COMMISSION ON INCLUSION & DIVERSITY INITIATIVES
MEETING MINUTES
5/8/2019
1:04pm – 2:00pm
EU-101
In Attendance: Boris Ricks, Carlos Fuentes, Debra Hammond, Flavia Fleischer, Janet Oh, Marcella De Veaux, Marta Lopez, Natalie Mason-Kinsey, Theresa White
Discussion Items:
A. Discuss Campus Climate Email Draft: Drafts of the email were provided to commissioners. The draft reflects changes that were emailed to the commission on 4/25/2019 from a commissioner’s office assistant. There were no additional changes suggested during this meeting.
B. Commission Charge Renewals: Natalie shared that she has not yet had the opportunity to discuss commission membership with the President. However she hopes to do so after commencement. A commissioner questioned whether all of the current members would be replaced next year. Natalie shared that she believes there will be a mix of old and new members.
C. Aspire / IChange: CSUN will have three representatives attending the conference this year. CSUN is one of 15 universities that has been selected by the APLU (Association of Public and Land-grant Universities) to participate. The conference will allow attendees to collaborate on identifying guidelines / best practices in regards to increasing pipelines and the number of STEM faculty of color and underrepresented peoples. Natalie shared that she hopes the attendees can bring back the best practices, and begin a dialogue with deans about how the practices can be rolled out within their divisions.
D. NCORE: Eight campus representatives (faculty & staff) will be attending the conference. This conference provides opportunities for administrators, faculty, staff and students to learn and expand their skills. This will be the first year that NCORE will be partnering with the NCAA, and they will offer sessions that will discuss diversity in athletics. The conference will be held from 5/26/2019 – 6/2/2019 in Portland, Oregon. A commissioner asked how the CSUN representatives were selected. Natalie informed the commission that the representatives either requested funding from their dean, planned for it in their department’s budget or paid for themselves to attend.
E. Roundtable: Natalie shared that the Chief Diversity Office is planning to purchase access to the USC Race and Equity Center’s series of webinars, which will discuss practices related to hiring a diverse faculty. The series will come in 4 installments, which will run for approximately 1.5 hours each session. The webinars will begin in fall, and Natalie hopes to share more information with the commission at a later time. A commissioner suggested that department chairs should be invited to view the webinars since they make hiring recommendations. Another commissioner suggested that the chair of PP&R should also be invited. It was noted that not every department has a designated E&D representative, however individuals who are signing off on hiring paperwork should consider attending.
A commissioner discussed a letter that was sent to several employees in Student Affairs, from a student group. The letter contained a list of demands that if not met, may insight walkouts and teach-outs next academic year. The commissioner will share the letter with the commission. A response to the letter is being drafted, and campus representatives hope to meet with the student group to discuss their demands.
A commissioner expressed their concern, in regards to the commission. They reflected on past meetings, and noted that action items are often directed towards the Chief Diversity Officer, and no other commissioners. They suggested that the commission should consider drafting a strategic plan for diversity and inclusion for the campus community. They clarified that this should not be the Chief Diversity Office’s plan, but the commission’s plan.
There was some discussion on the future website for the commission. Natalie has asked Jeff Noblitt to attend a future commission meeting, where commissioners can offer insight into what they would like to see on the website, and how it should be set up. Viscom was suggested as an alternative to Jeff’s assistance in creating the website. It was noted that Viscom has partnered with IntersectLA, so their services may differ than they had previously.
A commissioner inquired on the recent threats that had been made to the campus. Due to there being an open investigation, no pertinent information could be shared at this time. It was noted that the new Chief of Police, Gregory Murphy, has done well in communicating with the campus in a timely manner. Additionally, a commissioner commended him for consulting with faculty and developing back-up plans, which would be discussed with deans, should threats disrupt finals this semester.
A commissioner shared their hope that the commission could possibly attend a retreat over summer, which would provide them with an opportunity to devise plans for the next academic year. It was noted that the commission could assemble a proposal, and submit it to the President’s office, in hopes that the commission would receive funding to hold the retreat. Commissioners suggested that the retreat could possibly be held After August 19th.
Action Items:
1. Natalie will inform commissioners of their status, after meeting with the President after commencements have concluded.
2. Azam will share the dates and topics that will be covered in the USC Race & Equity Center’s webinars.
3. A commissioner will share the letter of demands received from a student group with the commission.
End: The meeting concluded at 2:00 pm