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University Messages

Learn more about what led to the development of a 21-point action plan, authored collaboratively by students and administrators, to help begin the work of making ���߲ݴ�ý a more inclusive and welcoming campus for all students.

University updates and messages

In Images: The March to Conclude a Peaceful Protest

Progress Report

The full 21-point action plan, along with current status updates, can be found below. The latest update was posted June 29, 2015.

The Plan

Because we understand that our earliest hopes for and expectations of ���߲ݴ�ý are formed during our admissions process, we ask:

1. 

- that admission staff, ambassadors, and tour guides be engaged in sustained diversity training (the training must include issues of race, class, ability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity etc.).

���߲ݴ�ý Response

We will begin to design training for staff and students immediately. Because Admission staff travel, we will need until December 15, 2014 to fully train all staff members, and will repeat annually. A semesterly training program for students will be finalized by December 15, 2014, and all student tour guides will be fully trained by February 15, 2015 (Vice President and Dean of Admission, Office of Admission and Associate Provost for Equity and Diversity, Office of Equity and Diversity).

Status: Complete

June 29, 2015

All tour guides attended a session led by Thomas Cruz-Soto in early April.

2. 

- that all admissions tours address issues of diversity more fully in order to articulate our complex history and our hopes for the future.

���߲ݴ�ý Response

���߲ݴ�ý has a proud history, and this movement is one example of how members of our community have spoken out for positive change. We will integrate these stories more intentionally into the campus tours, highlighting moments that have helped to make ���߲ݴ�ý a more inclusive campus. We will showcase campus communities such as the ALANA Cultural Center, LGBTQ programs, and the Women’s Studies Program, explaining how these spaces came into existence as an example of ���߲ݴ�ý’s commitment to diversity (Vice President and Dean of Admission, Office of Admission and Vice President of Communications, Office of Communications, by November 1, 2014).

We also discussed the importance of ensuring that our Office of Admission reflect the diversity of our community. To better ensure the diversity of the student workers in the Office of Admission, we commit to five additional work study positions in the Admission office to serve in a variety of different capacities, including as tour guides (Vice President and Dean of Admission, Office of Admission for spring semester 2015).

Status: Complete

March 17, 2015

Five visit operations assistants started working in the Office of Admission early in the spring semester. These students have immediately and positively impacted the admission effort as enthusiastic, approachable, and professional ambassadors that represent the diverse backgrounds of our entire student body. They are a visible and almost constant presence as they are scheduled to cover business hours Monday through Friday, as well as all Saturdays when the office is open.

3. 

- that recruitment programming, including Multicultural Visit Weekends and April Visit Days, be reconsidered and restructured in ways that address varied multicultural experiences, and that prepare students for the challenges in our campus climate once they arrive on campus.

���߲ݴ�ý Response

Beginning this month, the Office of Admission will review these programs, in consultation with members of the community, for implementation throughout this academic year.

Status: Complete

4. 

- that we create formal assessments of admission processes to determine the efficacy and inclusivity of admissions programs and protocols.

���߲ݴ�ý Response

Led by the Admission team, and in concert with our strategic goals to create a diverse campus, we will consult broadly with members of the community as part of our formal and ongoing assessments of the admission process to determine the efficacy and inclusivity of our recruitment efforts (Vice President and Dean of Admission, Office of Admission, to begin this semester (fall 2014).

Status: Complete

June 29, 2015

Meetings last semester with ACC leadership led to helpful and productive conversations about staff and student training, the required application supplement essay, and access that prospective students have to current students for information about campus life. The supplemental essay for the Class of 2016 is: "At ���߲ݴ�ý we strive to foster an inclusive community. Please discuss how your life experiences, family background, and/or culture has helped to shape you as a person. It would be especially helpful if you would also reflect on an experience which demonstrated your character and personal values." 

Because we aim to make ���߲ݴ�ý accessible to all, regardless of socioeconomic status, we ask for these reforms in our Financial Aid system:

5. 

- that financial aid administrators and staff be engaged in sustained diversity training and that the Office of Financial Aid hire a more diverse staff.

���߲ݴ�ý Response

We will begin immediately to develop this training and will have implemented the training fully by the end of the fall semester (Office of Financial Aid in consultation with Office of Equity and Diversity, December 15, 2014).

Status: Complete

December 23, 2014 

All staff members from the Office of Financial Aid have completed two diversity training sessions (on November 14 and 25).

6. 

- that our financial aid system be held accountable for providing full work study opportunities to all students who are guaranteed them in their financial aid packages; and that ample campus jobs and funds are available to meet that promise; indeed, that more monies are available to award to need-based students.

���߲ݴ�ý Response

In 2013-14, 41 students notified us that they were having trouble finding jobs, and ultimately only 10 of these were not working by year’s end. (That represents approximately 1% of students with work-study awards, and there were still jobs that went unfilled.) We are committed to working with all students so that they may receive their full award. Therefore, we will develop a semesterly orientation and job fair, where students learn tips for finding and interviewing for work study jobs, and learn of the range of available opportunities. The Office of Financial Aid will proactively engage students to better assist them in finding work-study employment (Director of Financial Aid, Office of Financial Aid, Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Director of Career Services, Office of Career Services, by December 15, 2014).

Status: Complete

June 29, 2015

The student/staff committee met two additional times after Spring Break. Here are the items that were discussed:

1. Discussed potential benefits and challenges of a 24/7 “virtual job fair” as opposed to a twice-a-year, in-person event and determined that it would be best to put time and effort into an online program that can be made available indefinitely, at any time of day or night, for students now and in future years.
2. Determined that a series of short “webisodes” on individual topics (e.g. mechanics of how to find a job, job-search strategies, etc.) would be of more help than one longer program covering all topics.
3. Discussed various topics to cover and how best to approach each one (e.g.,”person-on-the-street” interviews with students, or staff members making presentations, or using engaging graphics, etc.)
4. Student members of the committee expressed strong desire for a webisode on topics such as “how to read your award letter” and “how work-study fits into your academic-year award and budget.” Indeed, because the consensus among our student members was that those topics were potentially even more important than some others, the students requested that when designing and producing webisodes, we first address these issues, even with the understanding that this would likely delay production of job-hunt-related webisodes. It is our intention to have a webisode in place on these two topics prior to the start of the fall term.

7. 

- that, because financial aid cannot remedy systemic socioeconomic disparities, including access to transportation services, ���߲ݴ�ý reinstate a free and safe transport system to and from Syracuse for the entire population at ���߲ݴ�ý. This would work to alleviate the experience of isolation on the basis of socioeconomic status.

���߲ݴ�ý Response

We will review the costs of establishing regular transport between Hamilton and Syracuse. This fall we will survey students to estimate demand and, working with the student travel agency, run three pilot trips (e.g., late night programming) (Vice President of Finance and Administration, Office of Finance and Administration, and Director of the Center for Leadership and Student Involvement, Office of Finance and Administration, Center for Leadership and Student Involvement, by December 15, 2014).

Status: Complete

March 17, 2015 

Three scheduled trips to Syracuse in the fall 2014 semester failed to meet the minimum number of participants. Upon evaluation of the pilot project, it was determined that there was a lack of student interest. No additional trips will be scheduled.

Because campus life is shaped so fully and vibrantly by students’ relations with faculty as well as with their engagement with the curriculum, we ask:

8. 

- that all faculty, staff, administrators regardless of tenure positions or academic departments and students be engaged in required and sustained diversity training, through programs such as NCBI (National Coalition Building Institute) or IGD (Intergroup Dialogue) in order to bring issues of diversity and intersectionality fully into the curriculum.

���߲ݴ�ý Response

Our work in this area will build on what ���߲ݴ�ý currently offers to enhance employees’ and students’ understanding of how systemic structures shape power and privilege. Safe Zone trainings have thus far been voluntary, as we believe that is most effective; however, we will develop a more structured process that will serve more participants.  In addition, Intergroup Dialogue (IGD) workshops have allowed faculty and staff to develop their perspectives and skills related to diversity, and we are committing additional resources to make the IGD program available to more faculty and staff throughout this academic year. Bystander Intervention Trainings, which were put in place to foster sexual respect and stop sexual violence, teach skills that are transferrable to speaking out against bias behavior of all kinds. We will expand these sessions throughout this academic year. We will implement a variety of training sessions this academic year on a number of topics to include (but not limited to) unconscious bias, communication across difference, and respect in the workplace (Associate Provost for Equity and Diversity, Office of Equity and Diversity).

For staff and administrators, we have incorporated diversity into our major job description project, which has been in progress for the past year. ���߲ݴ�ý is revamping every non-faculty job description on campus. Inclusion and diversity will be a required competency for every employee. As a result, every performance evaluation done on an annual basis will include how employees work towards attending to diversity in their job. That allows us to offer required educational sessions for employees at all levels. The Office of Equity and Diversity will begin its preparation for this work immediately, in order that supervisor training will begin by December.

Given the centrality of faculty governance, professional development for faculty requires input from the faculty. The Faculty Affairs Committee (FAC) has unanimously decided to bring to the next Faculty Meeting (October 6th) a resolution that affirms the expectation that faculty will strive continually to make all students feel safe, respected, and fully included in the classroom; the resolution also supports the implementation of a coordinated set of professional development workshops through which all faculty can improve their capacities in managing a diverse classroom. If this motion passes a faculty vote, the development of this set of professional development programs will be immediately initiated by the Center for Learning, Teaching, and Research (CLTR) in partnership with the Office of Equity and Diversity, so that initial workshops can be offered in the spring semester. In addition, a session on teaching students from diverse backgrounds will be included in new faculty orientation (coordinated by Associate Deans of the Faculty, already implemented this year, to be expanded).

For students, understanding and living amid diversity will be a theme of orientation programming (whether during the pre-term orientation period or as a special program in the early weeks of the first semester) for all first-year students, and required diversity training will be provided to these student leaders on campus: student staff, Links, CLs, and leaders of RLCs. In addition, we will continue to offer diversity trainings for student organizations (e.g., student government association, fraternity and sorority leaders). The aforementioned will be planned starting immediately for a start date by January 2015, and an orientation program will be ready for the Class of 2019’s arrival in August 2015.

Status: Complete

June 29, 2015

An IGD reading group for faculty and staff met on a bi-weekly basis during spring 2015 to further personal understanding of modern-day racism and white privilege. An IGD facilitation training workshop was provided in May with six faculty and five staff members participating. Interest in IGD is growing and the hope is to offer IGD workshops on a regular basis to interested faculty and staff. A number of faculty, staff and students will attend the NE IGR Conference at Skidmore College in June. 

9. 

- that all applications to work for ���߲ݴ�ý (faculty and staff) state that ���߲ݴ�ý requires or strongly suggests each candidate be familiar with conversations/issues about diversity, privilege, and intersectionality on college campuses and in the world.

���߲ݴ�ý Response

We will do this. We have increased and prioritized our targeted outreach for open positions across all departments. The Director for Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action, Office of Equity and Diversity, analyzed our staff hiring process, identified gaps, and proposed significant revisions with the goal of creating a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects our student population and models our educational aspirations. These revisions also address barriers to that goal by standardizing objective candidate evaluation, diversifying search committees, and designating diversity advocates to serve on staff search committees. Candidate evaluation will include assessment of candidate's ability to foster an inclusive workplace.

We have already made progress on the faculty side, with further advances to be made over this annual search cycle. We have piloted language in a number of faculty ads that strongly encourages candidates to describe their strengths and experiences in teaching diverse student populations and in promoting a diverse and inclusive educational environment. Based on successful experiences in the piloted searches this year, the Dean’s Advisory Council plans to make such language standard for all faculty searches moving forward.

Status: Complete

June 29, 2015

The job description project is being implemented. Descriptions now include “the ability to foster an inclusive workplace” as an “essential competency” for every staff member. On the faculty front, all tenure-stream searches now include the standard expectation that “candidates are able to teach in a diverse and inclusive educational environment.” Faculty representing all tenure-stream hires now attend workshops on diversifying the ���߲ݴ�ý faculty.

10. 

- that our core curriculum be revised to bring in explicit study and understanding of systemic power dynamics and inequities; and how these shape even our most personal relationships with others and ourselves

• including revising the GE requirement so it reflects the original proposal where there are discussions about international relations, imperialism, privilege, political conversations about “studying abroad,” critical conversations about “difference,” etc. Professors should also be capable of having those conversations as a prerequisite for teaching the course.
• additionally, ensuring the core courses include national and worldwide perspectives, not just Western traditions.

���߲ݴ�ý Response

The curriculum, including the Core, is in the purview of the faculty. The Faculty Affairs Committee has agreed, as a first step, to place on the next Faculty Meeting agenda (October 6, 2014) a discussion of diversity in the ���߲ݴ�ý curriculum. The FAC is inviting student leaders of the recent demonstrations in James B. ���߲ݴ�ý Hall to speak briefly at the Faculty Meeting.

Status: Complete

June 29, 2015

The annual Core curriculum retreat, held at White Eagle May 11 and 12, focused on “Power, Privilege, and Pedagogy.” All Core course faculty teams discussed ways to incorporate these themes into courses. Such reflection and adaptation of courses will be ongoing until the next scheduled major core revision, slated for 2019-2020.

11. 

- that we hire and retain more faculty across aspects of minority identities, as noted above, from both domestic and international backgrounds; and that we actively create the conditions for them to thrive.

���߲ݴ�ý Response

We commit to work with all faculty search committees on hiring practices to expand our faculty from multicultural domestic and international backgrounds. For current searches this fall and spring, the Office of Equity and Diversity will continue its practices to help on-campus recruitment of candidates (e.g., confidential interviews with associate provost of equity and diversity, meetings with colleagues beyond the department with mutual interests/backgrounds) and will implement additional orientation on diversity in hiring for all search committee members. Planning will begin this October to set up an expanded program for full implementation for all searches during next academic year.

Status: Complete

June 29, 2015

Tenure-stream hiring for fall 2015 yielded a strong cohort, with 10 hires. Of these 10, five are female, five are faculty of color, and three are international. The first of four scheduled workshops on diversifying the faculty took place in May and was attended by 38 faculty members and two staff. The focus on building an inclusive faculty is now fully woven into the hiring process, and efforts on each search will continue moving forward.

12. 

- that we offer full financial support to current efforts that seek to establish an Intergroup Relations Program as an academic discipline.

���߲ݴ�ý Response

���߲ݴ�ý will fund up to five faculty course development proposals in Intergroup Relations (IGR) or similar pedagogies in the summer of 2015, so that courses using the IGR or similar pedagogy could be offered in academic year 2015-16 and/or thereafter, with the possibility that faculty would offer their courses multiple semesters. Course proposals from faculty will be due in the spring (Center for Learning, Teaching, and Research). Any academic program would be proposed by faculty members for consideration by the Dean’s Advisory Council.

Status: Complete

June 29, 2015

Course development grants have been awarded in connection to five different courses that use Intergroup Relations or related pedagogies. Courses will be offered and taught as follows: Spring 2015: Suzanne Spring and Drea Finley; Academic Year 2015-2016: Meika Loe and Christina Khan; Janel Benson; Carolyn Hsu and April Baptiste; Catherine Cardelus.

13. 

- that we fully publicize the EGP (Equity Grievance Panel) accountability structure so students can effectively address issues of classroom bias and inequity. We ask for stronger disciplinary action for hate speech of any kind.

���߲ݴ�ý Response

We will do this. In order to encourage greater reporting of bias incidents, we will communicate broadly about our Equity Grievance Process (EGP). We will clarify that the EGP is designed to address complaints not only of sexual assault and gender-based violence, but harassment of all kinds, including cases of bias and inequity (Associate Provost for Equity and Diversity, Office of Equity and Diversity, by November 2014).

Status: Complete

June 29, 2015

Our efforts to publicize the EGP policy and process will continue in the coming academic year and beyond. 

14. 

-that we offer specific training for faculty advisors so they can help students address previous educational experiences that have left them less prepared for ���߲ݴ�ý’s curriculum. One way this could be possible is by making the training ���߲ݴ�ý already provides, “Academic Advising of the Whole Student,” mandatory. Initiatives like these show that ���߲ݴ�ý both acknowledges and responds to systemic disparities in education.

���߲ݴ�ý Response

���߲ݴ�ý is implementing an integrated advising system that prepares and brings together academic and administrative advisors, along with other mentors and resource people for each student. Orientation of these advisors will include supporting students from all social locations and backgrounds within a disparate educational system, and better coordination of information among a student’s advisors. The advisors will be better equipped to provide targeted and tailored support for students from various backgrounds. The Advising Committee, with support from the Optimization, Analytics, Knowledge (OAK) project, is already working on implementation of this program. As one example, support for first-generation students is being built into this program (planning and a pilot project already ongoing).

Status: Complete

June 29, 2015

Plans continue on track to offer a pilot for integrated advising to select first-year seminar groups in fall 2015. Following that pilot, we plan to roll the program out to a broader student base in the spring of 2016. 

15. 

- we ask for trainings for ���߲ݴ�ý students and faculty as preparation for study abroad. This training will include some literature and conversation about the politics of studying abroad, what it means to be “immersed” in another culture, “voluntourism,” and cultural awareness. These study abroad trainings should also include conversations on engaging with differing structures of power and privilege on a global scale. One conversation, for example, might advise students of color when they study abroad in predominantly white countries.

���߲ݴ�ý Response

This year ���߲ݴ�ý has fully implemented a system for study abroad that allows students to apply their financial aid either to ���߲ݴ�ý study groups or to a list of over 100 approved programs around the world. This program of “portable financial aid” has opened up a full and equitable choice set for students on financial aid to learn in a setting that fits their academic program.

���߲ݴ�ý will expand its orientation for both students and faculty joining ���߲ݴ�ý study groups, using in-person and online resources. Faculty will be encouraged and supported to welcome and work well with students from diverse backgrounds, and to help students experience the rich cultural resources of their study-group locale. Students will receive orientation materials that prepare them for the cross-cultural interactions they will experience. This will be incorporated into the mandatory general pre-departure orientation for all students studying abroad in the spring 2015 (orientation will take place late Fall 2014). We will also address these issues in the training for spring 2015 study group directors (Associate Dean for International Initiatives and Office of Off-Campus Study).

Status: Complete

December 23, 2014

The staff of the Office of Off-Campus Study researched and reviewed literature related to cultural identity and diversity issues when going abroad. They also consulted with Lyn Rugg of the Office of Equity and Diversity regarding training approaches for students and faculty. 

Following this research, the off-campus study office redeveloped and implemented its pre-departure orientation program for students studying abroad in spring 2015, and the office developed and offered diversity training to faculty directors. Included in students’ orientation materials is a newly developed brochure covering subjects of diversity abroad. The office has also published a new web page about diversity issues when studying abroad.

16. 

- a specific faculty member within the natural sciences to advise underrepresented students.

���߲ݴ�ý Response

���߲ݴ�ý has submitted an S-STEM (Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) grant proposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF) to increase the number of well-prepared students with financial need graduating with degrees in the sciences or mathematics. Our proposed program targets students from economically or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds, or from historically underrepresented communities. Even if this grant is not funded, ���߲ݴ�ý will still identify a faculty member to provide this academic support (grant request pending with NSF).

In addition, ���߲ݴ�ý is committed to support all students who seek to concentrate in the natural sciences, mathematics, or economics. The new half-credit course, Essentials of Mathematics, is available to any students who wish to strengthen their math background before or concurrent to other math/economics/science courses.

Status: Complete

June 29, 2015

An open meeting for students and faculty was held on April 17, 2015 to consider the role of a faculty liaison group for science-interested students from underrepresented groups; in late April and early May, an anonymous survey was distributed to gather input from additional students regarding their concerns and needs, and also to begin to consider which faculty members might be best suited to serving as members of such a liaison group. Over the summer, the faculty liaison group will be formed, with the goal of introducing the incoming class and other students to the group in late August. 

Additionally, to address issues that affect student life, we ask:

17. 

- for the addition of multicultural sororities and fraternities to our community as they have the potential to provide nation-wide networks that are currently unavailable for all students.

���߲ݴ�ý Response

A discussion concerning any increase of fraternity and sorority life at ���߲ݴ�ý is a complex one that is informed by the opinions of faculty, staff and students, and ultimately is a decision of the Board of Trustees. The Board has determined that in the near term, we will focus our efforts on implementing the Living the Liberal Arts strategic plan, in which we will create faculty-led residential learning communities (RLCs) for first- and second-year students on the hill, and each learning community will have an affiliated annex on Broad Street. In this model, all students will be members of a residential learning community that promotes a sense of belonging, peer-to-faculty engagement, self-governance, and access to highly-sought-after social space on Broad Street. The RLC program will launch in fall of 2015, including the first annex on Broad Street. We also commit in the short term, until the RLC program has been fully rolled out, to offering a space on Broad Street that promotes diversity and inclusion (Dean of the College, by fall 2015).

We agree that we need increased parity on how social life is regulated in Broad Street communities and are now committed to having one office oversee the registration and management of Broad Street social events to allow for consistent application of our policies. This will include improved oversight of all Broad Street events to ensure that they are managed within the boundaries of our existing social policies (Dean of Students and Associate Dean for Campus Life, Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, by October 15, 2014).

Status: Complete

March 17, 2015

One individual now oversees registration of social events on campus. The residence at 100 Broad St. was identified as a social space that can be used by students to host events. We have increased the number of TIPS training opportunities and advertise these more widely. The social hosting policy is clearly outlined on a the ���߲ݴ�ý website. Bunche House continues to serve as an interest house for diversity and inclusion in the short term, while the residential learning community program that will launch in fall 2015 will address student access to Broad Street social spaces in the long term. 

18. 

- for cameras with audio on the cruisers as a means of accountability. This initiative responds to reported instances of racism, aggression, and micro-aggression that take place on the cruiser.

���߲ݴ�ý Response

We will consult with Birnie Bus and ensure that cameras are placed in the cruisers and that signage is put in place to alert patrons to that effect (Vice President for Finance and Administration, Office of Finance and Administration, by December 1, 2014).

Status: Complete

March 2, 2015

A camera system was installed and activated on the six ���߲ݴ�ý Cruiser buses on March 2, 2015. ���߲ݴ�ý announced the addition of the cameras through a campus email and signage was placed on each bus to inform riders. Information obtained through the video and audio recordings will be handled in a manner consistent with existing university policies.

19. 

- for a campus climate survey specifically on race (not “diversity”).

���߲ݴ�ý Response

While we appreciate the need to focus on race relations on campus, ���߲ݴ�ý is already slated to conduct a comprehensive survey (the Diverse Learning Environments survey) because it measures multiple aspects of the campus climate, with direct attention to race relations (e.g., discrimination and harassment, positive cross-racial interaction, academic validation in the classroom, sense of belonging, student financial difficulties, curriculum of inclusion, student support services, and satisfaction with diverse perspectives). This survey will be administered to sophomores and juniors, which is a current gap in our assessment of students’ experience. We will also be able to benchmark these findings against other institutions, and this survey allows us to learn more about climate, practices, and outcomes as it relates to race relations and other important areas of inclusivity. We will disseminate these findings widely, including through the ALANA Affairs Committee (Associate Vice President for Institutional Planning and Research, Office of Institutional Planning and Research, by October 2014).

Status: Complete

March 17, 2015

Preliminary results of the Diverse Learning Environments survey have been shared with the ALANA Affairs Committee, Student Affairs Board (SAB), and the ���߲ݴ�ý Administrative Group. Results will be shared further with governance committees and student groups throughout the semester, this summer, and during the fall semester. 

20. 

- for the retention rate of racial minority groups to be published alongside each class year’s racial breakdown.

���߲ݴ�ý Response

We will develop a profile on ImFirst.org website (Associate Vice President for Institutional Planning and Research, Office of Institutional Planning and Research, by December 15, 2014).

We will create two work-study positions/interns that will help us promote programs and services that are available to underrepresented and first-generation students (Dean of the College and/or Dean of the Faculty, student hires by October 31, 2014).

Status: Complete

March 17, 2015

Two interns were hired in January 2015 and are working with the Office of Equity and Diversity. The interns are working on outreach related to the EGP policy and process, on the student-facilitated trainings to interrupt bias (a new name for the Bystander Intervention training addressing bias and discriminatory harassment), and on supporting the effort to bring Sustained Dialogue to ���߲ݴ�ý.

21. 

- for a professional staff-level supervisor on the BAC whose job is to ensure resources are being distributed equitably across all recognized student groups (keeping in mind that some groups require more funding than others; equal distribution of funds is not always just).

���߲ݴ�ý Response

The Budget Allocations Committee (BAC) is advised by a professional staff member presently. We agree that SGA should work with students and regularly review its process for appointing students to the BAC, and for creating a fundamentally fair process for distributing BAC funds (Director of the Center for Leadership and Student Involvement, Center for Leadership and Student Involvement, by January 1, 2014).

Status: Complete

March 17, 2015

As a result of the listening tour from the fall semester, the following will be implemented:
The BAC will use a time-stamp on unseen proposals and review the oldest proposals first in the following term.
The BAC will allow groups to submit proposals for annual events (e.g., MLK, black history month) a semester in advance.
The BAC will improve its website and make its processes more transparent and easy to understand, providing examples and “how-to” videos for student leaders new to the process.
BAC representatives will meet with advising departments and provide an introduction to BAC funding processes.
The BAC will continue to improve its officer transition so that newly elected officers fully understand the responsibilities of the position and can apply lessons learned from prior administrations.