University of Massachusetts Amherst
PA-5: Diversity and Equity Coordination

The Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI) was launched in fall 2017 in order to guide the institution's efforts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

OEI champions the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion in achieving institutional excellence and works with campus leaders and units to develop strategic goals and provides guidance on national best practices to accomplish them. OEI is responsible for nurturing a campus-wide culture of inclusion, developing an affirmative emphasis on workplace climate, conducting campus-wide assessments of campus climate for data driven strategic actions, and supporting diversity, inclusivity, and equity goals within schools, colleges, and administrative/executive units.

The current staff includes a Vice Chancellor of DEI, a Deputy Chief Officer, a Senior Director of DEI Communications, a Senior Director for Inclusion and Strategic Engagement, an Education and Development Manager, and a Director for Strategic Advancement of Equity and Campus Climate.

ACTIVITIES:

Campus Climate Surveys
Every four years, UMass Amherst conducts a campus-wide survey to help the university better understand the challenges of creating a respectful and inclusive campus environment. The survey is sponsored by the Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI) and conducted by the Office of Academic Planning and Assessment (OAPA). Leading up to the data collection period, a months long strategic campaign is conducted to raise awareness of the survey and emphasize the importance in participation. Once the data collection period is over, analyses are conducted and strategic initiatives are developed to further institutional goals of becoming a community of choice rooted in equity and inclusion. The latest survey, conducted in November 2021, yielded a response rate of 41.6 percent of faculty, staff, and students.

Campus Climate Improvement Grants
Campus Climate Improvement Grants encourage faculty, staff, and students to play an active role and bring their creativity to the work of improving the campus climate. The grants fund projects and activities that promote understanding and learning, as well as invest in relationship-building across difference in the campus community.

Employee Resource Groups
The Offices of Equity and Inclusion and Human Resources launched the UMass Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) as of Spring 2020. This initiative provides UMass staff and faculty with resources for professional development, networking, and mentorship, while also promoting the recruitment, retention, and advancement of employees who are underrepresented in our community. The goal of this initiative is to invest in the University's workforce and make UMass a workplace of choice. Current ERG include the UMass Allies for Illness and Disability Access, UMass Faculty and Staff of Color Network, UMass International Staff and Faculty Network, UMass LGBTQIA+ Network, UMass Veterans Network, and University Women’s Network.

Annual Martin Luther King Day of Racial Healing Event
In February 2023, OEI launched the first annual Martin Luther King Day of Racial Healing Event, which seeks to bring UMass and community members together to examine King’s legacy of social justice and examine the collaborative work that must be done at UMass to uphold those values. This year, OEI hosted a community brunch with keynote speaker Ndaba Mandela that had an attendance of 255 people.

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Conference (JEDI)
The JEDI conference is an annual event taking place at the start of the fall semester that seeks to emphasize the institutions commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The conference is a series of trainings and workshops both specific to students, staff, and faculty and others encapsulating all populations. Presentations in 2022 included a keynote on fostering a sense of belonging, tools for faculty to foster inclusive classroom experiences, deep dives into the campus climate survey data and it’s implications, a panel on understanding hate crimes, and breakout sessions.

Training and Education
OEI conducts regular trainings and workshops for units across campus based on their specific needs and requests conducted by OEI’s Education and Development Manager.

Learning Community Book Groups
Learning Communities are based on carefully chosen books to foster constructive conversations around the topics of inclusion, bias, race, empathy, understanding, and respect. Groups are launched near the beginning of each semester, and participants meet regularly to discuss the issues and themes covered by the authors.

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Collaborative
The JEDI collaborative is a campus-wide group of employees (over 140) whose work involves DEI on some level. It is a resource and information sharing group that meets monthly for discussion and collaborative work with a virtual space for ongoing discussion and sharing, and is run by the Office of Equity and Inclusion.

New Employee Training on Harassment Prevention and Title IX (for staff and faculty)
The Harassment Prevention and Title IX workshop provides an overview of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and discrimination and how to prevent these from occurring on campus. It also covers what constitutes a disability, harassment and discrimination and how to address it. All employees are required to take this training. (Via Human Resources)

Respectful Workplace Training (for staff and faculty)
This training is meant to ensure that all employees understand their role in creating a respectful work environment, and provides information on the resources and procedures available to address concerns. New employees must attend one of the Respectful Workplace trainings. This includes all faculty, staff, post-doctoral, and graduate student employees who receive stipends. Current employees are also encouraged to attend. (Via Human Resources)

Talking About Race at Work (for staff)
This training provides attendees on ways to prepare their mindset when talking about race, strategies and approaches, and new approaches to ease discomfort so attendees can provide supportive spaces for them and others to explore, engage, and learn together. (Via Workplace Learning and Development)

Bias Training (for staff)
This training covers how bias shows up in our day-to-day actions, awareness of implicit biases,
where our unconscious biases come from, the effect our biases have on the workplace, and ways to identify and avoid acting on our biases. (Via Workplace Learning and Development)

Fostering Inclusion & Respect (for staff)
Working in an environment where each employee feels like they matter to their department and the institution, where they feel their contributions are valued, and where they are treated fairly is the responsibility of all employees as well as all managers and leaders. This training explores how employees can help shape a civil work culture where positive gestures of respect, inclusion, and kindness lift people up. (Via Workplace Learning and Development)

STRIDE Workshops (for faculty)
These workshops are intended for faculty members with an important role in faculty recruitment efforts (e.g., search committee chairs and members and other key faculty). These training workshops review research driven best practices to recruit for diversity and excellence across every stage in the search process and is designed to help faculty produce diverse candidate pools and run effective searches. (Via Office of Faculty Development/Office of the Provost)

DPC/CPC Training (for faculty)
As part of the Provost Office’s ongoing efforts to address institutional bias, this training is for members of college and department personnel committees. This initiative is a form of applied implicit bias training intended to address the particular challenges of the faculty evaluation process and develop strategies to counteract bias. The workshop builds on the STRIDE faculty recruitment trainings that have been offered to address bias in recruitment. (Via Office of Faculty Development/Office of the Provost)

New Student Orientation & Transitions (for students)
As a part of New Student Orientation, all incoming students are required to attend a training on inclusion and cultivating a respectful campus community, and living and acting responsibly. (Via Student Affairs and Campus Life)

Data Source:
Emmanuel Adero, Deputy Chief Officer and Acting Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion, Office of Equity & Inclusion