eastern connecticut state university diversity, race & justice committee report: comprehensive...

Eastern Connecticut State UniversityDiversity, Race & Justice Committee

Report: Comprehensive Diversity Plan 2009-2012

Co-chairs:Constance Belton Green & Eunice Matthews-Armstead

Committee Members:Madeleine Fugere, Gregory Ashford, Stacey Close,Walter Diaz, Grace Enggas, Delar Singh, Jianguo Zhu,Indira Petoskey, Imna Arroyo-Winner, Brian Lashley,Monica Rochon, Nikita Mason

Staff:J. Diane Eubank

For Discussion Purposes: January 21, 2009

Who We Are:

The Diversity, Race and Justice Committee (DRJ) members were elected on April 17, 2007 by the University Senate. Others were appointed to the committee by Dr. Núñez and/or through the Strategic Planning and Implementation Process.

The Committee has met on a regular basis for over a year and a half for the purpose of developing a five year comprehensive diversity plan for Eastern Connecticut State University. This plan is also one of the strategic initiatives.

The DRJ Process for Approval of the Comprehensive Plan:• Draft Report: Prepare a comprehensive diversity plan

to be introduced to the Eastern community (January 2009).

• Dialogue: Provide a forum to discuss the baseline data findings and DRJ committee recommendations (February 2009).

• Revisions: Receive comments and incorporate revisions (March 2009).

• Submittal: Create a final document for submittal through the Strategic Implementation Process (SIPS & PAC) (April 2009).

Defining Diversity:

The DRJ committee proposes the following diversity definition for Eastern Connecticut State University:

Diversity at Eastern means sharing a commitment to a set of core values in order to provide a welcoming campus environment and learning community, supportive of our differences and similarities through the dimensions of race, ethnicity, religion, learning styles, ability, gender, sexual orientation, age, individual perceptions and global perspectives.

The DRJ Committee Draft Report (January 2009):

• There are two components to the draft report:1. DRJ Committee Base Line Data and Findings

o Campus Climateo Retention/Hiring/Promotiono Diversity Competence

2. DRJ Committee Recommendations

Please review the complete draft report of the Diversity, Race and Justice Committee.

Sources: Research, Dialogue and Collaboration

• External Diversity Consultants• Campus Climate Survey• Program Survey• Existing University Data• Expertise of Committee Members• Other Diversity Plans

Campus Climate Survey

Co-Chairs: Madeleine Fugere and Brian Lashley

The campus climate survey was designed by the DRJ Committee members after a thoughtful review from many information sources.

Campus Climate Survey Key Findings

The survey versions for students and employees contained three questions of global perspective on the campus climate at Eastern. The questions were:# 7 Eastern is a diverse community.#18 The leadership at Eastern fosters respect for diversity on campus.#19 The climate in the classroom/work environment is accepting of who I am.

Eastern is a diverse community:

All Faculty, Staff, and Students

Students Faculty Staff

Strongly Agree 35% 25% 30%

Agree 53% 48% 67%

Disagree 10% 25% 3%

Strongly Disagree 1% 2% 0%

The leadership at Eastern fosters respect for diversity on campus

All Faculty, Staff, and Students



Agree 58% 52% 43%

Disagree 5% 7% 5%


The climate in the classroom/workenvironment is accepting of who I am

All Faculty, Staff and Students



Agree 49% 43% 54%

Disagree 5% 10% 8%


Eastern is a diverse community

Students of Color and White Students

Students of Color White Students Total Students


Agree 51% 55% 55%

Disagree 20% 8% 10%



Students of Color and White Students

Students of Color White Student Total Students


Agree 65% 59% 60%

Disagree 9% 4% 5%


The climate in the classroom/workenvironment is accepting of who I amStudents of Color and White Students

Students of Color White Student Total Students


Agree 57% 48% 49%

Disagree 11% 4% 5%



Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Students and Heterosexual Students

GLBT Students Heterosexual Total Students


Agree 49% 54% 54%

Disagree 14% 10% 10%






Agree 49% 48% 48%

Disagree 10% 5% 5%



Students: On-Campus, Off-Campus, and Living with Parents

On Campus Off Campus With Parents Total Students

Strongly Agree 36% 33% 36% 35%

Agree 51% 62% 49% 54%

Disagree 12% 5% 14% 10%

Strongly Disagree 2% 1% 1% 2%





Agree 54% 63% 66% 59%

Disagree 5% 6% 1% 5%






Agree 48% 48% 51% 48%

Disagree 4% 7% 4% 5%



Faculty: Gender Comparisons

Female Male Total


Agree 41% 54% 47%

Disagree 33% 16% 25%




Female Male Total


Agree 52% 51% 52%

Disagree 11% 3% 7%




Female Male Total


Agree 44% 41% 42%

Disagree 13% 5% 10%



Staff: Gender Comparisons

Female Male Total


Agree 69% 63% 67%

Disagree 4% 0% 3%




Female Male Total


Agree 45% 38% 43%

Disagree 7% 0% 5%




Female Male Total


Agree 58% 46% 54%

Disagree 9% 6% 8%


More Detailed Findings

1. Faculty dissatisfaction with the level of overall diversity at Eastern:

Findings: The faculty is more likely than staff and students to disagree that Eastern is a diverse community. The faculty is more likely than staff and students to disagree that the leadership at Eastern fosters respect for diversity on campus. The faculty is more likely than staff and students to disagree that the climate in the classroom/work environment is accepting.

Recommendations: Conduct focus groups with faculty members to explore these issues more deeply. Workshops and programs designed to increase diversity awareness and respect should be provided and enhanced.

2. White versus persons of color differences on numerous survey items:

Findings: Students of color are more likely than White students to disagree that Eastern is a diverse community. Students of color are more likely than White students to disagree that the leadership at Eastern fosters respect for diversity on campus. Students of color are more likely than White students to disagree that the climate in the classroom/work environment is accepting. Further, additional analyses revealed other differences between students of color and White students. For example, students of color were more likely to be dissatisfied with or unaware of diversity services on campus, students of color were more likely to disagree that Eastern is a secure place for culturally diverse individuals, and students of color were more likely to disagree that the important aspects of their identity were represented by Eastern’s faculty and students.

Recommendations: Conduct focus groups with students to examine which aspects of identity are not adequately represented by faculty and students. The fact that students of color were more likely to disagree with this statement suggests that racial and ethnic diversity is important in terms of student and faculty representation.

3. Security/accessibility for disabled persons:

Findings: Responses to the statement “Eastern makes a sincere effort to make facilities, programs, classes, and services accessible to people with disabilities” correlated strongly with students’ and employees’ global views of campus diversity.

Recommendation: Future campus initiatives should continue to include accessibility as a primary consideration.

4. The prominent role race/ethnicity plays in views of diversity:

Findings: Students and employees of color were more likely to be dissatisfied with or unaware of diversity services available on campus, especially services related to ethnic and cultural diversity. Students and employees of color were more likely to disagree that Eastern is a diverse community. Students and employees of color were more likely to agree that the climate in the classroom/work environment is accepting of who I am.

Employees of color were more likely than White employees to disagree that Eastern is a secure place for culturally diverse individuals. Employees of color were more likely to disagree that the leadership at Eastern fosters respect for diversity on campus. Employees of color were more likely to disagree that the faculty, staff, and students are respectful of people of diverse races and cultures. Employees of color were also more likely to disagree that students of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds participate equally in classroom discussion and learning. Employees of color were more likely to disagree that people of different cultures are socially accepted here. Employees of color

were more likely to disagree that the curriculum at Eastern encourages students to develop an appreciation for diversity. Employees of color also reported more occasional or frequent harassment or discrimination based on race/ethnicity.

Recommendations: There needs to be compiled a list of all services available on campus that is publicized through a variety of means (website, pamphlets, workshops, etc.). Expanded programming/workshops designed to increase diversity awareness and respect and inclusion should be provided for both students and employees. Focus groups should be conducted to explore which aspects of the campus community appear unsafe or unwelcoming.

5. Curriculum – the CCS item plus the NSSE foreign language item:

Findings: There is a perception by both employees and students that students of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds do not participate equally in classroom discussions and learning. There is also a perception by employees and students that the curriculum at Eastern does not provide an appreciation for diversity. Further, the NSSE data shows that we lag behind other COPLAC institutions in terms of foreign language courses taken by our students.

Recommendations: The DRJ Committee should dovetail with the Project Compass Committee to provide workshops for faculty and students designed to increase student participation. The perception that the curriculum does not provide an appreciation for diversity should be monitored and addressed.

The Liberal Arts Committee should consider adding a new “diversity” component to the core curriculum. Curriculum aimed at understanding the role of diverse perspectives on events, issues, concepts, etc. should be developed/required/ highlighted. Foreign languages are an important part of a liberal arts education and a way to explore diverse perspectives. Eastern should take steps to increase the percentage of students who take college-level foreign language courses or add an additional foreign language requirement to the Liberal Arts Core.

6. Addressing the needs of diverse individuals through University offices/programs:

Findings: The Campus Climate Survey (CCS) has revealed that students tend to be unaware of diversity services offered on campus. Employees are more likely to be aware of diversity services, but are also more likely to be dissatisfied with those services.

Recommendations: Follow-up focus groups should be conducted on this issue to identify services that may be needed, but not currently offered.

7. The gender gap:

Findings: Employee and student data indicate that men have more favorable perceptions of the campus than women. In the employee data, the largest percentage of harassment reported was harassment based on gender. Women are more likely to report discrimination based on gender than men. Further, women are less likely to agree that Eastern is a secure place for people regardless of gender.

Recommendations: Diversity and sexual harassment workshops should be increased.

Retention/Recruitment/Hiring/Promotion

Co-Chairs: Eunice Matthews-Armstead and Jianguo Zhu

Questions: •Are there disparities based on gender, race or ethnicity in the hiring of faculty, retention of students or in student selection of department majors?•How should disparities be addressed?

Charts:

•Distribution of Students by Race and Major•Workforce: Note, there are 625 full time employees, 330 (53%) are female, 142 (23%) are minorities•Faculty by Department

Value Label Black Latino Asian Native Amer. White

class FR 189 122 32 7 1410JR 300 202 77 24 3641SO 377 225 83 22 3380SR 332 228 108 44 4608

PROGRAM 1.00 AS GENR 1 7 2 332.00 BIOLOGY 47 37 28 2 4823.00 ENGLISH/AS 2 0 0 0 74.00 ECONOMICS 29 6 11 0 1835.00 ENGLISH 47 30 15 2 8466.00 FINE ARTS 2 0 0 3 597.00 HISTORY/AS 0 0 0 0 538.00 HISTORY/SS 18 14 4 1 3839.00 HISTORY 11 9 3 5 365

10.00 INDIVID. 2 1 2 3711.00 MATH 24 17 9 1 30512.00 PERF. ARTS 24 5 1 4 11213.00 POLITICAL SCI 29 17 5 2 22514.00 PSYCHOLOGY 124 68 20 5 124815.00 STUDIO ART 13 14 4 3 18516.00 SOCIOLOGY 128 60 22 3 62017.00 SOCIAL WORK 28 23 0 0 18718.00 SPANISH 4 44 0 0 6119.00 VISUAL ART 14 23 2 7 33720.00 BGS GENERAL STDS. 39 31 5 8 43621.00 ACCOUNTING 63 27 44 6 47922.00 BIOCHEMISTRY 13 6 10 1 5923.00 BUSINESS ADM. 136 62 36 8 139724.00 BUSINESS INFO 18 10 4 1 9225.00 COMMUNICATION 122 79 17 6 98126.00 COMPUTER SCIENCE 46 22 17 4 32627.00 EDUCATION 8 16 4 9 85728.00 ENVIRONM. 0 3 3 3 17629.00 PHYSICAL ED 11 16 1 1 57330.00 SPORT/LEISURE 42 26 32 3 45631.00 UNDECIDED 155 103 0 7 1479

Distribution of Students by Race and Major:

Descriptive Information on Overall Workforce at Eastern:

Among the 625 full time employees, 330 (53%) are female, 142 (23%) are minorities.

Workforce by Race and Gender

WM WF BM BF HM HF AM AF NM NF TotalNumber 226 257 23 27 28 30 16 14 2 2 625Percent 36% 41% 4% 4% 4% 5% 3% 2% 0% 0% 100%

Descriptive Information on the Faculty:The following analysis is drawn from personnel statistics as of 10/22/08. It includes teaching faculty as well as AAUP members of the athletic, counseling and library staff totally 228 members.

Diversity Competence

Co-Chairs: Constance Belton Green & Imna Arroyo-

Winner

Questions: •What are the programs and curriculum offerings at Eastern that address diversity?•What are the diversity goals of departments and what are the resources?•Are there program gaps that should be addressed?

Academic Administrative

Academic Affairs Arts and Lecture CommitteeEducation Equity and DiversityEnglish Gallery and Museum ServicesEnvironmental and Earth Science Human ResourcesHistory Information TechnologyMath Institutional AdvancementPerforming Arts Public SafetyPsychology University RelationsSchool of Continuing Education Student AffairsSociology, Anthropology, and Social WorkVisual ArtsFirst Year Program

Program Survey Summary

Overall Recommendations:1. Define diversity for Eastern.2. Publicize and communicate the commitment to

diversity in all Strategic Planning Initiatives.3. Continue to focus on the recruitment and retention of

a diverse student body as well as faculty, staff and administrators.

4. Make high quality diversity education (curriculum, co-curriculum, professional development, training and workshops) available for all members of the university.

5. Create and sustain a welcoming campus environment that encourages diversity through leadership, mentoring, respectful discussions and cross group learning.

6. Support ongoing research and dialogue that advances a university commitment to diversity.

7. Expand the membership of the Diversity, Race and Justice Advisory Committee to represent more university departments.

8. Institutionalize the Diversity, Race and Justice Institute as a clearinghouse for future campus climate surveys and as a place for research and scholarship on issues of diversity, race and justice.

eastern connecticut state university diversity, race & justice committee report: comprehensive...

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