Road Map Definitions

Strategic Directions: Identified priorities needed for an institution such as CSUN to achieve its long-term goals.

Institutional Barriers: Intentionally established rules, practices, policies, procedures, or situations that systematically disadvantage certain groups of people.

Inclusive Excellence: The intentional integration of core equity values into the core aspects (i.e., programs, practices, policies, and office/structures) of an institution – such as academic priorities, leadership, assessment and accountability, decision-making, planning and resource allocations, and organizational cultures – in order to maximize success and ensure accountability. Inclusive Excellence offers an approach for achieving deliberate, intentional and well-coordinated systemic actions that advance equity, justice and inclusion efforts.

Anti-racism: The active process of identifying and eliminating racism by changing systems, organizational structure, policies, practices, and behaviors that implicitly or explicitly promote racial discrimination.

Equity: Defined as “the state, quality, or ideal of being just, impartial, and fair.” The concept of equity is the guarantee of fair treatment, advancement, opportunity, access, and resource allocation for the individuals, while striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups. Equity is focused on obtaining equal outcomes for all individuals and groups.

Justice: Systematic and proactive reinforcement of policies, institutional practices, cultural messages, and social norms to achieve and sustain equity for all.

Inclusion: Authentically bringing traditionally excluded individuals and/or groups into processes, activities, and decision/policy-making in a way that shares power and ensures equal access to opportunities and resources. More than simply diversity and numerical representation, inclusion involves authentic and empowered participation and a true sense of belonging.

Belonging: More than just being see, belonging entails having a meaningful voice and the opportunity to participate in the design of social and cultural structures. In addition, belonging equates to having the right to contribute to, and make demands on, society and political institutions.