sister to Sister. Coordinator: Mr. Jeffrey Warren, Academic Advisor Student Life – RVCC student clubs and organization provide activities that support diversity and multicultural education. These diversity clubs include: • The Alliance provides all students with an inclusive, safe and supportive space for social activities, networking and event planning. Committed to encouraging diversity and awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and ally (LGBTQA) issues on campus. • Black Students Association: Raises and instills unity, respect, sound leadership and cultural pride of a multicultural student base and eliminates ignorance due to prejudice and stereotypes. It also raises cultural awareness through dance remembering that the roots of its organization stemmed from the rich African culture. • International Club: Encourages campus-wide appreciation for students of diverse cultural backgrounds, their contributions and history. • Orgullo Latino / Latin Pride Club: Provides campus-wide awareness and appreciation of Hispanic Americans, their contributions and history. Provides outreach programs to encourage Hispanic high school students in our local communities to seek post-secondary education. • PEACE (Philippine Engagement Awareness & Cultural Empowerment) • Social Justice Club: SJC raises awareness of social and political issues such as discrimination and various world cultures to facilitate understanding, respect and tolerance to affect positive change within the campus and the greater community. • United By Differences: To educate the general public about the issues facing people with limitations. Members with and/or without disabilities are invited to join. Coordinator: Russell Barefoot, Director of Student Life

The Association of Black Faculty, Administrators and Staff (ABFAS) at Raritan Valley Community College – mission is to support, value and foster a diverse environment that is committed to student success and life-long learning through leadership and service to the community. As part of our fabric, we support positive leadership to improve the productivity of our organization. We continuously strive to widen the circle of equality, diversity and deepen the commitment of inclusion for Black Faculty, Administrators, Staff and Students. Program goals include: (1)To provide a safe forum for dialogue and debate, to hear concerns related to Black Faculty, Administrators, Staff and Students; (2)To keep the issues of diversity and equity at the forefront of policy making at RVCC; specifically as it relates to Black Faculty, Administrators, Staff and Students; (3)To promote the recruitment and retention, promotion and tenure, professional development and career advancement of Black Faculty, Administrators and Staff at RVCC; (4)To stimulate interest in, awareness of and address issues of concerns of the Black community, including campus climate; (5)To provide support for recruitment and retention of Black students at RVCC; and (6)To foster a greater sense of community and mutual support among the Black faculty, administrators and staff of RVCC, through mentoring and networking. Program activities include: A Networking Event and Open Forum for Minority Students, Holiday Celebration and Retreat. Our first retreat is scheduled for May 23, 2011. Retreat agenda included session on: Session #1 – Data Sharing – Community of Color at RVCC; Session# 2 - Student Success – Pipeline for Excellence; Session#3 ABFAS Strategic Planning; Session # 3 Holistic Approach to Wellness. Coordinator: Julia West-Johnson, President of ABFAS LGBT Ally Training Programs - LGBTQ Services trains faculty, staff, and students to be allies to the LGBT campus community. This training includes two parts: Part 1: - Training session provides participants with an overview of LGBT history, terms, and current issues. This interactive workshop focuses on the specific issues that our LGBT students, faculty and staff face on a daily basis, both on-campus and off-campus. At the end of the 2 ½ hour program, each participant are given the opportunity to indicate his/her willingness to serve as an Ally and/or to designate his/her work area as a “Safe Zone” for the discussion of issues related to sexual diversity. Part 2: LGBT Ally Training—Training session provides participants with scenario-specific training that will build on the introductory material that was covered in the first LGBT Ally training. During the session, participants will be guide us through a series of exercises and role plays that will aim to equip Allies to converse with students about topics such as: the coming out process; acceptance/rejection by family and/or friends; dealing with heterosexism, homophobia, and/or bullying; and dating and relationships. Coordinator: Professor David Chase, Department of English

See previous answer. The same programs are open to faculty and staff.