questions posed in advance of and during the listening session

Staff Listening Session December 2012Questions Posed and Comments Made by U of M-Twin Cities Stafffor the Diversity Listening Sessionwith President Eric Kaler and Senior Vice President Robert JonesStaff Concerns about Inclusive CultureCOLOR BLOCKSThis "culture" may not be a trait of Minnesotans but instead part of the academic culture. Inhigher ed there is extreme pressure to acculturate, such as teaching students to write"white." Can we change the culture of higher ed from being one of where diverse peopleneed to "fit in" and be homogenous to one of where these differences at given merit and arebeing appreciated?Quality output should not suffer for the sake of "diversity." We should accept that "We aremany parts, [but] we are all one body; and the gifts we have, we are given to share."Respect each other.How can institutional culture can be changed and maintained to a culture that actually isbased on our values?Irregular shapes in multiple colors frpalette add movement and energyBargaining unit employees will most likely not be attending this event or any other event, aswe are not allowed to take time off to do so. People who are fortunate to have the time andlack of work to attend such events or committees are not the same people who are doingthe work back at the office. My suggestion is to make supervisors aware that unionemployees should be encouraged and given time to be heard. Perhaps the type of workgiven to people could include some time to meet with members of the Office for Equity andDiversity on site. Fear is stopping most lower level employees from participation.Based on President Kaler's past experiences in higher education, what is his sense of thesorts of changes in institutional practice and policies that improve the climate and sense ofsupport for diverse staff members and thus our likelihood of attracting and retaining morediverse professional staff?What is President Kaler's strategic vision for how our university can navigate the apparenttension between a continued push to raise admissions standards and expanding/sustaininga culturally and socioeconomically diverse student population?Due to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) gay couples in which partners receiveemployer-provided health benefits are taxed on the value of those benefits. When will theUniversity 'gross-up' for employees who enroll same-sex partners in the University's healthbenefits plans to offset any federal, state, and local income taxes paid on the value of thepartners' benefits which heterosexual spouses are not subject to?I have supervised people who occupy all of the different areas of how we divide upemployees -- CSBU, P&A, etc. and have learned that "culture" at UMN is defined more byjob classification than affiliation to college, department or unit. I have tried to create our ownunit-level culture but I face a lot of inequities in power and privilege based on those jobclassifications. I view this as an issue not separate from those discussed today butintegrated. I have also experienced issues in terms of conduct codes and my classificationversus the person I was dealing with exemplifies these inequities. The advice I was given inthe end was just “deal with it” because that person ultimately holds a position that has morepower and privilege than I.How can staff and faculty better understand when conflict is connected to culture?What strategy do you have for continuing educating professors who teach English?

How can we be more inclusive of entry-level positions? Many staff do not speak English astheir first language and many are not computer literate. Yet the University continues to domore and more on-line, making it challenging for these staff to participate. Any thoughts onhow the U can continue to consider this staff?How can we get people to understand and be aware of the power of white privilege? Ibelieve that if white people were more aware of it, they would better understand the hurdlesfaced by non-whites and thereby decrease subtle discrimination and/or judgments.How can we improve professional development opportunities, especially for Civil Serviceand Bargaining Unit staff, when the supervisor doesn't support it? We need to find moreways to help everyone feel more a part of this University community and not feel alone attheir workstation. I'm using professional development to mean not just required training, butcourses offered through OHR, Women's Center, etc. as well as contributing by joiningcommittees. The more involved everyone is, the more committed to the success of theUniversity.How do we go beyond being friendly or tolerant to becoming a place where people withwidely varied identities, cultural backgrounds, worldviews and lived experiences feel a senseof connection, belonging and even ownership?How do you deal with a HR Department that gives you an answer to one of your questionslike this: "We're the University of Minnesota, and we can do anything we want." Meaning,we can change your job anytime into anything we want. Another question is, Exactly how"diversity attention" goes into a $300 development plan for a front line employee withinFacilities Management?How does the University enforce its Code of Conduct? When supervisors and departmentheads violate the Code of Conduct, how can we as staff hold them accountable for theirbehavior?How is the University planning to encourage all staff members to 'buy in'/support the ideathat equity and diversity should be a core value in their lives?How will you address the division between faculty and staff: The sense of entitlement withfaculty (vacations while being paid 3 months summer while on 9 month appt, flexible workhours, better benefits, lavish dinners). Staff continually experience Management "turning ofheads" when faculty conduct themselves in less than ethical manners, berate staff forsending them reporting while they (faculty) are on "vacation" during winter break (9 monthappt). Staff are NOT allowed flexible hours (work at home, 4-10 hour days, etc) while facultyare - when pointed out, we are simply told "You are not faculty". Staff must turn invacation/absence reports- faculty rebel, refuse, and indicate it is a mistrust.How will you increase institutional support for ethnic studies departments and other criticalstudies fields that have been catalysts for shifting disciplinary paradigms and increasingcollege access to diverse populations? Why does the College of Education and HumanDevelopment refuse to orchestrate a concerted effort to take on relevant issues in urbaneducation, like the under education of students (particularly students of color, Englishlanguage learners and low income students), and diversifying the teacher pool? What will bethe institutional consequence for such complacency?I have worked at UMN over 8 years in 2 separate departments and in both places was theonly person of color. Since the economy has gone south, there’s been a lot of consolidationof work and differential treatment. I have made complaints to Human Resources and theOffice of Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action and it seems the supervisors flaunt the codeof conduct and there doesn’t seem to be any repercussions for them doing so. Does thecode of conduct have any teeth? For the most part one could call it bullying - workplacebullying. And sometimes it looks like discrimination but it’s apparently not oftentimes. Butwhat is the University doing in terms of preventing workplace bullying? I have madecomplaints and I have experienced retaliation and nothing has happened in terms of itstopping. Where do I go to get a resolution on this?2

I believe that each college on campus should have a office for diversity and this officeshould be encouraged to work with University wide diversity office. What’s your commenton this?I know what it is like to be treated like a second-class employee. I have worked here a longtime and heard many comments about the low consideration of employees who workdirectly with the public/students (the "hands on people"). Often staff who are in thebargaining unit. It is so bad in my area that staff one level up on the hierarchy will not evenlook at those below or return a polite greeting. We are a smaller unit and most staff knowone another by face if not name. Being made to feel like you are invisible or not worthrecognition begins to eat at your self worth. How can one serve the students well if one isconstantly being told in subtle and not so subtle ways that you are of little value? I once hadan administrator tell me that "you people" were not very happy when he worked in my area.How can we accept diversity when we think of one another in such limited ways? How canyou work to improve the climate for staff of low status who also may not be diverse staff? Adouble whammy.I recently attended a presentation by CEO Sondra Samuels, of Northside Achievement ZonePromise Neighborhood. She enlightened us on the story behind this groundbreakinginitiative. Their philosophy is to bring Families and Children through a “pre-natal to career”pipeline that provides comprehensive support. They stated some of their greatest needsincluding things as simple as adults becoming mentors to the program through programssuch as Big Brothers, Big Sisters. Since the University has many of the resources available,including a massive workforce, how will the University be a partner with this initiative bynotifying employees where the needs are (without exercising control over the program) andsupporting many aspects of the Northside Achievement Zone?I regret that I will be facilitating a faculty planning retreat (at which we will discussimplementation of a new Diversity Plan) at the time of the session. How can we moveinstitutionally to promote a shift of perspective along the continuum of "inclusive" to"awareness of the essential resources that only diverse viewpoints yield" to "educating foreffectiveness in an essentially diverse society"? Kudos for sponsoring this session!I think the climate needs to be improved for all staff. How can you work on making this abetter place to work for all staff?I would be curious to know if the University could take a position on the marriageamendment that will be presented to the Minnesota voters this fall. My hope is that theywould oppose the amendment.If embracing diversity means inviting people to participate in defining the culture of theinstitution rather than simply adapting to the existing culture, how do we go about makingthe U of M more malleable in the interest of creating a more inclusive culture?In what ways do you believe departments and areas can best foster inclusive environmentsto promote diversity and provide support for diverse staff members and students?Is anyone working on keeping track of visuals presented by U of MN to reflect students,staff, faculty? We have the largest urban Native American population in the U.S., yet can'trecall ever seeing that minority represented in any U of MN related news release,advertisement, etc. Why is there still a photo of 4 white males smoking in the Coffmanelevator? Am guessing they are a famous band -- but for anyone who isn't familiar with theband it just communicates boys will be boys, and isn't that fun -- isn't there a ban onsmoking in U of MN buildings?Is the University planning to step up and publicly oppose the proposed marriageamendment, which will be on the ballot this year? Will the U of M stand up and be a leaderwhen it comes to minority civil rights as it has done in the past, or is there too much fear ofretaliation from the legislature and special interest groups?It's hard working with people that don't understand English. Jobs have to be explained overand over. Why can't it be a requirement of positions to understand English with a test tocheck that that is so? Maybe English classes?3

Making sure that older workers who apply for positions are getting equal opportunity forbeing hired and that age discrimination is not operating against them. In line with this,assessing the current population of workers in staff positions to see what the age spread is.Part of supporting diverse staff members is educating all staff members. How do weencourage, support and maybe even require staff/faculty to reflect upon their privilege,interactions and decisions to improve attitudes, climate, services, etc? How do intersectingidentities impact/complicate/help improve efforts along these lines?People from diverse backgrounds that work in the capacity of faculty or staff (and students)consistently encounter negative unwelcoming environment from co-workers/counter partsand/or supervisors, what will be done to retain, and penalize individuals that create stressfuland unpleasant environment?Some University employees hold very strong traditional religious and conservative politicalbeliefs that are in direct contradiction to the values of diversity and equity. These beliefswere likely forged in childhood and are core personality components of many Universityemployees. How do you intend, in practical terms, to reconcile an environment containingthese strongly held and regularly expressed personal beliefs with the stated goal of valuingdiversity and fostering a non-hostile work environment for people with different backgroundsand values? Do you believe that a written policy is sufficient in itself to create a Universitycommunity that sees diversity and equity as strengths? If not, what further, regular actionsare you willing to take on and/or lead in order to create, foster, and strengthen such aviewpoint within the University community? Please pardon my anonymity. I applaud andsupport your efforts.My department has struggled on issues of diversity. Despite this, I have been forced to findtraining around diversity on my own and sometimes external to the UMN, so I often wonder"where are my co-workers?"There are 2 things that come to mind regarding "culture" at UMN. First, too often I am theonly diverse person in meetings and that is a challenge that prevents me from speaking upor sharing on these topics. I know the reaction from others will be “Well of course he’sgoing to say that. He’s the only person of color in the room.” This is one obstacle thatprevents us from moving forward.There are many entities across campus working at that grassroots level to change thosevalues and beliefs and it would be helpful to have a centralized place where people can learnand access all the many, great resources on campus. A place where people can feel safeasking for more training if they need it - for instance, the mental health unit.The challenges for society today calls for a larger question, diversity of views provides agood framework to address this, what are your views about how to integrate their ways ofknowing to address these large questions.How can we provide ongoing diversity and equity support and training?There is currently a growing Islamophobia problem across the US and Europe, driven byanti-Muslims individuals who are being financed by organizations to marginalize Muslims inall aspects of society - including education. Given that you have Muslim staff members andstudents - would you be open to promoting trainings to HR and college heads to counter thetide of Islamophobia?I fully support diversity on campus, but am concerned when embracing diversity meanslimiting/eliminating the rights of others i.e. Winter Season vs. Holiday Season. What is the Uof M doing to ensure everyone (including majority groups) can retain their ethnic/religiousidentity?We need to treat people differently as everyone is different. Is it fair or discrimination?We can't attend class 2 to 3 hours a week during the day that offered on campus even if weare willing to make up hours that we have missed. Is it fair?4

What concrete steps can the University of Minnesota take to ensure that ALL of itsemployees, both staff and faculty, have the knowledge and skills necessary to create awelcoming and inclusive campus climate?What do you think are the most important challenges we need to face to change the climateand culture of the University to be more supportive of diversity? Are we too competitive andhierarchical? Are our definitions of merit and success too limited and traditional? Are thosein positions of authority (who themselves had to acculturate to succeed) threatened bydifferent ways of thinking and being?What is the current climate and what are the current services and support for diverse staffmembers? How do diverse staff members currently feel about these services? What groupsare included in the definition of "diverse"? (Ethnic, national origin, age, sexuality, disability,etc.).What is the direction of University for sponsoring university staff (not in faculty role) towardsgetting their green card? My understanding is ISSS and college does not support insponsoring green card for the university staff if they are not in faculty role. What is your vision of diversity on a campus such as U of M?What plans or ideas are in place to address issues concerning diversity in health careeducation programs? I believe there needs to be improved awareness among the faculty inour programs that not all students view the world the way faculty view the world - a veryEuro-Anglo value system. Instead of labeling or dismissing the student value system asinappropriate or unacceptable, they need to see the value and richness of variety.Especially because patient diversity is also increasing.When surveys and anecdotal reports of a poor climate are indicated- does the Universityhave a protocol for how to improve the climate? What is that protocol? Can you cite anexample? Give an example of an academic department or unit who are excelling atproviding a supportive environment for its diverse staff members. What is being done toshare their best practices with others? What is being done with departments or units thatconsistently do not meet expectations in this area?When the Regents Scholarship covered the full cost of tuition, we had 20-25 multilingualemployees studying English in one of our ESL classes each term. Since the scholarshipdropped to 75% of tuition, about 1-2 students study English each term. Since most of theseemployees are working to improve their English for their current job duties or as aprerequisite to beginning an undergraduate program, is there some way that we can helpthem to access this English language coursework?Where and how international student / scholar could report adverse politics in Academia thatimpede knowledge management? Is there formal training or interaction program speciallydesigned for faculties to maintain and support diversity to bring a synergy in Academia?What is your plan and what resources will you dedicate for improving campus climate fordiverse populations on campus?How will freshmen admission standards and the caps on transfer student enrollment impactthe diversity in our undergraduate student population? Have you considered doing a climatesurvey for students of color on the Twin Cities campus?What do YOU believe are the general basic rights of humans? These basic rights should bethe same in the workforce. If employees are calling out for more "rights" or different "rights"than what you've listed, what do you do?What is the current climate of Diversity at the University? Do you all feel there is a need forattitudes and behaviors to change in order for the climate to change?What types of initiatives will the University continue to support and put in place in orderdiversify the faculty further? Will there be an assessment and reporting to the Universitycommunity on the climate of the University based on the perspectives of diverse staffmembers?5

Color Blocks–HorizontalColored RectanglesWhat types of initiatives will the University continue to support and put in place in orderdiversify the faculty further? Will there be an assessment and reporting to the Universitycommunity on the climate of the University based on the perspectives of diverse staff?Hiring Practices and Promotion Opportunities to Advance DiversityDiversity is in the beholder's eyes! What is it being done to hire and promote diverse groupof employees and administrators at management level? Look around at all schools from topto senior management…same, same issue.CEHD met with Civil Service Barg Unit and it was expressed that not enough diversepotential employees are making it through the screening process at HR level. The codelanguage is too savvy for people to get through.In looking at the HR part of the screening and people trying to come through the system,there’s a big gate-keeping section that’s not held consistently. I’m not sure they understandthe importance of how to get through the gate to be reviewed.Although my unit has been through training on diversity, most employees still lookbefuddled. They still didn’t get that they need to learn how to communicate with others aswell. Although I love my job I feels that the UMN is still a very oppressive place. I feel thatsupervisors are in cahoots with HR people. The system used is one that sends you from HRto EOAA and so on. In the end nothing has changed except that now all of these peoplemad at you because you’ve said something about their behavior. Nothing ever getsresolved.I am a new faculty who has a "hidden" disability and ethnicity/nationality that sometimesgives me an interesting point of view in that people speak in front of me freely. A majorcultural difference from when I was at Michigan. The difference is that I hear people saythings about candidates regarding whether they would "fit in" with us, understand the"Minnesota cultural" and even that people need a passport to come to Minnesota. Changeneeds to come from grass roots level and be part of the value system.I have a question/comment about search committees and diversity and hiring of diversecandidates. It’s my understanding that there are no hiring goals for people with disabilitiesas there are for other groups; women and people of color. I recognize GLBT is anothergroup that there wouldn’t be hiring goals and I understand some of the issues aroundidentification and people self-identifying and not identifying especially when they have nonapparentdisabilities, but we do get asked when you apply for a job, whether you are amember of these certain groups. But it doesn’t seem like there really is an advantage fordepartments in getting credit if they do hire someone with a disability, since there are nogoals established. Is this a conversation even on people’s radar screens or why is it that wehaven’t looked at hiring goals for people with disabilities?The other challenge is that in departments new hires often are the result of simply changingthe position of a current employee or hiring someone already known and here, and notalways with a search at all. This might be fine for some places but it fails to create diversityin those places where there is none in the first place. It doesn’t work in departments wherethere’s not diversity to begin with. UMN must make sure that its hiring practices do notoperate in ways that actually work against its diversity goals.What will keep staff/faculty here at UMN?What conversations are being had with Deans in colleges around hiring? Hiring committeesare not even diverse.I come from a college/dept that is not particularly diverse and those that are come in at"entry level". How do we create opportunities for entry-level staff to train, advance and moveup at the U so that they are not always stuck in these positions?Does the president have a career development program for diverse staff?COLOR BLOCKSIrregular shapes in multiplpalette add movement an6

I have attended many meetings in recent years and I feel the overall goal given importance isthe four-year graduation rate, not diversity. I understand the external measures that UMN isforced meet. I wonder, in this situation, if there isn’t a way to do something similar to whatKaler has done around diversifying search committees, such as being up front and statingthings such as "the list is a little too short and we need to look at this in a different way."The four-year graduation rate issue is forcing people to adhere something they do not value,whereas diversity in the search process has many more benefits.Has the university ever considered the benefits of a reduced term, mandatory retirementprogram? This could promote positive turnover, the promotion of developing talent, andcreate opportunities for a more diverse campus with a steady influx of new ideas.Having a diverse work force is one way to promote diversity at the University. How does theUniversity know that they are adhering to hiring practices that ensure Equal Opportunity? Itis my perception that many positions (especially P & A positions) seem to be targeted forsomeone (e.g., the job is scheduled to “close” soon after it has been posted, overly specificjob descriptions). Would such targeting – if it exists – violate the spirit of Equal Opportunityhiring policies at the University (even if the hiring department could demonstrate that itconducted the search in a technically correct manner)? The first step in fixing a problem isknowing whether the problem exists. I wonder if an audit of searches/hires made in the lastfew years might be used to get a handle on whether regular violations of Equal Opportunityhiring policies – or even of the spirit of those policies – occur. Not sure what the measuresmight be in such an audit, but the focus should be on whether the University has done all itcan in the case of each hire to assure that hiring is fair and promotes diversity. [I have hadthe experience (a couple of times) of applying for a P & A position right after it was posted,then calling the departmental contact a week after applying to learn that the position was“filled.” Filling a position a week (or even two weeks) after it opens seems too soon tobelieve that a serious effort had been made to have an equal opportunity search (whichrequires reviewing applications, organizing a search committee, scheduling and conductinginterviews, deciding on a candidate, making an offer, negotiating salaries and start dates).In the spirit of full disclosure, I have also been someone who was “targeted” for a position.]How can we increase the representation of diverse staff in an environment where the culturesupports promoting staff from within and filling vacant positions with current staff isencouraged, but the existing staff lacks sufficient diversity?By "diverse" I assume you also mean making sure that women are given consideration in thevery male-dominated department of Athletics. The so-called "Management Team" in theAthletics Department does not come close to showing diversity in gender or race. Do youhave plans to address this? Sexism is alive and well at the U, particularly in Athletics.How will the University proceed to ensure that there is appropriate inclusion and equity inthe areas of salaries, promotion, and hiring of minorities?I have had an opportunity to interview for a number of positions at the U, and the one thingthat was consistent was that there was no diversity in the hiring committees, so how doesthe new leadership plan to address this when many of the colleges and departments alreadylack diversity, and it does not seem to be a pressing issue to have a more diverseleadership?I worked in an office where an African American woman staff member was paid less perhour than the incoming first year Graduate student instructors. She had been employed inher position for over 10 years. I find this questionable, to say the least. Any comments?It is understandable that we would want the best-qualified person for the OED VP position.However, how do we encourage departments to hire qualified faculty of color when we can'teven fill a position that would typically attract candidates of color? Departments can alsosay they didn't have anyone qualified in the pool and point to the OED VP search as anexample.Job descriptions are written in such a manner that we limit the pool of candidates who mightotherwise apply for a position. Job descriptions need to be written clearly and concisely to7

match the position we really want to fill. We certainly want the best person for a position butby writing a job description that is so academic we close the door to many outstandingpeople. Is there a plan to change how job descriptions are written and to align more withthe business world? We have an excellent pool of students who work in different areaswithin the University. Many of these students would be outstanding employees but we don'thave a process or system to retain these folks. Is there a plan to recruit from this potentialpool of student workers?Should we provide "mentors" of similar backgrounds and job classifications for the newlyhired staff members that can help them to acquire the knowledge of the University they needto have a more fulfilling experience?Having an HR background and having assisted in hiring decisions before, the hiringauthorities do not factor in gender when offering compensation--but people are still sayingwomen are paid less than men for the same/similar job--do you believe that, and what areyou going to do about that?We have an excellent pool of students who work in different areas within the University.Many of these students would be outstanding employees but we don't have a process orsystem to retain these folks. Is there a plan to recruit from this potential pool of studentworkers?What are your ideas for both hiring and retaining staff members from diverse backgrounds?Would you consider adding disability as a group that you would target for hiring as currentlythere are no hiring goals related to this population?What can our University do to become the employer of choice for professionals fromminority groups...among other things, how can we rethink recruitment, hiring, workenvironment and other retention issues? And in terms of these issues, how do we workthrough the tensions between "fairness" and "social justice?"What is being done (or the plan) to have more diverse staff at senior level (not just OEDareas)?What is being done to ensure staff and faculty of diverse and minority populations areafforded the same opportunities for promotion? Often times employment statistics will reportthat an organization is diverse based on the a particular geographic region; the number ofavailable members of diverse and minority populations (i.e., the University's employeepopulation is x% Hispanic which matches x% of available Hispanics in our geographicregion), however, often times when we look at the positions held and the salary range forthat particular population they typically hold lower-level positions with lower salaries thantheir Caucasian peers. The same can be said for women and those who identify as GLBT. I'dlike to know if the University has acknowledged this issue and if they have, where does theUniversity stand compared to our peers. If we are not meeting the mark, is Universityleadership committed and/or prepared to address the disparity?What is the most tangible way the U can hire and retain a more diverse workforce? Whatcan individuals units do to improve their hiring outcomes?What plans do you have to improve hiring of minority staff in higher positions andpromotional positions at the university? After the elimination of Form 17, it seems thatcolleges have no interest in promoting minority staff. They will hire minority staff at low levelpositions and will not do anything to promote them. Also, there are fewer and fewer minoritystaff especially at certain colleges.What, if any, recommendation do you have on adopting consistent HR language to promoteinclusivity in the recruitment and retention of diverse staff (including student staff)? Whatrecommendations do you have for individual colleges and departments to ensure thatdiverse staff are supported and have the necessary services available?Would love increased staff diversity. What efforts are being taken to achieve this? Howdoes affirmative action play in our efforts to increase diversity and equity in hiring? Thankyou for hosting this event. I really appreciate it.8

Diversity Metrics How can the president and provost DEEPLY embed a value of diversity in the infrastructureColor Blocks–Horizontal of the University? How will college deans drive this message to department heads? Howcan the promotion and tenure system and annual reviews measure progress in actiontoward greater diversity and inclusion?COLOR BLOCKSAs a whole, how do we measure how we’re doing with equity and diversity? Are there waysto measure equity and diversity in place?Irregular shapes in multiple colors froHave you established diversity goals for the University? If so, what are they? If not, do youhave plans to do so?How does the University define diversity and how can we respond to a world in which"diversity" is continuously changing? Are there opportunities for centralized research anddata collection to help gauge the reach of our programs, events, and services to help usunderstand what pockets we might be missing that would make the University moreappealing to diverse staff and students?All aspects of diversity need to be recognized and valued, including disability.palette add movement and energy toI do recruiting for biomedical science programs in the Medical School and College ofBiological Sciences. The National Institute of Health is really looking at the scientificworkforce for the future. There is a real problem when looking at applicant pools in that theGRE general tests are really biased against people who are not Caucasian and yet thosemetrics are being used by the graduate school. We are trying to figure out ways to attractthese students because once on campus, very often those students impress and thosecredentials give way to their experiences and their ability to articulate their scientificpossibility. I don't know the best way to have a discussion about providing a way to havemetrics that allow UMN to assess how it's doing yet doesn't exclude students that UMNdesperately needs to recruit.I do understand that with Kaler's leadership and the provost’s leadership that we’re at acrossroads of really looking at the metrics for undergraduate admissions but would stronglyencourage us to look beyond ACT scores in thinking about the quality of students we wantto bring to this institution.I think many would agree that the employee makeup of an organization should reflect themakeup of the student body. We have a very diverse student body (from many countries)--what is the conglomerate ratio of non-US born employees to non-US born students? Whatwere your initial thoughts when you saw the data?What specific feedback have you received that’s driving this initiative to improve servicesand support for diverse staff members? What are the U's stats as far as diversity isconcerned and how do they compare to other Big Ten Universities?What's the best way to measure diversity and equity on campus and in our work? How canwe provide ongoing diversity and equity support and training?AccountabilityHow can we make departments accountable when hiring new staff? How do we reach out tounderrepresented students?The university has a spoken about increasing diversity and equity but has yet to followthrough on specific actions. There is too much talk and no action, accountability, orincentives to change the climate. Tangible actions needed!What is your plan or vision for requiring and ensuring the accountability of supervisors,managers, faculty and other authoritative figures' in creating inclusive and welcomingenvironments? Comment: Currently, this aptitude is not mandated for those in authority andCOLOR BLOCKSIrregular shapes in multiple colors frpalette add movement and energy9

Color Blocks–Horizontalthere is no mechanism to hold them accountable across the board. It is only permissible forthem to seek intercultural competence and knowledge of how to foster success in a diversesetting (staff, students, colleagues, etc.). Institutionalizing welcoming and inclusiveenvironments is of great interest to many constituents.What is the University's plan to improve the retention of faculty and staff of color? When willwe see a strong commitment to diversity in every college?What kind of resources are you prepared to commit to the recruitment and retention of adiverse staff at the University?For sustainability, diversity initiatives seem to need to be managed and resourced with somecontinuity (permanent staff, faculty). Often it is students who might be around for only a yearor two who are the most energetic about this work. How do we effectively bring theconsistent and the transient members of our community together to work towards sharedgoals?How will the University make it clear that working on issues related to equity and diversity iseveryone's responsibility?How do we create/obtain longevity with regards to equity and diversity? How do we keep iton the front burner?Why does the College of Ed and Human Dev. refuse to orchestrate a concerted effort to takeon relevant issues in urban education, like the under education of students (particularlystudents of color, English language learners and low income students), and diversifying theteacher pool? What will be the institutional consequence for such complacency?This is very complex because (1) by its very nature as a 150-year-old institution, certainprivileges and assumptions are deeply entwined in the structure and operations and tend toperpetuate the status quo. (2) Genuine inclusion takes a large investment of time and awillingness to change some of the rules of the game. It takes real and ongoing conversationthat facilitates understanding and valuing across differences, and it takes side-by-side worktoward shared objectives. (3) All aspects of diversity need to be recognized and valued,including disability. (4) To really do this, you have to think differently about time, getcomfortable with discomfort, and figure out how to reward people for their hard work alongthe way, even when there is no money. So my questions are, (1) how can youcompassionately dismantle and reassemble an institution to work in this new age? and (2)who can you bring in who is in it for the long haul to get the process started?OutreachHow can the UMN engage the University community to participate in work such as thatgoing on at UROC? The University needs to be a provider of these resources and notnecessarily the leader of that whole process or the guide to it, which sometimes has ruinedrelationships.Many communities in TC area have a lack of trust in the UMN -- the closing of GeneralCollege, Commanding English program that outreached and served a great number of highschool students, and the move to close the MA program in Teaching English as a SecondLanguage. I feel these kinds of moves on the part of the administration create a sense ofdistrust among communities that UMN is trying to reach.I have been at UMN since 1999 and have seen a lot of changes. I feel that the UMN brokesome trust with the native and indigenous communities around the state. I understand UMNis driving to be one of the top three research institutions in the world but I'm very concernedabout the telescope on Mount Graham, which is sacred to the Apache People. And UMNinvolvement in wild rice issues that are also sacred to Ojibwa people. I feel that these andother past experiences contribute greatly to native peoples lack of trust in UMN. I want tostress the benefits of MN being home to 11 tribal nations, though less than 1% of overall MNCOLOR BLOCKSIrregular shapes in multiplpalette add movement an10

population. The lost of trust the indigenous community now feels towards UMN effects usall and students the most.How do we reach out to underrepresented students?The University of MN claims that diversity and multicultural education are a vital part of itsmission, and yet since 2000 the U has closed General College, an award winning collegewith the most diversity of any other college on campus; the Commanding English Program,the only program which primarily served refugees and permanent residents; the MinnesotaEnglish Center for international students (it was reopened in another college in 2006 as theMinnesota English Language Program, or MELP); and last fall the dean of CLA announcedthe closing of the Second Language Studies M.A. program (SLS), the only TESL graduateprogram in MN with a focus on teaching ESL for higher education. What do these moves sayabout how much the University of MN values diversity? The U of MN is a land grantinstitution, which means it should serve the people of MN. Increasing our internationalstudent enrollment to meet diversity quotas is disingenuous.Requests for ResourcesCOLOR BLOCKSHow can the Center for Health Equity engage with the Office of Equity and Diversity tosupport efforts in hiring and retaining diverse faculty and staff?Irregular shapes in multiple colors fPlease share information or updates on DREAM the Act. Is UMN prepared for receiving andsupporting new populations (recent immigrants?) of students?palette add movement and energyI am concerned about fair treatment for persons who occasionally suffer setbacks due todepressive disorders. In my experience there is 1) Complete lack of seriousacknowledgment of such conditions 2) Resultant negative annual review of an employeewho, the majority of the time, functions at a productive, thoughtful and engaged level. Thesame individual previously received high marks/ glowing reviews. What should the Universitydo to acknowledge and support employees who may struggle with mental health issues, onoccasion, and how can the climate be improved?What exactly do you mean by diverse staff members? Disability enabled people as well asMulticultural peoples? I have a disability with being tired because of my medication and Ineed areas in which to take a break with out being a nuisance to others. What is theuniversity doing to provide private break areas? (Not to mention these areas could be usedfor other things like nursing mothers, who want to breast-feed.)Is a UM employee able to use University resources (meeting room) to host a ChristianLeadership Lunch? The event would be open to all faculty and staff regardless of theirreligious beliefs. The leadership topic discussion would include teaching from the bible.It appears that the aspiration of the Univ of Minnesota to be a leading research entity is abarrier in itself because the Univ has made admission requirements extremely difficult. Oneof the recent online interviews for the Office of Equity & Diversity stated that the University,as a land-grant mission college and location being in the middle of a large city, should bemade routinely accessible to the multitude of K-12 students in the metro. How is the Univgoing to reach out with programming to expose students to a University environment at ayoung age so our admission requirements become a typical college goal for the multitudes?And how will the Univ be held accountable in reporting progress to faculty and staff?Please describe the process used to determine reasonable accommodations for employeeswith disabilities and what happens when an employee can no longer perform at a full timelevel due to their disability or due to the excessive use of sick leave.Will you work to expand lactation spaces on campus for staff coming back from maternityleave? Currently, space is limited to areas near the AHC and there is not enough places oncampus near the University Avenue area to account for staff breaks (travel time) to use thelactation facilities. Also, if there is more than one woman nursing it is difficult to find anotherarea close by. Other staff members also may presume you are taking a "break", when in fact11

you still may be doing computer work while pumping and it would be nice to bringawareness to this issue.Action Steps I wonder if the Regents Scholarship fund can have a provision for minority populations soColor Blocks–Horizontalthat their tuition for graduate studies could be covered 100%. The faculty at the UMN isvery non-diverse, this would be one way to encourage increased professional developmentand advancement for those of us who are minorities who have higher aspirations, but whodid not have as many resources to pursue our dreams and now work for such an excellenteducational facility.Is there a source for videos of people talking about growing-up/living in other parts of theworld or with a disability? We have Celebrate U, Beautiful U, and other similar events. So,why not a Diversity Day?Thank you for the opportunity to submit a question. However, I like everything aboutdiversity that the UMN does (awareness, HR programs, support, listening sessions like this,etc.). Just do more of the same! I believe that diversity is the fabric of an organization. Itbrings different views, experiences and approaches on the same problem, not possible byhomogeneous groups.This is not a question but a suggestion: Have the entire University community read "TheNew Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness" by Michelle Alexander, civilrights advocate and legal scholar. It's a stunning book; a call to action, a call for racialjustice. (Please see http://www.newjimcrow.com/.) What an eye-opening and powerfulconsciousness-raising experience reading this book could be for our community.Would be great to get more information on services that already exist so we can encourageparticipation.I have been impressed with efforts UMN has gone through to create incentives for healthierlifestyles such as point system, coaching and other incentives. Feels it has been a successin motivating people to choose healthier lifestyle. Has UMN considered something similar interms of incentives and resources around diversity training for employees?In addition to the New Hire Orientation would it be possible to have a similar event tointroduce diverse staff members to other similar staff on campus in order to better create asense of community and provide a forum where needs/issues can be better addressed?COLOR BLOCKSIrregular shapes in multiple colors frpalette add movement and energyColored Rectangles12