Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Statement
It is imperative for the Office of Student Affairs Assessment & Analytics to prioritize equity, diversity, and inclusiveness. This is a living statement, meaning that it will evolve and change as needed.
We plan to accomplish this objective by adhering to the following practices:
Hiring & Training Practices |
We strive to hire and build a team that is made up of people representing diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences—who share in a mutual understanding for supporting and promoting a culture of respect, support, and action for equity, diversity, and inclusiveness. We believe in creating spaces for our staff to examine, discuss, and learn about systems of bias, power, and oppression.
Inclusive and Equity-minded Assessment Practices |
We recognize that assessment measures (i.e., surveys, training modules) should validate and attend to students’ unique identities, experiences, and cultural backgrounds. With this in mind, we strive to incorporate multifaceted options for students to express their lived-experiences and various demographic identities in the surveys we create, conduct, and consult on. We also aim to include multiple assessment methods for students to demonstrate their learning, development, and experiences—which includes maximizing the accessibility of survey methods and sampling.
Inclusive and Equity-minded Analytic Practices |
We are aware that systems of structural, historical, and institutional policies, procedures, and practices have shaped how students have traditionally been represented in data and research. We strive to highlight multiple student perspectives and identities (whenever possible) in our dashboards, reports, and presentations. Additionally, we aim to make data accessible, transparent, and timely—to represent as many student and staff populations and/or perspectives as possible. Finally, we will employ methods of creating dashboards that are interactive, engaging, and provide opportunities for users to explore data by a variety of demographic indicators, while maintaining strict standards for confidentiality of student responses and student data. We aim to make all of our communications and visuals simple, effective, and accessible—so everyone can read, view, and understand them.
Contribute to Larger EDI Initiatives |
Whenever possible, the Office of SA Assessment & Analytics will contribute to initiatives that provide spaces for community members to reflect on making campus structures, goals, and priorities more inclusive and equitable. Therefore, our assessment efforts and analytic methods will strive to meet all Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives set by the Division of Student Affairs and the university.