Wesleyan University
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Policy Prohibiting Discriminatory Harassment & Sexual Misconduct: https://www.wesleyan.edu/inclusion/discrimination/policies/prohibit-dhsm.html

Wesleyan does not have an official "bias response team" but has a discrimination response protocol that is coordinated by the Office for Equity & Inclusion. Incidents can also be reported directly to Public Safety, Human Resources, or the Office of Dean of Students.

The online INCIDENT REPORTING FORM is one of several ways for members of the University community to report any type of incident that is concerning, harmful, and/or contrary to the Wesleyan's Community Standards. Each incident reported is investigated and steps taken to eliminate the behavior, prevent its recurrence, and remedy the effects. Our policies and reporting form are found at https://www.wesleyan.edu/inclusion/discrimination/concern.html.

The Office for Equity & Inclusion / Title IX provides support for students, faculty and staff who experience Discriminatory Harassment, Gender and Identity-based Bias, and/or Sexual Misconduct at Wesleyan. Specifically, the Assistant Vice President for Equity & Inclusion/Title IX Coordinator serves as a point of contact; and is accessible by e-mail, phone, and on-line reporting forms. The AVP meets with individuals to explore courses of action appropriate to each individual and situation. Options for support include; but are not limited to:
o Confidential support: Ombudsperson and EAP contacts for employees, Counseling, Health Services, Religious and Spiritual Life and Ombuds for students, and Community organizations
o Safety planning and no contact
o Informal resolution and mediation
o Formal resolution and investigation
o Law enforcement including campus and community
o Remedies specific to Title IX

The Office for Equity and Inclusion coordinates five Wesleyan cohort programs: the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, the Wesleyan Math and Science Scholars Program (WesMaSS), the Upward Bound Math-Science Program, and the Posse Veteran Scholars Program (ending in 2022-23, replaced by Service 2 School). Together, these five communities make up the Pathways to Inclusive Education (PIE): https://www.wesleyan.edu/inclusion/pie.html.

The purpose of PIE is to increase a sense of community amongst students, faculty and staff. Our goal is to remove obstacles along the pathways to secondary and post-secondary education for students in grades 9 through 16, who come from historically underrepresented backgrounds and to provide opportunities and access to programs that require complex thinking and a complex interdisciplinary understanding of belonging in the pursuit of excellence.

Wesleyan University's affirmative action program is designed to achieve diversity among faculty, administrators and staff; to treat all appointments and promotions in a manner free from discrimination; and to correct any under-utilization of women and minorities in employment positions. Wesleyan, as an institution is dedicated to excellence in liberal studies, has a responsibility to itself to seek out the most talented people and a responsibility to society to further the goal of achieving equality of opportunity.

For that reason, along with the principle of nondiscrimination, the University is committed to a program of affirmative action with regard to members of certain groups as specified by the U.S. Department of Labor. Wesleyan, therefore, makes concerted efforts to recruit, employ, and promote qualified members of minority groups, women, handicapped individuals who are otherwise qualified, special disabled veterans, and veterans of the Vietnam era.

The Connections program connects students (open to all students, but targeted at students from underrepresented groups) with faculty and staff mentors. The First Things First/FGLI and Questbridge programs offer ongoing mentoring support for first generation and low-income students, respectively. More information:
- FGLI supports/First Things First: https://www.wesleyan.edu/fgli/index.html
- Questbridge: https://www.questbridge.org/college-partners/wesleyan-university

Several additional cohort programs such as Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program, Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program, and WesMaSS are in place to support students thrive at Wesleyan.

All faculty and staff of color have the opportunity to join AFCA (Administrators and Faculty of Color Alliance). AFCA’s mission is to create a supportive environment for promoting personal and professional growth through experiences, events, and resources for administrators, faculty, and staff of color. AFCA is a community building organization that seeks to strengthen the relationship between its members, allies and other members of the Wesleyan community. While AFCA maintains a particular focus on the needs of administrators, faculty, and staff of color, all those who share in its mission and values are welcome to be part of AFCA and help uphold its mission. For more information, visit https://www.wesleyan.edu/groups/afca/index.html.

Wesleyan's Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship and Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program prepare and encourage undergraduate or other non-terminal degree students to pursue further education and careers as faculty members. Wesleyan does not have programs for Master's degree students, but all PhD students spend 1-2 years as teaching assistants in undergraduate courses.

Other links
Upward Bound Math-Science: https://www.wesleyan.edu/ubms/
Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program: https://www.wesleyan.edu/mcnair/
Queer/Trans resources: https://www.wesleyan.edu/queer/queer_resources.html