Advancing Our Equity Efforts

Dear Campus Colleagues,

I am appreciative and grateful to the students and employees who have met with me, Sabah, and other university leaders, taking risks to share — again — their needs, their concerns, and their hopes. Their leadership and partnership in making Western more equitable, inclusive, and responsive to their needs is vital. I also want to thank the faculty and staff who engage with students in this transformative process, listening deeply, and reflecting on the many forms of structural privilege and bias that afflict our university and our world. Beyond the implementation of more just and equitable policies and procedures, the difficult work of deep and lasting culture change requires a commitment within each of us to listen and learn with humility, empathy, and respect. In whatever way you are engaging in this work of change, thank you.

As Sabah and I have heard from you directly about what you need to flourish here at Western, a common theme is a need for swift, measurable, transparent progress. To that end, we developed an updated Diversity, Equity and Inclusion website (www.wwu.edu/diversity) which includes a timeline that captures  the major projects we have completed, those in progress, and those still to be addressed.

As spring quarter opens, and we feel a sense of new beginnings and opportunities, I think it is important to provide a progress report on some near- and longer-term items of concern.

• Both the Commission on Gender Equity and the Council on Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice have completed their final report and recommendations. Actions taken as a result will be included on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion website.
• In collaboration with the Black Student Union and the African Caribbean Club, we have begun the process of planning for next Martin Luther King Day celebration and Black History Month on a larger and more comprehensive scale than Western has enjoyed in the past. We are also exploring the creation of a peer mentoring program for students, which is a priority for a number of student groups.
• One of the most immediate and pressing concerns following the racist graffiti incident in November was re-assessing our threat and safety communications protocols and apps. We have made progress on several fronts during winter quarter:
  • Associated Students leaders met with the WWU emergency management team to review its current communications protocols. This review has resulted in better definitions of different levels of Western alerts, which are now explained in each email alert that is issued.
  • Feedback from various student groups has also been instrumental in helping us better define incidents that impact marginalized groups, and the importance of using less ambiguous language to describe events and the specific groups that have been targeted or may be impacted. The emergency communications group will continue to consult with students on future issues.
  • University Police have been evaluating two campus safety apps in use by colleges and universities nationwide to ensure that alerts reach students even more quickly on platforms they prefer. We intend to set up a trial for students in Fall and Winter 2019.
  • We have contracted with D. Stafford and Associates, a highly respected consultant on campus safety and Clery Act compliance, to review and help us to improve our Clery reporting practices,including emergency communications and alerts.
• Food insecurity is an issue faced by a significant number of students at Western. One of the ways we had hoped to help students experiencing food insecurity was by gaining USDA eligibility to accept SNAP benefits at food service providers on campus.Disappointingly, like many campus food service operations, we do not meet the eligibility requirements, based on the proportions of prepared/hot food and unprepared foods served across campus.  We will continue working through this quarter to strengthen our capacity to serve the 8-10% of our students who experience very low food security, including emergency aid, food cupboards, a shared swipe program in the dining halls, and partnerships with community and other agencies. Food insecurity is often just one part of a larger picture that needs holistic attention.
• With input from the WWU Blue Group and faculty and staff with expertise, we have developed a new website on policies, resources and services for undocumented students. We will update it at least monthly, and whenever major policy or resource changes occur. Western"s policy on Providing Immigration Information,initially established as an interim policy (in order to take immediate effect following changes to national immigration policy), is undergoing review to become a permanent policy. Like all WWU policies, it will be open to comments and feedback from the campus during this review period, and will involve special consultation with WWU Blue Group students during the permanent policy development process. We are also providing professional development for faculty and staff interested in serving undocumented students more effectively.“Supporting Undocumented Students: Best Practices for Increasing Retention & Graduation,” will livestream April 18, 12:00 – 1:30. We will also have unlimited access to the recording for one year. Please contact Lynne Walker in the Vice President for Enrollment and Student Service" office for logistical information.
• The Disability Access Center is in the process of hiring a permanent visual impairment accessibility coordinator, and currently has a temporary coordinator in the role. In a few weeks, they will be moving into a new and more spacious location in the Main Library, joined by colleagues from the Veterans Center, and will expand staffing in the next year to reflect needs in the office.
• As Sabah and I met with the Muslim Student Association and the Arab Student Association, we shared their grief at the tragedy in Christchurch, NZ. We identified needed resources for raising awareness of student needs during the month of Ramadan, and concerns about the inclusiveness of our threat and safety communication protocols.
• The Title IX Officer job posting is active. The committee will begin reviewing candidates soon, and we expect to make an offer by the end of the academic year.
• Meeting the needs of pregnant students is an important part of our responsibilities for an inclusive learning environment. The Office for Equal Opportunity coordinates these resources: http://www.wwu.edu/eoo/pregnancy-resources.shtml
• Provost Carbajal and I reviewed the Final Report and Recommendations submitted by the Task Force on Preventing and Responding to Antisemitism, and documented progress made on those recommendations. Work is ongoing to implement the remaining recommendations.
• Starting in Fall of 2019, all second-year students will complete a required follow-up online training in sexual violence prevention, as the first step in developing a more comprehensive sexual violence prevention program for our campus.
• The position description for the Director of Multicultural Student Services is under development. This is a new position, which will report to me directly, and which will form the nucleus of a more comprehensive and systematic approach to supporting inclusive excellence and equity for students of many minoritized identities. The recruitment and hiring process will begin this quarter, and will include a wide representation of stakeholders, on the model we used in hiring the LGBTQ+ Director.
• The President and the Associated Students have partnered to support the Native American Student Union's Spring Revival Powwow, to be held April 12 and 13 in Carver Gym. Enrollment and Student Services staff will support Laural Ballew, the new WWU Tribal Liaison, in developing a protocol to document students' tribal enrollment and descendants.
• Provost Brent Carbajal has established a process and timeline for developing an Ethnic Studies curriculum and administrative structure. That important work will be ongoing throughout the quarter.

There is a great deal of work going on in academic departments, in administrative offices and colleges, and in ESS as well, and this timeline does not begin to address all of that work. We will continue to post more progress reports during spring quarter as milestones are reached. I encourage you to periodically check the diversity timeline website for updates, and I will continue to communicate about our progress, as well as new actions and goals. You may also always contact me with questions, concerns, feedback, or information, by email or phone.
 
With best wishes for a Spring Quarter filled with change and learning,

Melynda Huskey