Our Equity-Minded Practices & Community Principles
Equity-minded practices lie at the center of our work and are rooted in our student affairs mission. We believe to create a community; we must understand and value our differences as well as our common ground. We’ve developed the following community principles, as values, as a way to have action-oriented and aspirational discussions with equity in mind.
Diversity: Diversity includes all the ways in which people differ, and it encompasses all the different characteristics that make one individual or group different from another. It is all-inclusive and recognizes everyone and every group as part of the diversity that should be valued. A broad definition includes not only race, ethnicity, and gender — the groups that most often come to mind when the term "diversity" is used — but also age, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, marital status, language, and physical appearance. It also involves different ideas, perspectives, and values.
Equity: providing resources according to the need to help diverse populations achieve the desired outcome. Sometimes confused with equality, equity refers to outcomes while equality connotes equal treatment. More directly, equity is when an individual’s race, gender, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, etc. do not determine their educational, economic, social, or political opportunities.
Inclusion: Authentically bringing traditionally excluded individuals and/or groups into processes, activities and decision/policy making in a way that shares power. Inclusion promotes broad engagement, shared participation, and advances authentic sense of belonging through safe, positive, and nurturing environments. Inclusion is key to eliminating systemic inequality.
Belonging: Belonging is the feeling of security and support when there is a sense of acceptance, inclusion, and identity for a member of a certain group. It is when an individual can bring their authentic self to work. When students or employees feel like they don’t belong at those instituion or work, their performance and their personal lives suffer. Creating genuine feelings of belonging for all is a critical factor in improving engagement and performance.
Source: National Conference On Race and Ethnicity
We commit to be:
- Caring: We commit to providing a welcoming campus community environment where individuals can find a sense of belonging where we foster respect, empathy and support to strengthen our campus community connection.
- Inclusive: We embrace diversity in all forms of being. We value individuals and their uniqueness in our community. We recognize each individual’s contribution is important to achieving our institutional goals.
- Civil: We uphold social justice and are committed to promote fairness in treatment and access while raising awareness about equity-minded practices in our community.
- Accessible: We acknowledge differences in our society and foster a learning environment through education and strategic actions. Enhance quality of campus life for all.
- Service-oriented: We seek to advance equity-minded practices and communications and be responsive in supporting our community.
