Prioritized and Voted Upon for Implementation 2021-2022
Staff and Faculty Affinity Groups
In February 2021, the IDEA council approved a recommendation to establish formal structures for faculty and staff affinity groups, which are open to all employees and are typically formed around a shared identity, common bond, and a commitment to historically marginalized or underserved people. The Senior Vice Chancellor of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is developing a position to take the lead in establishing the program in collaboration with campus partners. When fully established, the affinity groups will support faculty and staff as they meet regularly with colleagues from similar backgrounds and with similar professional goals.
All-Gender Bathrooms
In May 2021, The IDEA Council passed a recommendation to expand the number of all-gender bathrooms on campus for the purpose of providing as many restroom locations as possible on campus for the use of easy and safe access to bathrooms for members of the campus community, and to particularly center transgender and gender-non-conforming individuals with this effort. All single stall restrooms are updated with signs providing all-gender facilities which brings the number of all-gender restrooms to 237 on campus. Infrastructure and Sustainability, Strategic Relations, and the Pride Office implemented IDEA Council’s recommendation.
Building Specific Bathroom/Lactation Room Maps
This project extends the recently endorsed gender neutral bathrooms recommendation to include building specific signage. Each campus building will have signage that details the availability and location of all bathrooms in the building by type (e.g., men’s, women’s, gender inclusive). View the all gender restrooms map.
Additionally, a system wide Lactation Committee was formed to center lactation spaces for nursing parents to find private lactation space on campus. Lactation spaces are now included on the campus map.
Land Acknowledgement Commitment to Action for First Nations
In August 2021, The IDEA Council approved the Land Acknowledgement and a commitment to action for First Nations recommendation for campus. The IDEA Council is partnering with American Indian community members to formalize a statement that acknowledges the significance of CU Boulder’s location on land historically recognized as belonging to the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute peoples, and determine what policies could be enacted as appropriate responses to that acknowledgment. Campus partners include the Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies, Upward Bound, and Oyate to consult, engage and work collaboratively to enhance our campus’ ability to provide access and culturally sensitive support and to retain and to graduate Native American students in a climate that is inclusive and respectful. Initiatives may include deepening our donor base to provide necessary resources for student scholarships, staff support necessary to Indigenous students’ success, and physical space on campus for students, staff, and faculty. The Senior Vice Chancellor of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is committed to also partnering with local nations and is working to help implement this recommendation.
Dedicated Professional Development Time for all Staff
In October 2021, the IDEA Council passed this recommendation to expand staff professional development opportunities (such as technical and soft skills necessary to lead) with a focus on frontline service and classified staff. This recommendation intends to address inequities in accessing educational and professional training opportunities to aid the University in improving retention rates. The Department of Human Resources is in the process of reviewing and determining opportunities for establishing these efforts with units across campus.
Individual Professional Development Plans
An Individual Professional Development Plan (IDP) is intended to serve as a tool to organize and target employees’ professional and personal development for the professional development recommendation (above). Its primary purpose is to help an employee reach their short-term and long-term career goals, as well as strengthen current job performance by providing a structured approach in partnership with their supervisor who would provide feedback and mentorship as the employee works through their goals.
Expanding Faculty Mentoring Programs
In October 2021, The IDEA Council passed a recommendation addressing recommendation seventeen within the IDEA Plan to expand faculty mentoring programs to improve retention strategies for diverse faculty. Campus-wide faculty mentoring programming is intended to develop career mentoring and professional development strategies for all faculty and create a program to strengthen mentorship opportunities for junior faculty with more senior CU Boulder faculty. The Office of Faculty Affairs partnered with IDEA Council in this effort and will be implement this recommendation.
Faculty Merit Assessment of DEI Work
In the Fall of 2021, The IDEA Council voted to approve a recommendation that charged the Boulder Faculty Assembly and the Office of Faculty Affairs to establish a plan that outlines consistent methods for the assessment of faculty contributions to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the annual Faculty evaluation process in the categories of service, research and/or teaching. The Boulder Faculty Assembly is in the process of establishing guidance for implementing The Faculty Report on Professional Activities (FRPA) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion activities in annual merit evaluations
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Impact Grants
In January 2022, the Senior Vice Chancellor of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committed to implementing and hiring a manager to administer an Impact Grant Program. The IDEA Council’s recommendation from the IDEA Plan is to administer an impact grant program to support, promote, and sustain diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts on campus. This grant program will support existing DEI efforts and new DEI initiatives put forth by students, staff, and/or faculty to address campus DEI goals.