University of North Carolina, Charlotte
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is committed to providing a respectful, safe, and inclusive environment for all University community members and guests of the University. The University affirms that its educational and employment decisions must be based on the abilities and qualifications of individuals and may not be based on irrelevant factors, including personal characteristics, that have no connection with academic abilities or job performance. Therefore, the University prohibits discrimination and discriminatory harassment in its educational and employment decisions and provides equal opportunities for all members of the University community and for all those seeking to join the University community. (https://legal.charlotte.edu/policies/up-501)

The Office of Civil Rights and Title IX encourages individuals to report incidents for appropriate response and/or investigation without fear of retaliation, and ensures reports are addressed and resolved in a timely, fair, and impartial manner. The University’s response to reports of discrimination and discriminatory harassment or related retaliation is managed by the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX. For reports against faculty or staff, following the receipt of a report, a meeting is held with the affected individual to discuss support options. The Director of the office of Civil Rights and Title IX is authorized to work with appropriate administrators to take immediate action where necessary to protect the individual affected by the discrimination. Adjustment of schedules, supervisory relationships, or other appropriate measures may be taken. Depending on the nature of the report, the Director may utilize informal response options, such as support and accommodations for the individual affected by the alleged discrimination or discriminatory harassment, increased monitoring of certain University areas, or educational opportunities for a respondent or larger group of individuals, or the Director may utilize more formal response options, such as a negotiated resolution process or an investigation.
The Office of Civil Rights and Title IX also assists students who have made reports about, witnessed, or have been accused of incidents involving discrimination, discriminatory harassment. The Office of Civil Rights and Title IX will link students in each party with necessary supportive measures during the process. When a report of discriminatory harassment is submitted, a meeting is set with the individual affected to provide them with a general understanding of the procedure and discuss forms of support and immediate interventions, inform the individual how the University will share information only on a need-to-know basis and will strive to protect their privacy, including the omission of identifying information in publicly available records (to the extent permissible by law). If the affected individual does not wish to proceed or requests confidentiality, the University may still be required to investigate and take reasonable action in response to the information learned while reviewing the report. Accommodations can be made concerning the individual’s academic, university housing, transportation, and/or university employment arrangements. If the Director determines an investigation will proceed, an investigator who will conduct interviews and collect and review any other information relevant to the report. When the formal investigation is completed, the investigator will prepare a report and distribute documents to the director, who will determine whether to continue pursuing the charge(s).
In addition to receiving reports, the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX offers educational programming to students and student groups. Resources and support for individuals, whether they are faculty, staff, or students, include on campus options such as the Center for Integrated Care (CIC), Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), the Student Health Center, University Ombuds, and Human Resources. The Student Health Center, University Ombuds, CIC, and CAPS are confidential resources.

Engage ME! is a College of Engineering diversity and inclusion program designed to successfully recruit multicultural students. The program aims to build a strong community of students connected to social networking activities and events. The Peer Guide program is a leadership program in the College of Business to support the recruitment of undergraduate students, particularly those from underrepresented populations. For employees, UNC Charlotte conducts an institutional audit on hiring to identify and monitor institutional barriers and equity gaps. For faculty specifically, the Faculty Affairs and Diversity Office builds faculty diversity through recruitment practices. All members of faculty search committees are required to take Best Practices for Inclusive Faculty Recruitment Training.

The Office of Academic Diversity and Inclusion (OADI) provides programs to support student success and academic support of students from the following populations: African American, Asian American, Hispanic/Latinx, Pacific Islander, Native American, Multi-racial, LGBTQ, first-generation, students from rural communities, and students who have a reported disability. OADI services include academic advising, transition programs, academic support workshops, peer counseling and tutoring, and personal counseling. The Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) has programs that support students who hold marginalized identities such that they feel more connected, empowered, and seen. The Multicultural Mental Health & Equity Initiative at CAPS provides culturally tailored services to racially minoritized students. The ADVANCE Faculty Mentoring Program provides support for new and mid-career tenure-track faculty; in 2021, the University joined the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity as an Institutional Member to provide online career development and mentoring resources for faculty, post-docs, and graduate students. The University supports faculty/staff identity groups (African and African-American Faculty and Staff Caucus; Latinx/Hispanic Faculty and Staff Caucus; LGBTQ+ Staff and Faculty Caucus; Native American Staff and Faculty Caucus). These caucuses foster inclusion and community through a support network of mentors, allies, and peers. They educate the broader campus community on a minoritized group’s perspectives and concerns, recruit and retain members of minoritized groups as their allies, and advocate for policies and programs to meet the needs of members of nondominant groups.

The ADVANCE Faculty Affairs and Diversity Office maintains UNC Charlotte’s participation in the NSF-funded AGEP North Carolina Alliance. The alliance of 3 universities is testing a model for creating institutional, department-level and faculty change to promote historically underrepresented minority US citizens who are completing their STEM doctoral degrees and progressing into faculty positions.

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