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One U Thriving

Committees

EDI Executive Committee

April 12, 2021

The EDI Executive Committee was created to inform, guide, and coordinate addressing racist policies and long-standing practices that perpetuate racism and inequity on our campus.

The Committee examined institutional policies and practices that perpetuate racism, bias, and systemic inequity in the recruitment, hiring, and advancement of staff and faculty in order to inform hiring and retention initiatives and other actions that will build on previous diversity hiring efforts at the U. This process included an examination of applicable existing policy and practice, determining what policy(ies) could be written to actively disrupt everyday participation in the practices of exclusion, and sharing recommendations for new policies with a variety of constituents across the campus community.

Co-chairs

Jason Burrow-Sánchez, co-chair, presidential leadership fellow and faculty
Wendy Peterson, co-chair, deputy chief human resources officer

Committee Support

Michele Ballantyne, legal counsel, Office of General Counsel
Janine Murphy, Office of the President

The EDI Executive Committee conducted its work through four subcommittees on the need to address the following focus areas and presented recommendations in mid-March to the President’s Cabinet:

  • Racial and Bias-Based Trauma

    Committee Charge: review need for policy authorizing paid leave for racial trauma

    Members

    • Karen Paisley, subcommittee lead, associate dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs, College of Health and NCAA faculty athletics representative
    • Kaitlin McLean, graduate student, School of Medicine
    • Yordanos “Jojo” Beyene, academic advisor, College of Health and Black Faculty and Staff Association
    • Mark Winter, associate vice president for Budget and Finance
    • Asma Hassan, program manager, Bennion Center
    • Sarah Sherer, subject matter expert guest, chief human resources officer, University of Utah Health
    • Wendy Poppleton, subject matter expert guest, human resources director, Human Resources Management

    Recommendations

    It is recommended that the University of Utah offer resources to employees experiencing racial and bias-based trauma. These may include:

    • Hiring a counselor with documented experience in racial and bias-based trauma
    • Hiring a staff expert to serve as a real-time link that can refer staff to appropriate resources available to them (FML, trauma counselor, ombuds office, OEO etc.)

    The Racial and Bias-Based Trauma Subcommittee recommended the President’s Cabinet collaborate with the following stakeholders to formulate appropriate next steps:

    • Chief Safety Office
    • Campus and Hospital Human Resources
    • Employee Assistance Program [Blomquist Hale]
    • Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

  • EDI Pedagogical Development

    Committee Charge: review need for policy requiring all instructors to complete pedagogical development/training on EDI in classrooms

    Members

    • Dale Larsen, subcommittee lead, librarian, J. Willard Marriott Library and Academic Senate liaison
    • Michelle Valdes, vice president of student relations, Associated Students of the University of Utah
    • Stacy Ackerlind, special assistant to the vice president for Student Affairs, interim associate vice president for Health and Wellness
    • Willard Dere, professor, School of Medicine
    • Elizabeth Bond Rogers, subject matter expert guest, director of faculty development and transformational educational initiatives, Salt Lake Community College

    Recommendations

    Efforts should be invested at the:

    • College
    • Department
    • Long-term commitment

    The EDI Pedagogical Development Subcommittee recommended the President’s Cabinet collaborate with the following stakeholders to formulate appropriate next steps:

    • Vice President for Faculty Affairs
    • Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence
    • Deans

  • Affinity Groups

    Committee Charge: review need for policy to support/sustain employee-based affinity groups on campus

    Members

    • Mauricio “Mo” Laguan, subcommittee lead, program manager, Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
    • Dhiraj Chand, senior director, Leadership and Principal Giving, office of the vice president for Institutional Advancement
    • Libby Mitchell, managing editor of @theU, University Marketing and Communications
    • Debora Brito De Andrade, undergraduate student, College of Social and Behavioral Science
    • Andrea Brown-Christensen, subject matter expert guest, senior human resources director, Human Resources Management

    Recommendations

    A process to be created for affinity groups to receive institutional support and recognition:

    • Connections with Staff Council, HR, Faculty Affairs
    • Opportunities for support with University Marketing and Communications
    • Structures for resources that can include financial, accountability, etc.

    The EDI Pedagogical Development Subcommittee recommended the President’s Cabinet collaborate with the following stakeholders to formulate appropriate next steps:

    • Human Resources
    • Vice President for Faculty Affairs Office
    • Staff Council

  • Targeted Recruiting of Staff

    Committee Charge: review need for policy and model of targeted recruiting for underrepresented populations for staff positions

    Members

    • Myra Washington, subcommittee lead, assistant vice president for faculty equity and diversity
    • José Rodríguez, associate vice president for Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
    • Erin Rothwell, associate vice president for Research Integrity, Office of the vice president for Research
    • Aerin Washington, director of Campus Security, Office of the Chief Safety Officer
    • Dani Baum, subject matter expert guest, human resources manager, Human Resources Management
    • Sherrie Hayashi, subject matter expert guest, director, Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action
    • Rachel Aho, subject matter expert guest, director of housing, Housing and Residential Education

    Recommendations

    • Change in culture with a commitment to investing in and reflecting the community
    • Require implicit bias training and submission of annual EDI strategy
    • Fortify and centralize recruitment efforts in Human Resources

    The Targeted Recruiting of Staff Subcommittee recommended the President’s Cabinet collaborate with the following stakeholders to formulate appropriate next steps:

    • President’s Office
    • University Marketing and Communications
    • Campus and Hospital Human Resources
    • Office of Equal Opportunity
    • Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion