Multi-Identity Based Union (MIBU)

MIBU Summary and Actions In Response - Updated November 2023

UPDATE ADDRESSING MIBU’S DEMANDS

Prepared by Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity

November 13, 2023

Demand 2: Expanding Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity

The office was created in July 2021 and through its first year of existence it established a strong collaboration with different offices in the Student Affairs division, including the director of student support services, CHWS, director of residential life, and student involvement and programming as well as with academic advising and other offices that offer student support. These strong collaborations have positioned the university to address the needs of students in a way that is more effective and sensitive without diffusion or duplication of efforts. In fall of 2023 the responsibilities of the Director of Intercultural Engagement were expanded to include stronger collaboration with the divisions of academic and student affairs focusing on retention and student success, enhanced support of student identity-based clubs, and designing and implementing diversity, equity and inclusion training for student, staff and faculty. The Division of Institutional Equity and Diversity also added a part time position of Intercultural Engagement Coordinator to help support this work.

Demand 3: Welcome Center

The third MIBU demand requested the creation of a physical space that centralizes services often used by minoritized and underrepresented students. The demand also alluded to the need for affinity groups with marginalized identities to meet in a safe environment.

During 2022-2023 the Student Support Space Advisory Body (SSSAB) met with Facilities Services and DECA Architects, an architecture firm with diversity center experience to start programming work for a new diversity center.

The purpose and goal of the programming is to determine what is needed in terms of diversity center uses and the associated space requirements. This Campus facilities master plan currently under development includes the development of such space as well as extended space for the Division of Institutional Equity and Diversity.

Demand 4: Required Trainings

Research evidence provided by psychologists and DEI experts highlights the inefficacy and inefficiency of requiring training focused on reducing or eliminating biases and developing cultural sensitivity to marginalized identities. Furthermore, such requirements can for some individuals lead to stronger biases and resistance to sensitive cultural responsiveness, when the trainings are required and the individual does not wish to participate. This research has also provided information on the approaches that might be more effective in helping all of us develop a stronger sense of cultural humility and cultural intelligence. The office of Institutional Equity and Diversity is using this information to provide professional development workshops that are programmatic, practical and that allow for individuals with different levels of DEI knowledge to engage in the learning process. The office is also conducting trainings that are more targeted to the needs of particular staff as it relates to their job responsibilities. We are also engaging in the use of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) to assess current intercultural mindsets, and approaches used by staff and providing group and personal professional development plans. This will allow us to continue to asses professional development in the DEI area. The plan is to engage 2-3 departments or units in this process every semester.

We are also currently considering the purchase of a digital training service that will include anti-bias training, and training on building inclusive communities. If we purchase this service those trainings will be available to all employees and completion of these modules will be highly recommended.

We continue to offer Implicit bias trainings as well as other diversity, equity and inclusion workshops. Several academic departments have engaged in such workshops during the 2022-2023 Academic year. The Faculty Development Center implemented a Decolonizing the Curriculum professional development program. The program included several workshops and continuous departmental curricular work through the academic year. Each department was asked to send at least one professor to participate in the program. The university in partnership with the Academic Engagement Network has been offering several workshops focused on addressing antisemitism on campus. The Transgender Advocacy and Inclusion Committee also offered workshops on transgender inclusion and tailors the presentations to different audiences. The Division of Institutional Equity and Diversity also offers throughout the year trainings on a variety of DEI topics. These training opportunities are offered to students, faculty and staff, and are often tailored to each of these groups. Some of these trainings are extensive. For example, in the June of 2023, a group of 18 staff members from the Student Affairs Division participated in an 18-hour trainings on Intergroup Dialogue and Diversity Education program. The group has continued their engagement with the topics through the 2023-2024 academic year and are planning to develop student DEI programming for Passages as well as for
next academic year.

Several units across the university are also including in staff performance evaluations questions regarding the engagement of staff in continuing DEI professional development. This has shown to be more effective than requiring trainings. We continue to encourage more departments to engage in this practice.

Demand 5: BHERT and Discrimination and Harassment Reporting Process

The office of Institutional Equity and Diversity in collaboration with the Title IX coordinator, the Vice President of Student Affairs and the Office of General Counsel have reviewed the current process to report bias incidents on campus. We have engaged in conversation with students, including, representatives of MIBU, ASUPS, JSU and other affinity groups to learn about their concerns with the current system. It is clear that there is confusion in the community as to the role of the Title IX coordinator, the process used to address incident reports, as well as the role of BHERT. The information gleaned from these conversations lead us to believe that it is important to have one centralized process to address these incidents. The Title IX coordinator is the person with the appropriate training to receive the incident reports and follow the process to address those reports based on our current policies. The OIED is finalizing a proposal to more clearly described the process to address bias incidents and to develop a plan to communicate this process to members of the community. We expect to complete this process no later than March 2023.

Demand 6: Accountability Clause

There have been two fora to address progress made on the DEI goals of the institution. One forum was held on April 29, 2021 and another one took place in October 20, 2021. We plan to offer another forum in the spring 2023 semester. The Division of Institutional Equity and Diversity continues to find effective ways to communicate efforts and progress toward achieving the institution’s diversity, equity and inclusion goal. Fora have not always shown to be a very effective way of communication and collaboration among the many stakeholders of the institution. The Division of Institutional Equity and Diversity publishes a newsletter as a way to inform the community of projects and initiatives. The division also is constant communication with student affinity groups, and aims to maintain periodic communication with faculty and staff senate regarding progress towards goals. There is a plan to create a dashboard to share progress on the institution’s progress on our diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) goals. This dashboard is an important
component of the updated DEIB strategic plan.

Demand 7: Decolonizing courses and department development

As the curriculum is the purview of the faculty, the administration continues to encourage the faculty to engage in efforts to both address the content of courses to be more inclusive and also to examine the pedagogy used so that it can more effectively reach and engage all students. The Provost’s Office in collaboration with the Faculty Development Center offered this year (2022-2023) a series of six workshops focusing on decolonizing the curriculum. Members of each department were asked to have at least one person per department attend the series.

In fall of 2021 the Provost formed an Ad Hoc Committee on Indigenous Studies. The group of faculty and staff submitted a report on May 9, 2022. The report indicated that the committee did not recommend the creation of a program that risks not being sustainable. They also recommended a process that might lead to the creation on an Indigenous-led and sustainably resourced Indigenous Studies Program. This process included the creation of an advisory council, increased funding for Indigenous students, a dedicated space for Indigenous students, staff and faculty and community members, support for an Indigenous Elder in Residence, a Tribal outreach liaison, and cluster hire of three tenure line faculty, as well as dedicated faculty and administrative offices. The transitions of leadership in the Provost’s Office as well as the current enrollment and financial challenges of the university have led the administration to put on hold further discussion and action on Ad Hoc committee’s report.

The Faculty Development Center implemented a Decolonizing de Curriculum professional development program. The program included several workshops and continuous departmental curricular work through the academic year. Each department was asked to send at least one professor to participate in the program.

Demand 8: Renovation Allocation for Improving Physical Mobility Infrastructure

Facilities Services has completed updating our ADA survey of the Puget Sound Campus. The survey was conducted by Marx-Okubo an architectural firm with extensive ADA survey and design experience. The survey was conducted according to Title III ADA accessibility priorities:

Priority 1 – Accessible Approach and Entrance

Priority 2 – Access to Goods and Services

Priority 3 – Access to common (public) toilets

Priority 4 – Access to common (public) telephones & water fountains.

In addition to the ADA survey, an ADA Project Assessment Work Group has been formed. The purpose of the group is to obtain input and to help prioritize pre-selected accessibility improvement projects in and around the campus. When funding is available and there are improvement projects for discussion, Facilities Services will solicit input from the ADA Project Assessment Group. The work group currently includes representatives from Facilities Services, Faculty members and Staff. We have sought students’ participation but have been unsuccessful. We will continue to seek student participation in this assessment group.

Demand 9: Restructuring Student Accessibility and Accommodations Offices

The Provost’s office and the Office of student accommodations continue to work on providing compliance with accommodation regulations while also addressing students’ needs and concerns. The office works with faculty and departments to support student who need accommodations.

Demand 10: Protests and Demonstrations

In May 2022, after a yearlong process, a committee submitted Student Integrity Code changes to the Board of Trustees Academic and Student Affairs Committee. Many of the changes were in keeping with feedback that the Office of Rights & Responsibilities had received from students who had gone through the process, but one particular shift was in response to the perceived lack of clarity between the Code and the Statement on Academic Freedom and Freedom of Speech. Through multiple conversations with students on the committee and a fuller understanding of MIBU Demand #10, changes were made to Standard 2, disorderly and disruptive behavior, which aimed to provide clarity about how the institution defines that behavior, and fuller explanation about institutional guidance for protests and demonstrations. More specifically, an addition was made to Standard 2 to clarify guidance for protests and demonstrations. Standard 2d reads: “The university community supports the right of assembly, demonstration, and protest. For guidance on protests and demonstrations, students should refer to the Statement on Academic Freedom and the Exercise of Free Speech “Statement”). If there is any disagreement between the Code and Statement, the Statement will govern. Students can be found in violation of Section 2 of the Code if they are informed by university officials that they are creating a Material Disruption and do not make the requested adjustments to their assembly, demonstration, or protest to eliminate the Material Disruption.” Furthermore, ‘material disruption’ was added and defined in the Codes’ definition page.

Demand 11: We demand the University hold itself accountable to unmet demands from past coalitions such as AIC and CAIR

The Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity in collaboration with the Diversity Advisory Council (DAC) is working this academic year in developing a revised and/or new DEI Strategic Plan. The Vice President of Institutional Equity and Diversity is leading this effort and has asked the DAC to review the CAIR, AIC and MIBU demands and to use these documents among other documents and substantial data to develop the new DEI strategic plan. The goal is that by using these documents to inform the process these students’ requests become part of the institutional plan and that in this way we also honor these students, their work and their legacy. A draft of this plan will be shared in the spring semester with different constituencies across the university for feedback before the plan is presented to the president’s cabinet and to the Board.

Executive Summary of Demands (March 2, 2021) and Actions in Response

1: Hire Dr. Gordon as Interim CDO and VP of Institutional Equity and Diversity
We demand that the administration place Dr. Dexter Gordon as interim Chief Diversity Officer until a Vice President of Institutional Equity and Diversity is hired. We demand the conclusion of the national search name Dr. Dexter Gordon as the top candidate among finalist candidates. We demand that President Crawford select Dr. Dexter Gordon after this conclusion, In essence we demand Dr. Gordon be formally hired as the Vice President of Institutional Equity and Diversity.

The board of trustees approved the position of Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity in 2019 and a search was launched during the 2020-21 academic year. Dr. Lorna Hernandez Jarvis was appointed as inaugural Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity on March 24, 2021, effective July 1, 2021.

2: Expanding Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity
We demand the expansion and reformation of the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity. We believe the Office, formerly known as the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, is insufficiently developed to meet the needs of this campus. We believe the below additions and changes would improve the office’s capacity, and alleviate the few burdened staff members who currently comprise the office.

The needs of the office will be assessed by the incoming Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity in consultation with students and the broader campus community. The Howarth Hall location of the office was renovated in 2020-21, and includes Intercultural Engagement and Access Programs.

3: Welcome Center
We demand that the Welcome Center be repurposed for the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity (OIED), Intercultural Engagement, Student Accessibility and Accommodations, the University Chaplain and any other positions that uplift and support members of the Puget Sound community with marginalized identities, this building will then be called the Justice and Equity Center.

The Welcome Center opened in February 2020; it was conceived in 2012 and designed and built for use by the admission team to welcome visiting prospective students. The project was made possible through donor gifts restricted to this purpose. The building's public spaces, including a large presentation room, conference room, and outdoor plaza, can be reserved for use by the campus community when not in use by the Admission office. Howarth Hall was renovated in 2020-21 to co-locate and support the work of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Intercultural Engagement and Access Programs. The Student Diversity Center and Social Justice Center underwent a $500,000 renovation with student guidance in the summer of 2016.

4: Required Trainings
We demand that every semester there be mandatory training for faculty and staff relating to unlearning bias and identity sensitivity. We demand that an outside firm or paid qualified Puget Sound faculty and staff take responsibility for these trainings and the choice of the firm to be chosen through the collaboration of RPI, AFAM, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Intercultural Engagement, and other authoritative voices in diversity work.

The incoming vice president will work with others across campus to formulate systematic and ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion education and training for faculty, students and staff. Current best practice indicates that diversity-related training is more successful when people are encouraged to participate voluntarily at a level appropriate to their knowledge and development. The university offers and strongly encourages faculty and staff participation in a range of training opportunities, including facilitated training sessions as well as three online training courses that were introduced in spring 2021. Puget Sound joined the Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance to expand training opportunities for faculty and staff members, and hired a full time training specialist in Human Resources in 2020. The President's Cabinet and Board of Trustees undergo periodic diversity training, most recently with an outside consultant in Feb. 2021 on the topics of diversity in the workplace, microaggressions, and bias.

Federal regulations require certain employees to be trained on Title IX, a law prohibiting sex discrimination and harassment in education programs and activities. The university requires regular Title IX training for all faculty and staff.

Update as of November 2021 -

The VPIED in collaboration with the Office of Human Resources has offered three DEI Professional Development training sessions for faculty and staff his fall semester and will offer three more in the Spring 2022 semester.
The VPIED is working with the Director of the Faculty Development Center to design and implement other equity and diversity and anti-racism professional development opportunities for faculty during this academic year.
The OIED collaborated with the Provost’s Office, the Collins Memorial Library and the Tacoma Library System to participate in the Tacoma Reads Program providing opportunities for faculty and staff to engage in book groups to participate in facilitated discussions of the book Caste: the origins of our discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. There were also two other events connected to the community read of this book, a faculty panel discussion and a lecture performance by Dr. Ameera Nimjee professor in the Music Department.
During fall 2021 Faculty search committees have received enhanced training on best practices for faculty search committees as well as more extensive support and resources to broaden pools of applicants and diversify the hiring process. The Chairs of some of this year's search committees also received a three-hour training on diversifying faculty hiring through the Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity leadership Alliance (LACRELA)

5: BHERT and Discrimination and Harassment Reporting Process
We demand the discrimination and harassment reporting process be altered and improved to meet the demands of the campus community. We demand more from the Bias Hate Education Response Team (BHERT), and specific motions towards accountability in bias hate incidents.

Reviewing the purpose and function of BHERT (currently co-chaired by the Interim Chief Diversity Officer and Director of Intercultural Engagement) and discrimination and harassment reporting processes is a high priority for the incoming Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity.

Updates as of November 2021 -

The Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity (VPIED), has been working with members or BHERT as well as other groups and including student input to review the role of BHERT in addressing Bias Incidents. Part of this works involves clearly identifying and communicating the process to report and address Bias Incidents on campus. The final report describing this work will be presented to the campus community before the end of the fall 2021 semester.

6: Accountability Clause
We demand that the University implement a semesterly forum to establish transparency and accountability of the UPS administration to uphold and follow through with its goals of justice and equity.

A virtual forum for the campus community was held on April 29, 2021. It was hosted by President Crawford, moderated by Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Uchenna Baker, and had approximately 280 people in attendance, including all members of the President's Cabinet. President Crawford offered opening remarks, and agreed to share them with the campus community. Campus climate forums to report on the findings of the spring 2021 survey will occur during the 2021-22 academic year. Additional forums and other forms of communication will be established as part of the incoming Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity's portfolio.

7: Decolonizing Courses and Department Development
We demand the University work toward an ethnic studies framework and facilitate interdepartmental cooperation and growth. We demand the University create Indigenous Studies Courses. We demand the decolonization and expansion of the Latine Studies, Asian Studies and Gender and Queer Studies Department.

Curriculum is the purview of the faculty. The administration supports continued growth of an engaging and relevant curriculum.

Update as of November 2021 -

A tenure-line position was awarded to Hispanic Studies; the search is open now and the field is contemporary Mexico; the national search is underway 2021-2022.
President Crawford, during his August 2021 campus welcome, called for the development of a Pacific Rim Studies center or institute. The Provost has convened a group of interested faculty in 2021-22 to explore the contours of such a center or institute at Puget Sound.
Other curricular conversations are occurring at Puget Sound, including one exploring an Indigenous Studies program.

8: Renovation Allocation for Improving Physical Mobility Infrastructure
We demand that the University of Puget Sound renovate all areas of campus to be more accessible to people with disabilities. We demand that the University develop a concrete and transparent renovation plan in consultation with students with disabilities and experts in creating accessible environments.

The Puget Sound campus was built over the span of 100 years. Newer projects typically have the best accessibility (such as Commencement Walk, Weyerhaeuser Hall, Thomas Hall and the Welcome Center). The university periodically completes a comprehensive accessibility assessment of all major campus spaces to identify desired accessibility improvements. These assessments serve as a guide for making upgrades in conjunction with renovations or as separate projects, and in concert with the university’s master plan for campus development. The Associate Vice President for Facilities Services collaborates with campus constituents to identify accessibility priorities and facilitate continuous improvement within available funding.

9: Restructuring Student Accessibility and Accommodations Offices
We demand a reimagining and restructuring of the student accommodations system on campus to serve, not police, students who need accommodations.

Student Accessibility and Accommodation (SAA) is staffed by a director, assistant, exam and support specialist, office support specialist, and accommodation specialist. Academic support units, including Student Accessibility and Accommodation, are reviewed periodically to ensure best practices and effectiveness in serving the community.

10: Protests and Demonstrations
We demand that the University’s Statement on Academic Freedom and the Exercise of Free Speech be altered to allow for genuine protests and demonstrations of resistance to enable direct action without retaliation. We demand a revised statement to be released by January 2022. We demand a task force made up of individuals with an understanding of the importance of protests and demonstrations, these individuals would have an established record of supporting justice movements on campus. The task force cannot include members of campus security. The task force must be made within two months post release of our demands.

The university is committed to supporting campus members in exercising free speech while providing a safe environment and protecting the rights of all. A review of the Statement with appropriate representation and expertise will be conducted in academic year 2021-22 to better understand concerns about the current Statement and how to address them. Any changes to the Statement must be endorsed by the Faculty Senate, Associated Students of the University of Puget Sound (ASUPS) and Staff Senate, and may also require approval by the President's Cabinet and Board of Trustees.

Update as of November 2021 -

The Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students will convene a group in November 2021 to develop a framework to address the larger questions of demonstrations. This group includes staff, faculty, and students. The goal is to complete this work by the end of Spring semester.

11: We demand the University hold itself accountable to unmet student demands from past coalitions such as AIC and CAIR.
We demand that the University of Puget Sound reckon with its racist and unjust history, especially in regards to the student experience at Puget Sound. We demand the University hold itself accountable to unmet student demands from past coalitions such as AIC and CAIR. We demand that Puget Sound not ignore and bury this history.

Links to demands by the Advocates for Institutional Change (2015) and Coalition Against Injustice and Racism (2008) are available from this webpage, which is an iterative site in development in response to the MIBU demands (2021).

For further updates on DEI Programs and Initiatives please visit the Themes Emerging From Demands Over Time section of this Webpage.