University of Louisville
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Notice of Nondiscrimination
UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE
Reaffirmation of Commitment
To Equal Educational & Employment Opportunity

The University Louisville is committed to and will provide equality of educational and employment opportunity for all persons regardless of race, sex, age, color, national origin, ethnicity, creed, religion, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expression, marital status, pregnancy, or veteran status – except where sex, age, or ability represent bona fide educational or employment qualifications. Further, the university seeks to promote campus diversity by enrolling and employing a larger number of minorities and women where these groups have historically been and continue to be under-represented within the university in relation to availability and may extend preference in initial employment to such individuals among substantially equally qualified candidates, as well as to veterans and current university employees seeking promotion.

This affirmation is published in accordance with 41 CFR 60 and is in keeping with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX, Education Amendments of 1972, as amended; Executive Order 11246; the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974; the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1988 and Kentucky Statutes.

To ensure that equal educational and employment opportunity exists throughout the university, a results-oriented equal opportunity/affirmative action program will be implemented to overcome the effects of past discrimination and to eliminate any artificial barriers to educational or employment opportunities for all qualified individuals that may exist in any of our programs. The university aims to achieve, within all areas of the university community, a diverse student body, faculty, and staff capable of providing for excellence in the education of its students and for the enrichment of the university community.

The University of Louisville reaffirms its commitment to equality of educational and employment opportunity in its relationships with all members of the university community and its commitment to the elimination of any documented historical and continuing underutilization of women and minorities among the student body or employee complement. The University of Louisville is committed to this program and is aware that with its implementation, positive benefits will be received from the greater utilization and development of previously underutilized human resources.

https://louisville.edu/hr/employeerelations/discrimination-and-harassment

While valuing freedom of thought and expression, and multiple points of view, UofL recognizes that some members of our campus community are affected by instances of bias and hate and need assistance. The Bias Incident Response Team (BIRT) is a group of faculty and staff who are committed to creating a proactive response for students, faculty and staff to instances of hate and bias in the following ways:
• Support those who are targeted by hate or bias.
• Refer them to the resources and services available.
• Educate the campus community about the impact of hate and bias.
• Promote initiatives and new ideas that further a welcoming, bias-free climate at UofL.
More information is at http://www.louisville.edu/biasresponse

Provost’s Rapid Response Team:
The University Provost convenes a rapid response team in times of crisis or when a significant issue of distress or discrimination occurs. Made up of representatives from diversity, student affairs, counseling, public safety, and others the team develops crisis plans and strategies to bring key stakeholders to the table and to ensure that those affected by discrimination are receiving the care they need.

Student Care Team:
The Dean of Students convenes the Student Care Team (SCT) to provide a regular opportunity for communication between University partners, identifying the resources and support for University of Louisville students who are in need of care, or who are experiencing distress.

A crisis for the purposes of this response plan is an event involving a student that threatens the well-being of one or more individuals or the university community as a whole. A crisis may include personal crises and/or behavioral issues involving individual students or groups of students. The SCT focus is to respond to student needs, attempting to avoid student injury and/or disruption to the integrity of the learning environment. Specific examples may include, but are not limited to: suicide attempts; death of a student; sexual assaults; physical assaults or other acts of violence; transport to hospital related to alcohol, drugs, eating disorders or serious injury; activities or events that may have an impact on the campus community and any personal tragedy or significant event that might impact a student’s ability to stay in school.
http://louisville.edu/dos/facultystaff/student-care-team

The University of Louisville meets these criteria through the various programs that support under-represented groups within the student body, the faculty, and the staff. Examples include:

To recruit a more diverse pool of applicants for non-academic staff positions, Human Resources has changed its policies that used to prevent inclusion of the language that "UofL seeks applicants from diverse backgrounds" (this is now frequently included in position postings), regularly scrapes the HR listings and shares them on our Diversity website, and will specifically advertise certain positions to targeted communities.

Program to Support Diverse Faculty Hires - A new program to support diverse faculty hires was approved in 2016. When fully implemented, an allocation of $2,430,000 will support the hiring of new diverse faculty over five years. The program was initiated in AY 2016-17 and guidelines for applying for the funds have been completed.

The University of Louisville Commission on Diversity and Racial Equity - seeks to promote and maintain an inclusive environment that allows us to reach our full potential without fear of prejudice or bias. Committed to building an exemplary educational community that offers a rigorous and cultivating intellectual climate that respects human diversity and has a deep understanding of the many differences that enrich a vibrant metropolitan research university. UofL embodies the core values of this vision and demonstrates a strong commitment to attract, retain and support students, teachers, and employees who represent the diversity of our society.

https://louisville.edu/codre

Oportunidad y el éxito (Opportunity and Success) Student Scholarships - $50,000 has been allocated annually to fund scholarships designed to support the university’s goals of educational excellence, diversity, and opportunity for all of its students. This allocation will be replaced by earnings on a $1,000,000 scholarship endowment to be established through a donor development effort. Eligible students will include diverse members of the Hispanic/ Latino communities in the United States, including those who grew up in Spanish-speaking environments or who have lived, worked or gone to school in Hispanic/Latino communities.

Graduate School

The Graduate School is committed to providing financial support for UofL departments and programs to assist in the matriculation and graduation of qualified, underrepresented ethnic minority students.

• Minority Fellowships - Approximately 12-15 ethnic minority fellowships are awarded annually. Both master’s and doctoral students are eligible for consideration. Doctoral students are funded for two years, with a commitment of support for an additional two years from their department. Master’s students are funded for one year, with the same commitment from their department for an additional year. Students must be enrolled full-time for the duration of their funding and the award includes a stipend, tuition, and health insurance.

• Visitation Day is an annual program sponsored and conducted by the Graduate School. The program is a day and a half event, in which UofL hosts prospective graduate students. Historically, Visitation Day has targeted minority students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, along with minority students from other regional institutions of higher education. The program is a diversity initiative; however, students of all ethnic backgrounds are eligible to apply. The aim of Visitation Day is to connect academically qualified upper-class undergraduate students who have a strong desire to pursue graduate education with faculty, staff, and current graduate students at the University of Louisville as a way of providing an up-close and personal campus visit. Participants of the program attend workshops on admissions and scholarships/financial aid. Overnight hotel accommodations and meals are covered for students who are selected to attend.

Additionally, the Graduate School hosts an annual "Diverse Faculty, Staff and Graduate Student Welcome Day." Diverse faculty and staff are invited to attend this event in an effort to share a community of support and mentorship. Participants walk away with a wealth of campus resources and a personal network committed to ensuring the success of our incoming and current underrepresented students, faculty, and staff.

Cultural Competency Research Project:
The director of the Muhammad Ali Institute (MAI), and the faculty resource group of MAI developed a cultural competency research project for UofL designed to:
(1) Conduct an Integrative/Comprehensive Literature Review of the Definitions of Cultural Competency [CC]:
(a) To identify definitions of cultural competency by discipline and Student Affairs;
(b) To identify best practices for implementing/operationalizing/exhibiting CC in these disciplinesand Student Affairs; and
(c) To identify the expected outcomes by discipline of implementing/operationalizing/exhibiting cultural competence in these fields/disciplines, e.g., better student retention, student learning outcomes, faculty job satisfaction, recruitment and retention of diverse faculty and staff.

http://louisville.edu/diversity/diversitypolicy/diversity-plan/ULDiversityPlanOctober2017.pdf

The University of Louisville meets these criteria through the various programs that support under-represented groups within the student body, the faculty and the staff. Examples include:

C.O.N.E.C.T. (Caring of New students Experiencing College Transition) – peer mentoring program to assist Black students with the transition from high school to college. C.O.N.E.C.T. mentors host monthly workshops and programs organized and facilitated by the peer mentors. All first year students are assigned a peer mentor during summer orientation sessions at Making the Connection. The program has been so successful with Black students that its programs have been expanded to work beyond the first year through “C.O.N.E.C.T. Remix.” They also host a regular discussion group targeting Black females entitled A Sistah’s Voice and the African American Recognition Reception to celebrate the academic success of students of color.
http://louisville.edu/artsandsciences/advising/student-services/conect

UofL's Cultural Center has for years hosted an Early Arrival Program for under-represented groups to increase rates of academic success and retention. The program helps ease the transition of incoming students of color including African American males, Latino students and Woodford R. Porter Scholars, from high school to college and to teach them the tips and tricks of prospering in their first year of college. Throughout the week students participate in an enriching series of discussions, events and networking activities focused on showing students what it means to be an active and engaged student at the University of Louisville. This program is designed to provide recipients the opportunity network and start to build relationships with people that they identify as part of their support system including their peers. Participants include:
- African American Male Initiative: This track aids AAMI participants in their successful transition to college life at the University of Louisville.
- Hispanic/Latin@ Initiative: This track helps Hispanic/Latino students gain awareness of and develop skills necessary to ensure academic success through intentional connections with current students, faculty, and staff.
- Woodford R. Porter Scholarship Program: This track helps scholars gain significant awareness of and develop the skills necessary to ensure academic success through intentional connections with faculty, staff, students and special community guests.
http://louisville.edu/culturalcenter/retention/early-arrival-program

Society of Woodford R. Porter Scholars – a society of scholarship recipients named in honor of Woodford R. Porter, Sr., a leader in Louisville's civic, business and education communities. He was the first African American to serve as President of the Louisville School District Board of Education and as Chairman of the University of Louisville's Board of Trustees. The group was formed in 1986 to provide academic and social support to the Woodford R. Porter Sr. Scholarship recipients with the goal of increasing the retention and graduation rates of Porter Scholars. The organization also promotes interaction, enhances leadership opportunities and personal development as well as encourages professional/graduate education.
http://louisville.edu/culturalcenter/retention/porter/porter

Diversity Leadership Institute – A program of the Cultural Center to address leadership & professional development, campus engagement for underrepresented students and to provide them with tools to lead and manage the shifting intercultural changes at the University of Louisville. Students explore best practices, current events, share challenges and triumphs, and form lasting bonds with other participants.
http://louisville.edu/culturalcenter/students/dli

TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and the University of Louisville. SSS is committed to helping low-income, first-generation college students and students with disabilities achieve a bachelor’s degree. The program’s mission is to increase retention and graduation rates by offering academic, financial, and personal support. During the academic year, SSS students receive individual and group advising to foster positive study habits and academic success. Students can take advantage of a comfortable learning environment, financial counseling, leadership opportunities, cultural excursions, and exciting academic workshops. There is no cost of participation for the student. http://louisville.edu/trio

Graduate School

The Graduate School is committed to providing financial support for UofL departments and programs to assist in the matriculation and graduation of qualified, underrepresented ethnic minority students.

• Graduate Teaching Academy - The Graduate Teaching Academy was created in 2008 and is designed to assist Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) from different disciplines who are assigned some classroom responsibilities as part of their assistantship to develop knowledge, skills, and excellence in classroom teaching. The focus of the academy is on the following topics: critical thinking, development of evaluation rubrics for the classroom, creating a learner-centered syllabus, stimulating active learning, classroom management, test development, and student learning styles and generational differences. Many ethnic minority graduate students participate in the Academy.

• Professional development workshops - An initiative within the Graduate School is the Professional Development program for graduate students, known as PLAN (P – Professional Development, L – Life Skills, A – Academic Development, N – Networking). PLAN aims to provide a series of professional development workshops, which are interdisciplinary in nature, for current graduate students. Some workshops are designed specifically for ethnic minority fellows and SREB scholars. Each fall, SIGS sponsors a “welcome back social” for all ethnic minority graduate students as a way of connecting them to one another and to provide networking with ethnic minority faculty, who are also invited. Other workshop topics include but are not limited to financial planning, mentoring, critical thinking, and job placement.

Student Organizations:
• American International Relations Club (AIRC) - serves as a platform for unity in diversity for American and International students from around the world. The primary objective is to bring together students from diverse backgrounds, different countries, several languages, and across cultures into one common thread.

• Arts and Sciences Equity and Inclusion Interns - The Inclusion and Equity Internship (IEI) Program is designed to expose a team of students to the scholarship and best practices concerning greater inclusiveness and equity, with the purpose of cultivating social justice leadership skills among college students. Interns attend and participate in a series of workshops and guided training to provide a common foundation that will enhance the undergraduate student co-curricular programming experience.

• Association of Black Students (ABS) - designed to motivate Black students to become involved on campus, coordinate activities to strengthen cultural and political awareness, and provide assistance to the development and utilization of resources.

• Black Law Students Association (BLSA), UofL Chapter - (NBLSA) is a nationwide organization formed to articulate and promote the needs and goals of black law students and effectuates change in the legal community.

• Black Biomedical Graduate Student Organization (BBGSO) – dedicated to the enhancement of the graduate experience for African-American and minority students in the sciences. BBGSO provides UofL students with professional, educational, and social support.

• Fighting for Immigrant Rights and Equality (FIRE) – the university’s chapter of a larger statewide student network, FIRE is dedicated to improving the college experience for undocumented and DACA students.

• Latin American/Hispanic Student Organization (LAHSO) – designed to bring together students across the spectrum of Hispanic/Latino (a) identities, LAHSO hosts campus trainings and cultural events to create a welcoming climate.

• Shades - the organization for LGBT students of color on campus. Members include individuals of all sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions to promote equality and diversity on and off campus.

• Student African American Brotherhood (SAAB) - purpose is to assist African American males to excel academically, socially, culturally and professionally on campus and in the community.

• Student National Dental Association, UofL Chapter - SNDA promotes increase in minority enrollment in dental schools, and encourages a viable academic and social environment conducive to the mental and professional wellbeing. Members of the UofL Chapter work within the community with such programs as the YMCA Black Achievers program, and participate in various annual community programs which entail informing and educating children and adults about the importance of good oral hygiene.

• Transformations – Focused on support and peer education for students who are transgender, gender nonconforming, or questioning gender identity.

For more details on these and other student organizations, go to http://louisville.edu/studentactivities/clubs/current-clubs-and-organizations.html

Faculty/Staff Organizations:

• Black Faculty/Staff Association - founded in 2002, the purpose of this organization is to address faculty and staff issues and develop a system of advocacy for Black employees of the University of Louisville. (http://louisville.edu/org/bfsa/BFSA)

• Commission on Diversity and Racial Equality (CODRE) and the Commission on the Status of Women (COSW) – these commissions support and/or develop diversity programming and other initiatives that help improve campus climate and augment student learning.

• Faculty and Staff for Human Rights (LGBT employee resource group) – founded in 2003, a group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer-identified (LGBTQ) employees and allies dedicated to promoting policies and a campus climate that ensure equality for all.

• Hispanic/Latin@ Faculty and Staff Association – the employee resource group for Hispanic/Latino(a) employees at the university, dedicated to improving the climate and advocating for resources that send a message of support to Hispanic/Latino(a) people.

https://louisville.edu/diversity/resources/students

1. The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) is a nonprofit organization that aims to improve education in its 16 member states (including Kentucky). The University of Louisville (UofL) is specifically involved with the SREB-Doctoral Scholars Program, which is committed to increasing faculty diversity. The Doctoral Scholars Program supports a nationwide initiative to produce more minority PhDs and encourages their pursuit of joining the professoriate. The program offers financial support and guidance for doctoral students throughout their studies.
UofL participates in SREB’s annual Institute on Teaching and Mentoring, which is the largest gathering of minority doctoral scholars in the country. While at the Institute, doctoral students attend workshops designed to assist in their scholarship and prepare them for success as faculty members. UofL’s participants in the Institute have traditionally included students (SREB doctoral scholars), faculty mentors, and staff, who attend the Institute to recruit minority faculty. The “institutionally” funded SREBS are a creation of the University of Louisville and the CPE, and they provide programmatic support and travel money for attendance at the Institute for a limited number of qualified students who have funding provided by grants or assistantships elsewhere in the university.

2. Arts and Sciences Peer Mentoring Program - supports small groups of junior faculty, many of which are faculty of color, who want to learn how to be productive scholars and effective teachers. These peer mentoring groups meet regularly to discuss with other junior faculty various topics, including how to be a productive scholar, time-management skills, syllabus design, teaching practice, or the formal and informal standards for success.

3. Inclusive Teaching Circles - Inclusive Teaching Circles are small cohorts of faculty who meet monthly to discuss how teaching can be made more inclusive of students of all social identities. Typically, such meetings focus on a reading concerning research on oppression, pedagogy, or best practices. The outcomes include more effective and inclusive teaching practices and the development of a community of practitioners who come together to share their experiences and knowledge.