Meeting Summary:

• Jon provided a summary of 2003-2004 DAC activities.
• Masami reviewed suggestions for the 2004-2005 work plan. The co-chairs recommended that the council focus its work and target activities to achieve a few specific goals. The following working groups were recommended and agreed to by the DAC:
  • Recruitment and Retention of Faculty, Staff and Students (Working Group Chair: Martha)
    • DAHRT
    • Connections
    • Student recruitment related activities
  • Diversity Training and Education (Working Group Chair: Jon)
    • Focus on Diversity (Once a term. Spring event will be a "Special Recognition" session.)
    • Film Series
  • Grants and Research (Working Group Chair: Masami)
    • Student mini-grants
    • Faculty mini-grants
    • Apply for new institutional program grant
  • Other Activities & Special Programs (Working Group Chair: Ed)
    • "Special Recognition" Focus on Diversity event spring term

• A sign-up sheet was distributed and DAC members signed up to participate on one of the four new working groups.
• Masami called for all DAC members to post the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 goals/actions worksheets in their offices so the campus becomes more aware that the DAC exists and is moving forward with activities.
• Beverly (HR) volunteered to add a description of the DAC to the HR briefing that they provide to new hires as a way to help spread the word about DAC.
• April recommended that DAC or DLN members provide updates on DAC activities in their regular department meetings to increase awareness of DAC efforts.
• President Dan Bernstine provided his vision for the DAC this year. He is looking for ideas and recommendations from the DAC. He would like to see PSU go beyond mirroring Portland in its diversity. Bernstine also highlighted the CONNECTIONS group as a great resource for further creative ideas. He praised the Jim Banks seminar last year as an important step forward. Finally, he emphasized the need for campus buy-in in order to achieve diversity goals.
• Masami pointed out that it will be important to integrate the efforts of DAC, DAHRT and CONNECTIONS.
• April provided an overview of CONNECTIONS, explaining that it is a networking and advocacy group for faculty and staff of color. The goal of CONNECTIONS is retention.
• The Diversity Film Series was discussed. Burt Christopherson provided a brief update, explaining that the residence halls are running this series; Priya Kapoor was assisting but is now on sabbatical. Some challenges were experienced last year due to limited space in which to present the films, but this is improving this year with the new Broadway building and two new coordinators. Flyers and posters for this event should be appearing around campus soon.
• Masami described the "grants and research" effort that was added to the areas of focus for this year. This item was added because the DAC currently has limited funding; the research and grants working group will research grant opportunities and will ideally facilitate applications for appropriate opportunities. The intent is to provide funds for activities that support DAC goals.
• Swapna suggested that the DAC showcase what students and faculty have done with the mini-grants they have received. The possibility of showcasing grant-funded activities at the spring "Special Recognition" event or at an earlier Focus on Diversity event (fall or winter term) was discussed.
• Martha provided an overview of DAHRT. The team is focused on members with expertise in hiring and faculty culture. The DAHRT includes members from Affirmative Action, Human Resources, the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE), the Ombuds Office, the DAC and the Office of Academic Affairs.
• Kofi suggested that DAC and the DAHRT develop a process for both diversity hiring and retention. The process should outline what happens from the time someone is hired to when they are considered "retained." In other words, what is PSU doing to keep new hires here?
• Swapna recommended a mentoring program for new faculty; this will be discussed in Martha's working group. Martha also commented that the CAE has a coaching program for tenure-track faculty in the 2nd or 3rd year of teaching.
• Martha reviewed the DAC budget. There were some concerns about the DAHRT budget being too low, but Martha explained that the DAHRT can be funded by multiple departments because it does not consist solely of the DAC.
• Masami notified DAC members that the chairs are developing an official application procedure for the DAC discretionary budget to ensure fairness. She also announced that the DAC will not have a faculty-in-residence this year. The DAC missed the opportunity to secure someone for this position and the money is needed for other DAC activities.

Working Group Sign-up List:

• Recruitment and Retention of Faculty, Staff and Students (Chair: Martha)
  • Olivia Alcaire
  • April Turner (tentative)
  • Tom Biolsi
  • Masoud Kheirabadi
  • Kofi Agorsah
• Diversity Training and Education (Chair: Jon)
  • Nicole Browning (Film Series)
• Grants and Research (Chair: Masami)
  • Arezu Movahed
  • Swapna Movahed
• Other Activities & Special Programs (Chair: Ed)
  • Burt Christopherson
  • Polly Livingston

To Do List:

• Subcommittee Chairs will contact subcommittee members at their discretion to begin moving forward with planning.
• DAC members who haven't signed up for a working group should select one and email Melissa (mleonard@pdx.edu) to sign up.
• Melissa is responsible for maintenance of the Diversity Liaison Network (DLN) listserv. Send any new members to her at mleonard@pdx.edu.

Diversity Action Council Meeting - November 10, 2004

Attendees: Jon Joiner (co-chair), Ashley-Nicole Browning, Rowanna Carpenter, Tina Cooper, Polly Livingston, Gabriela Martorell, Carol Morgaine, Arezu Movahed, Kerth O'Brien, Ed Washington, Beverly Wilkinson, Shelly Bird (CAE), Melissa Leonard (CAE - GA)

1. Report on CONNECTIONS Origins Event: Ed

• The event took place in conjunction with Washington State Faculty and Staff of Color in Higher Ed's 9th annual conference. The group was extremely appreciative of PSU's presence and role at the conference.
• The turnout at the Origins reception was great, with representatives from Oregon, various parts of Washington and California in attendance.

2. DAHRT Update: Bev

• A key goal of the DAHRT is to interact with PSU search committees and departments regarding the hiring and decision-making process.
• Duos of one faculty member and one administration member will proactively approach departments to provide information on the hiring and decision-making process. It is important for departments to have this diversity-related information in advance (before they are filling out and preparing paperwork), because the way in which job descriptions are phrased and where they are advertised are key components of the diversity hiring process. This training process will not only get the diversity message out in advance of the hiring process, but it will also help search committees identify on paper exactly what they have done to promote diversity in the hiring process.
• Retention is the second key goal of the DAHRT - this involves the creation and preservation of a welcoming and fulfilling experience for faculty of color.
• PSU assigns subcommittees to address issues such as salary, equity and retention prior to the AAUP bargaining process. Bev is a member of the subcommittee focused on retention. Diversity has not been a key consideration for this subcommittee to date and Bev is committed to increasing the subcommittee's awareness of diversity issues and efforts to develop related retention methods. Bev will also ensure that non-teaching faculty are included in the discussion.
• HR has provided materials for the 11/10 Say Hey meeting. Information on PSU diversity and job descriptions will be provided. Say Hey is a quarterly support and networking meeting for professionals of color in the Portland area.

3. Motion to add a member of the Multicultural Center (MCC) Board to the DAC: Ed

• Motion approved.
• Jon will extend the invitation to a representative from the MCC Board.

4. Discussion regarding the lack of a single access point for students, staff and faculty to find out about all campus events/activities.

• Many groups on campus are conducting activities that could assist, support or complement other groups' activities. It is difficult to find out everything that is occurring so that groups can capitalize on partnerships and avoid redundant efforts and competing events.
• HR is conducting an initial exploration of possible solutions to this issue.
• In addition, most SALP groups post their events to a single calendar.

5. Announcements

• The MCC will sponsor a showing of, "Outfoxed," a film providing "an in-depth look at Fox News and the dangers of ever-enlarging corporations taking control of the public's right to know." The showing and discussion will take place on November 18, from noon - 2:00 p.m. in the MCC (228 SMU).
• DAC Fall Newsletter call for submissions - please submit articles, ideas or announcements to mleonard@pdx.edu by November 30.

6. Working Group Break-Out Meetings

• The Recruitment/Retention group met to discuss efforts to build CONNECTIONS and more details on DAHRT.
• The Diversity Training/Education group met to discuss the Diversity Film Series, Focus on Diversity Events, and the ASPSU diversity panel (PSU Town Hall Series).
• The Grants/Research group met to discuss grant research efforts thus far, next steps, and a process for reviewing mini-grant proposals.
• The Other Activities/Special Programs group met to discuss the spring term "Special Recognition" Focus on Diversity event.

Diversity Action Council Meeting - December 7, 2004

Attendees: Jon Joiner (co-chair), Masami Nishishiba (co-chair), Cécile Accilien, Kofi Agorsah, Olivia Alcaire, Martha Balshem, Tom Biolsi, Gabriela Martorell, Carol Morgaine, Arezu Movahed, Kerth O' Brien, Isaka Shamsud Din, April Turner, Ed Washington, Paulette Watanabe, Melissa Leonard (CAE - GA)

1. CONNECTIONS Update: Martha and Olivia

• CONNECTIONS is in the process of rebuilding and is looking for more support from the administration of the university. Martha will begin attending the meetings.
• The Origins event organized by CONNECTIONS was a huge success. The majority of Cultural Intersections conference participants attended the event. It was an excellent opportunity to partner with the group that organizes this yearly conference for faculty and staff of color in the Northwest (Paul Gallegos of Evergreen State College leads the planning group).

2. Recruitment and Retention Working Group & DAHRT Update: Martha

• The DAHRT is a cooperative effort among Affirmative Action, Human Resources, the Ombudsman office, and the Center for Academic Excellence. The group's goal is to help departments take action that will support PSU's goal of hiring and retaining faculty of color.
• The key issue is that after the hiring process, little is done to welcome and support faculty of color; there is a lack of understanding of diversity issues on campus.
• Six academic units will be called and visited by the DAHRT next term. The objective of the visits is to help departments understand needs in the area of retention and to press for development of retention plans.
• There is a dearth of data on the reasons why faculty of color leave PSU. A limited qualitative study was conducted in 1996 but there is currently little additional data available.
  • The GA assistant supporting the DAC's grants/research efforts is currently examining existing data from OIRP in the attempt to glean some information regarding hiring and retention of underrepresented faculty.
  • Martha is also notified via email every time a faculty member leaves PSU; she will work with HR to determine if background on the reasons that faculty of color leave can be obtained in the exit interview process.
  • CONNECTIONS has been discussing the idea of gathering the stories of faculty and staff of color who are currently at PSU to illustrate what the experience is like.
• The publishing emphasis in the tenure and promotion model was brought up as an issue that is negatively affecting the retention of faculty of color.
• DAC members expressed concerns about available outlets for faculty and staff for reporting concerns about discrimination. It was pointed out that there is a grievance committee for faculty that takes complaints very seriously and conducts in-depth investigations. Martha will obtain more information on this committee and will report back to the DAC in the next meeting.
• Hidden discrimination and unconscious exercise of white privilege were brought up as major forces that negatively affect climate. The solution extends beyond voicing singular grievances to bringing about social change through ongoing education of faculty, staff and students.
• Diversity training was suggested as a key component in the process of bringing about cultural change, as leaders must have sensitivity to issues of gender, color and more in order for change to occur.

3. Discussion Regarding Provost Search

• Departmental accountability in relation to diversity efforts was discussed; DAC members agreed that leadership is key in this area and discussed the need for university leaders to position diversity as an intellectual issue and a fundamental pedagogical interest of the university that benefits everyone.
• Provosts have the power to instigate action on the part of deans, so DAC members need to get involved in the current provost search in order to ensure that diversity is a priority for the incoming provost.
• "Airport interviews" will be taking place in the coming weeks and candidates could be on campus as early as late January or early February.
• Members of the DAC need to make every effort to attend the public lectures of all the provost candidates, and to ask challenging diversity-focused questions at these events. Members then need to fill out the comment cards that are distributed after the public lectures so that feedback relating to each candidate's apparent stance on diversity can be filtered back to the search committee. Melissa (GA) will notify DAC members when these public lectures are taking place.
• Martha and Kerth will also meet with the chair of the provost search committee - Phyllis Edmundson, a former DAC chair - to 1) provide guidebooks on hiring and retention of diverse faculty, 2) provide suggested diversity-related questions that can be asked in the airport interviews and 3) request that a meeting between final provost candidates be arranged with members of the DAC.
• Once the provost is hired, the DAC will arrange for him or her to attend a DAC meeting; a key goal of this meeting will be to strongly recommend a convocation/symposium on diversity.

4. Diversity Training and Education Working Group Update: Jon

• The working group is continuing efforts to get the Film Series started winter term. The next round of event planning for the series will address the scope, target audience and partnership with the Communications department (as Priya Kapoor of the Communications department was involved with this event previously).
  • DAC members discussed the need to draw a broader audience to the film series and other diversity activities, as they typically draw an "already converted" audience. Encouraging faculty to integrate such events into course syllabi is a key way to draw a more diverse range of participants. The training/education working group will discuss this further as they plan the event.
• The group is also discussing possible ideas for Focus on Diversity Events.
• This group has also discussed the possibility of partnering or sponsoring the Diversity Support Network, which is being developed by ASPSU.

5. Grants & Research Working Group Update: Masami

• Student mini-grant update: No student mini-grant proposals were received for fall term, likely because the RFP was not announced early enough. The student mini-grant RFP will be re-advertised the week of 12/13 and again in early January (the deadline is 1/31). When student mini-grants for winter term are selected, the award letters will contain information on all of the student activities that received funding and will encourage student groups to attend these events.
• Faculty mini-grant update: Eleven faculty mini-grant proposals were received. The review committee will make final award decisions on 12/10. Letters will be sent to applicants during the week of 12/13.
• The grants/research working group is also collecting data on faculty and staff diversity and retention at PSU. They are also conducting research on possible grant opportunities that the DAC can pursue to support the DAC's recruitment and retention goals.

6. Other Activities & Special Programs Working Group Update: Ed

• The working group is making significant progress on planning the spring special recognition Focus on Diversity awards event.
• The event is on President Bernstine's calendar for either April or June. The event will take place in June if the working group is able to secure Orland Taylor as the keynote speaker. Taylor is Vice Provost for Research, Dean of the Graduate School, and Professor of Communications at Howard University. Most of Taylor's work has focused on the cultural and linguistic diversity of the American people; he and colleagues coined the term "ebonics."
• The special recognition event will honor approximately six people from PSU (faculty, staff and students) for their efforts in the area of diversity. The nominating procedure and deadline for these awards will be announced in the DAC newsletter, which will be issued in January.

7. Items for January Meeting:

• Meetings with working groups.
• Dissemination of more information on grievance process as PSU.
• Update on discussion with Phyllis Edmundson regarding diversity in relation to provost search.
  
  

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