University of Virginia
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

The Office of the Vice President and Chief Officer for Diversity and Equity assists and monitors all units of the University in their efforts to recruit and retain faculty, staff and students from historically underrepresented groups and to provide affirmative and supportive environments for work and life at the University of Virginia.The Diversity Council (detailed in PAE-6), chaired by the Vice President and Chief Officer for Diversity and Equity, provides support for underrepresented groups at UVA. The Office of African-American Affairs was established in 1976 as an integral part of the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Virginia. It is charged with the responsibility of assisting academic and non-academic units in meeting the challenges of service delivery to African-American students. The Office assumes broad responsibility for the creation of a supportive environment which promotes the students' full participation in the University's extracurricular life and enhances the sensitivity of the larger community to the needs, interests, and culture of its students. At the same time, it recognizes the intellectual and social diversity among African-American students and strives to gear its programs and services accordingly. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Resource Center at the University of Virginia supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Founded under the Office of the Dean of Students in 2001, with generous financial support from the Serpentine Society, the Resource Center works both to raise awareness and inclusion of sexual and gender minorities and to provide information, referral, support, and programming to the University community. The Office of Graduate Student Diversity Programs is committed to the identification, retention, mentoring, and graduation of a highly talented and diverse graduate student population. We firmly believe that a community of diverse graduate students at the University of Virginia is integral for maintaining our position as a global leader in education, advancing scholarly pursuits and academic quality, and fostering an environment of inclusiveness and support. The Office of the Dean of Students houses the Multicultural Student Services Program. Through internships, peer mentoring and leadership guidance, the Multicultural Student Services Program directly support the following populations: Latino/a, Hispanic and Latin American students; American Indian students; and Middle Eastern students. The Student Disability Access Center supports the University's commitment to accessible education. For UVa students with disabilities, SDAC encourage self-determination and independence via accommodations, education, consultation, and advocacy with the goal of creating an equitable academic experience. The University of Virginia Women’s Center educates U.Va. students in how to create change in self, community, and the world by providing programs and services that advocate gender equity. The Women’s Center’s mission is education, in the broad sense that Thomas Jefferson envisioned it: the Center teaches students how to create powerful and positive change, in themselves, in their communities, and in their world. The Women's Center provides the following programs and services: Iris magazine, counseling services, sexual and domestic violence services (SDVS), the Young Women Leaders Program, the Diversity and Advocacy Program, and Men's Leadership Project. The National Science Foundation's Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), the Virginia-North Carolina Alliance (VA-NC Alliance) is led by the University of Virginia and includes the following partners: Bennett College for Women, Elizabeth City State University, George Mason University, Johnson C. Smith University, St. Augustine's College, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Virginia Tech. Each of the eight institutions offer individually tailored recruitment, retention, and enhancement activities to support their students. The VA-NC Alliance's primary goal is to increase significantly the number of students earning STEM (Science, Technology, and Engineering, and Mathematics) baccalaureate degrees. The VA-NC Alliance offers activities to support students during their undergraduate experience including: annual symposia; tutoring, bridge programs, workshops and colloquia; faculty exchanges; common reading experiences; and summer research experiences. The Office of the Dean of Students along with various colleagues and other offices provide support, assistance and advocacy to all Asian and Asian Pacific American (AAPA) students and programs through peer education, outreach, mentoring programs and leadership programs. The Center for Diversity in Engineering's primary purpose is to increase the recruitment and retention of students from underrepresented populations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) pursuing degrees in engineering and applied sciences at all academic stages. Historically, women of all backgrounds, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans are underrepresented in STEM and are thus the target groups to support; however, the Center welcomes students of all genders, backgrounds, and identities who seek guidance and support. The Minority Rights Coalition is an umbrella student organization which advocates on behalf of its constituent organizations and seeks to draw strength from the connections and common struggles of its members. It is composed of the American Indian Student Union (AISU), Asian Student Union (ASU), Black Student Alliance (BSA), Feminism is for Everyone (FIFE), Latino Student Alliance (LSA), Middle Eastern Leadership Council (MELC), and Queer Student Union (QSU).

The University of Virginia has recently launched an anti-discrimination program and website called ‘Just Report It’ (http://www.virginia.edu/justreportit/). The purpose of ‘Just Report It’ is to provide a platform to promptly report incidents of bias, hazing, or sexual or gender-based violence. In addition, any incident that is reported that involves a student results in the Dean-On-Call being contacted. The Dean-On-Call (http://www.virginia.edu/deanofstudents/deanoncall.html). Finally, the University is proactive in designating associate deans to liaise with specific populations of Grounds. This contributes to fostering an environment of inclusiveness and support for groups that may experience bias or discrimination. The University of Virginia is committed to equal employment opportunity and affirmative action. To fulfill this commitment, the University administers its programs, procedures and practices without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information and operates both affirmative action and equal opportunity programs, consistent with resolutions of the Board of Visitors and with federal and state requirements, including the Governor’s Executive Order Number One (2014).

With regard to the second from the last question about housing options, U.Va. does not have a residential area that is ‘gender neutral.’  However, the Office of Residence Life strives to support students who identify as transgender on an individual, case-by-case basis to determine what type of room would be most ideal.  With regard to the last question about gender neutral bathrooms, the Office of the Dean of Students' LGBTQ Center has an interactive map available on its website which shows where a variety of single-stall and gender-neutral restroom options are located throughout the University. The interactive map was created by students. Using the map, individuals can lick on a marker to find the exact location of a gender neutral bathroom on campus. http://www.virginia.edu/deanofstudents/lgbtq/bathrooms/