Western Colorado University
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

https://www.western.edu/title-ixsexual-harassment-discrimination-policies Western Colorado University does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation or veteran status in employment or admission and access to its educational programs and activities. Title IX also requires that the college not discriminate in such a manner. The University is an equal opportunity institution for all faculty, staff and students. * Please Note: This nondiscrimination policy shall not be interpreted or applied in a manner that conflicts with or subjects the University to penalties or ineligibility for funds under state or federal law.

Student recruitment: Western has recruiters spread across the state of Colorado to better serve a wide range of student populations. We are currently visiting high schools across the state with underrepresented populations of students. Key areas of focus for us are the San Luis Valley and the Denver metro area. The recruitment staff both on and off campus utilize key programs on campus to help recruit underrepresented populations of students, such as the MCC. During key events like Preview Day we work collaboratively with these programs to highlight successful students at western in these underrepresented groups. The Multicultural Affairs Department collaborates with various visiting groups and programs to help with specific target groups. The multicultural Affairs Department is present at all Preview Days to visit with both potential future students as well as their families. Staff/Faculty recruitment: Western advertises all of our vacant positions with Connecting Colorado’s website, a dedicated source for US veterans. All tenure track faculty announcements are upgraded on HigherEdJobs.com to include in the Diversity and Inclusion (opt in) email listing. For all searches, the committee chair is instructed by the Affirmative Action Officer to identify targeted recruitment sources for qualified candidates in protected groups. This varies by academic discipline and the qualifications of the position. For example, if Western is seeking a Librarian, the chair is able to advertise on the website of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association’s website. Similarly, if we are seeking a Chemist, HR provides a list of diversity resources for recruitment that includes the employment website for the National Organization for the Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers. Entry level university administrator positions are advertised on the career pages for graduating students and alumni of Historically Black, Latina/o serving and native American serving institutions. The entire search committee receives a charge from the Affirmative Action Officer about equal opportunity and affirmative action, with specific educational information, and tools for further learning, about unconscious bias in selection and techniques for overcoming it. Our President's charge to the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Internationalization Committee (DEII) is to develop operations and programming to improve recruitment and retention of diverse groups of people throughout Western's students, faculty, and staff. This is part of Western's current strategic plan.

Our DEII committee is tasked with supporting underrepresented groups on campus as well as our Multicultural Center. WCU's Multicultural Center celebrates the diversity of people in and around the Gunnison community and helps Western students develop academically, culturally, and personally. The Multicultural Center advises five organizations: Amigos, Asian Pacific Islanders, the Black Student Alliance, and Native American Student Council, and the Polynesian Chant and Dance Club. These groups commit to community service and offer cultural events which allows for the chance to develop communication skills and brings together a sense of community support.The MCC also has a mentoring program open to students who identify as being from an undeserved population. While there is not a program specifically to support faculty and staff from underrepresented groups, The Multicultural Center is open to them as a resource. In addition, they tend to seek advice from colleagues that understand their identities. Further, there is also a Veterans group on campus that is undergoing a remodeling to provide greater support for students, faculty, staff, and community members.