University of New Hampshire
PA-4: Diversity and Equity Coordination

The Office of Community, Equity and Diversity holds the responsibility for developing and sustaining programs, policies and initiatives to recruit, retain, review, and advance faculty at the University; while establishing and sustaining initiatives that create a welcoming environment for students, staff, faculty, and administrators of diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. The office is administered by the Associate Vice President of Community, Equity and Diversity. The Advisory Council on Community, Equity and Diversity provides oversight for monitoring, assessing, and supporting the implementation of the Inclusive Excellence Strategic Plan's five strategic themes; Organizational Structure, Curriculum, Campus Climate, Recruitment and Retention, and Community Engagement. http://www.unh.edu/ced/advisory-council-community-equity-and-diversity

UNH conducts myriad cultural competency trainings and activities. The programs reach all students, staff, and most faculty. Below are brief descriptions for many of the programs. Social Justice Educator Training: Social Justice Educator Training is a professional development opportunity for UNH faculty, staff, and graduate students to further their understanding of social justice and diversity issues. The eight-hour training, which is divided into two days, covers issues of oppression, social injustice, social identity, and facilitation in a small-group setting. (Open to all faculty, staff, and graduate students.) Social Justice Education: The Department of Residential Life strives to support a curriculum built around 4 educational areas of focus (social justice, healthy living, involvement, and academic identity) (https://www.unh.edu/housing/res-life-educational-focus). (This program reaches all first year students.) There are four Social Justice Education Learning Outcomes: 1) Students will increase awareness about social identity and bias. 2) Students will expand their comfort zone by engaging with others from different backgrounds. 3) Students will visibly show support to someone in an underrepresented group. 4) Students will confront another student about their choice of biased or hurtful language and behavior towards others Examples of Social Justice Education in our Residence Halls: • Conversations with residents about identity development • Bias Gallery • Culture Nights • “Ally” campaign • Invisible Knapsack (privilege article) • Documentary series • Safe Zones Programs • The Hungry Planet • Newsletter articles by hall directors, RAs or students Social Justice 2.0: This Lunchtime Brownbag Discussion Series is a new program developed to assist staff, faculty, and graduate students with unpacking a particular issue around social justice concepts that was discussed during the 8-hour Social Justice Educator Training in order to bring more awareness of equity and breaking down barriers that prevent inclusion. (Open to all faculty, staff, and graduate students.) Building Inclusive Courses and Classrooms: A series of workshops was developed in response to a recurring recommendation that came out of last fall's campus conversations. These seminars seek to deepen our understanding as a learning community of the importance of creating spaces in which to engage productively in conversations related to difficult, uncomfortable, and controversial topics and to provide strategies for building inclusive courses and classrooms. (Open to all faculty and staff.) Safe Zones Trainings: The Safe Zones Trainings are professional development opportunities for UNH faculty, staff, and graduate students to advance awareness, knowledge, and skills around the services and support that we provide to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) students and colleagues. Participants of Safe Zones Trainings are a campus-wide network of allies who are supportive of LGBTQ faculty, students, and staff and are committed to contributing to a campus climate of inclusion at UNH. Trainings are 1.5 hours in length. We offer department-specific trainings, and some trainings that are open to mixed groups of faculty and staff from various departments. http://www.unh.edu/safezones. (Safe Zone Trainings are now incorporated into all Residence hall curriculums for all incoming students. In addition, Safe Zone Trainings are open to all faculty, staff, and graduate students.) Title IX training: The Title IX Coordinator provides training on sexual harassment, sexual violence and mandated reporting instructions to new incoming faculty during orientation as well as to whole departments and staff on an annual basis. https://www.unh.edu/affirmativeaction/title-ixsexual-violence (All staff and most faculty.) Community of Care Preventing Sexual Violence and Harassment at UNH Reporting Guide: Each year, all UNH staff, faculty, teaching assistants and graduate students receive the Community of Care Preventing Sexual Violence and Harassment at UNH Reporting Guide for reporting sexual violence and harassment. The module covers: • UNH policies related to sexual violence (which includes sexual harassment, assault, or misconduct; unwanted sexual contact; relationship abuse; dating violence; domestic violence; and cyber-stalking) • Definitions of sexual violence and harassment • Federal and New Hampshire laws concerning sexual violence and harassment • How to formally report incidents of sexual violence and harassment • What happens when UNH receives a sexual violence report • How to get confidential support for survivors of sexual violence and harassment and their friends (All incoming and transfer students are assigned to complete the Community of Care Preventing Sexual Violence and Harassment at UNH Reporting Guide online module. In addition, each year, all UNH staff, teaching assistants, graduate students, and most faculty receive the program.) Orientation: All new staff during their orientation are required to take the “Creating a Respectful Workplace at UNH” on-line module. The module provides employees a greater understanding on how to recognize and address unacceptable behavior, along with strategies to promote a respectful workplace. When the module was first introduced (approximately 3 years ago), all existing staff were sent a Directed Communication from the President and Human Resources (with the module web link) to introduce the module. All existing employees were requested to participate in taking the module. http://www.unh.edu/hr/respectful-workplace.

http://www.unh.edu/inclusive/