Committee on Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity
Report Date: 6-20-2016 End of Year Report
Charge: The Committee on Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity will concern itself with issues
pertaining to equity, inclusiveness and access, as they are reflected in the curriculum, student
body, and personnel of the State University. Among the activities of this committee will be
collecting and disseminating information, organizing periodic meetings and workshops, and
providing guidance and recommendations to the Senate so that it may act with the best
intentions of all people in mind.
2015-2016 Committee Members:
New Chair: Timothy Gerken, Chair UFS Ad Hoc
Committee on LGBTQAI Matters
Associate Professor, Morrisville State College
Carlos Medina
Chief Diversity Officer, Associate Provost, SUNY
System Administration
Noelle Chaddock, Past Chair
Chief Diversity Officer - Director Multicultural Life
and Diversity, SUNY Cortland
Sean Simpson
Westchester Community College
Evan Bigam
Community Development Specialist, SUNY Oswego
Sunil Labroo
Professor, SUNY Oneonta
Gloria Lopez
Affirmative Action Officer, SUNY System
Administration
Chrisel Martinez
SUNY Student Assembly
Soundarapandian Vijayakumar
Associate Professor, SUNY Cobleskill
Aimee Woznick
Director of Academic Support Services & Asst.
Professor, Empire State College
Jie Zhang
Associate Professor. The College at Brockport
Ruhan Zhao
Associate Professor, The College at Brockport
Committee Update and Recommendation:
With the chair, Noelle Chaddock, leaving the SUNY System, Timothy Gerken was appointed new
chair.
Committee meeting dates: The committee met via conference call during the school year.
Committee accomplishments since previous UFS Planning Meeting:
1. Noelle Chaddock presented “Cultivating Inclusive Campuses Through Intentional
Dialogue and Civil Discourse” at the 2016 SUNY Voices Conference in Albany, NY.
2. Creation of a new column in the SUNY Faculty Bulletin which will focus on Equity,
Inclusion, and Diversity.
3. A short article on the three LGBTQ anti bias resolutions passed over the last 18
months will appear in the next edition of the Diversity Counts Newsletter put out by
the SUNY Office of DEI.
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4. Working with the Student Life committee and the Ad Hoc Committee on LGBTQAI
Matters two resolutions were brought forward and passed at the Winter Plenary.
5. The committee has been supporting the “Ban the Box” incentives.
6. The Chair attended the “How Class Works” conference at Stony Brook University.
Moving Forward the Committee and the UFS Senate body might consider:
- International Faculty/Staff/Student experience;
- LGBTQAIP Equity;
- Gender Inclusion on all campuses and at system;
- Ban the Box and equitable education and employment for those previously
incarcerated;
- Gender Inequity and issues of sexism and Title IX
- Antiracism initiatives must begin NOW from the system level down. We cannot ignore
the last year (and we didn’t really do anything with this) and we MUST be predictive. We
can help the SUNY System be that inclusive place if we use our skills as scholars and
higher education practitioners to help the system be READY. The next two years are
going to be horrendous. This will impact attraction, recruitment, and retention;
- Continue diversity training for the senate and the executive committee (I am happy to
come back and do any work you would like me to do) ;
- Bias Related Incidents, freedom of speech, academic freedom, and civil discourse there should be a resolution from this committee that helps guide the senate in the next
couple years around how these things will be received, talked about, supported, and/or
denounced… we cannot remain silent any longer. SILENCE is the issue;
- Creating LGBTQAI campus registry demonstrating what campus makes available for its
students, faculty, and staff;
- Creating an equitable pay program for each campus;
- Ensure that new TeachNY programs actually work to enhance diversity;
- Ensure that ending poverty is not left out of the TeachNY report and recommendations.
Outcomes/queries for UFS Senators to share with their campus:
1. Please make sure that diversity equity and inclusion are part of your faculty senate and
sector conversations. Just asking “what is going on with diversity equity inclusion access
impact and bias on your campuses” will elicit a great deal of information.
2. With change in leadership on your campus, we ask you to share the White Paper with
your new CGL’s or Faculty Senators. What has your campus done with this document?
How can we help?
3. Has your body had a conversation about the Board of Trustees resolution on diversity? If
not, why not? This should be a shared governance conversation.
4. Where is your campus regarding the Chief Diversity Officer position? Do you have one?
What is the structure of that position? How is that position being received by your
campus community?
5. Encourage your governance body and/or campus leadership to invest in diversity
training? Ask us. We have recommendations.
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