State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
PA-5: Diversity and Equity Coordination

The committee:

• Helps promote tolerance for all people, and eliminate all racist behaviors that threaten, incite or harass others
• Accelerates an increase in the diversity of faculty, staff, and students
• Identifies mechanisms for better support of international and underrepresented students
• Promotes additional safety and security needs
• Reviews the current voluntary use of an inclusive excellence statement on class syllabi, which encourages faculty to adhere to inclusiveness for all students, and recommend any needed changes
• Implements the NERCHE Self-Assessment Rubric for the Institutionalization of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Higher Education
• Updates the original 2016 ESF IDE Strategic Plan

To enhance the impact of the Committee, the College president appoints additional members, and the Committee develops a network of “equity liaisons.” These are point people from each major academic and staff department/unit who are available to hear concerns, ideas, and feedback from members of that unit. These individuals report to the IDE Committee and return information to their respective units. They also facilitate trainings and diversity initiatives within their unit to broaden the College’s training efforts. Working with the liaisons, the Committee creates infrastructure that rotates liaisons on a periodic basis, and provides training for them that best meets the needs of students and employees. This initiative is sustainable, with each unit required to have one publicly identified liaison with the ability to rotate on a set timeframe or as-needed basis.

The Office of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity develops and implements required cultural competency workshops, annually, at a minimum, for students, faculty, staff and administrators. Workshop topics include, but are not limited to, privilege, microaggressions, tokenism, and intersectionality.

a) Employee Anti-Bias Training-Search Committees (required for all search committee members)
b) Employee Anti-Harassment (required annually)
c) Student Leader Training-Anti Bias/Title IX (required annually)
d) New Student Orientation-Anti Bias

Presentations are held on a rolling basis throughout the year to create a shared understanding of inclusion, diversity and equity and develop a welcoming college climate and continuously work toward improvement where issues can be openly and comfortably discussed among students/faculty/staff/administration.