Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 77.43
Liaison Elida Erickson
Submission Date Feb. 28, 2022

STARS v2.2

University of California, Santa Cruz
PA-5: Diversity and Equity Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.56 / 2.00 Jessica Zubia
Program Manger
Sustainability Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1 

Does the institution have a diversity and equity committee, office, and/or officer tasked by the administration or governing body to advise on and implement policies, programs, and trainings related to diversity, equity, inclusion and human rights?:
Yes

Does the committee, office and/or officer focus on students, employees, or both?:
Both students and employees

None
A brief description of the diversity and equity committee, office and/or officer, including purview and activities:
Student + Employee: The Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion advances the university’s teaching, research and service mission and commitment to excellence by working collaboratively with others throughout the institution to promote a campus climate that values diversity, equity and inclusion, and is free of bias and harassment.

Office initiatives and activities are designed to cultivate a climate in which all students, staff and faculty are treated fairly and able to thrive and succeed; and everyone including current affiliates, alumni, supporters and community members are welcome.

Office staff members work to ensure that UC Santa Cruz is compliant with nondiscrimination and affirmative action policies and laws for staff and faculty, and all applicants and employees are afforded equal opportunity in employment.

The office develops and delivers educational programs and workshops focused on understanding different facets of diversity and provides strategies and skills for inclusive practices. The office also developed a Dialogue Series in 2018. Segments of the series are delivered by different members of the campus community.

http://diversity.ucsc.edu/about/index.html

Academic Employees: The Committee on Affirmative Action and Diversity (CAAD) studies and makes recommendations on affirmative action policy and campus diversity. CAAD is especially concerned with diversity for academic personnel and academic programs. The committee studies and advises on issues of faculty mentoring and retention and campus climate, working closely with campus diversity officers. CAAD also reviews departmental requests for waivers of open recruitment/spousal hires and “target of excellence” hires. CAAD meets every other week.

http://senate.ucsc.edu/committees/caad-committee-on-affirmative-action-and-diversity/

Part 2 

Estimated proportion of students that has participated in cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:
All

Estimated proportion of academic staff that has participated in cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:
Some

Estimated proportion of non-academic staff that has participated in cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:
Some

If trainings are made available, provide:

A brief description of the institution’s cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:
The Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion(ODEI) offers workshops and ongoing educational programs that promote career development, academic and staff employee retention, and provides diversity and compliance education. We seek to educate academic and staff employees about best practices aimed at creating an environment that values diversity and inclusion, is free from bias, and in which all employees are able to succeed. Additionally, they also create the We Are Slugs Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Students (WAS DEI) program that is required for all students to complete in order to enroll in classes.

In keeping with the UCSC Principles of Community, the “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Students” educational online program is designed to introduce students to concepts that will assist them in further understanding how inclusive practices foster a healthy and welcoming campus climate for our diverse student body.

The program also provides students with an array of resources that support their multiple intersectional identities, and therefore their growth as a student, as an engaged critical thinker, and a dedicated member of their local and global communities.

Building an inclusive environment that promotes diversity and inclusion requires the active participation of everyone on campus. The staff, faculty, and graduate student Diversity and Inclusion Certificate Program (DICP) consists of nine courses (seven core courses and two electives) providing a valuable professional development opportunity at no cost to employees or employee units. The program is designed to offer participants an in-depth examination of diversity and differences in order to gain a greater understanding of how we can and why we should work together to build a stronger and more inclusive UC Santa Cruz community. Participants gain valuable knowledge and skills that will enable them to more effectively and enjoyably work and lead in a multicultural, diverse environment.

Participants who complete all seven core courses and two elective program courses within two years qualify to receive a certificate of completion. Individual courses are also open to those who are not pursuing a certificate; individuals do have the option to take courses based on their own interest.

The courses, ranging from two to three hours, are taught by various internal and external instructors in different formats. The core courses are offered at least twice during the academic year while the elective courses are offered once.

A cohort system was recently. All individuals interested in obtaining a certificate are required to attend an orientation and a two-part seminar. Additionally, some of the courses have been re-titled to reflect current approaches to social justice education.

Core course topics include:
Orientation
Power, Privilege and Oppression
Supporting Queer and Trans Communities 101
Developing Diversity Change Agents
Disability 101
Race: A Brief History of an Idea
Class Matters

Elective course topics include:

Intersections between Diversity and Environment
Understanding Religious Beliefs & Believers
Undocumented Students and UCSC and Beyond
Challenging Islamophobia
Coming to Terms with our Differences
Gender Bias and Gender Discrimination in the Workplace

In addition to the DICP courses, ODEI offers regular workshops about microaggressions.

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s diversity and equity office or trainings is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
ODEI evaluates some of its programs. Specifically, all courses in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Certificate program.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.