Community Forum of Racism Update and Next Forum Classroom Experiences and Solutions Announced for July 7, 7pm EDT

The following letter has been shared to forum participants and is here for Clarkson Community members to review.

The next forum will be July 7 at 7pm EDT.  We will be focusing on classroom experiences and solutions. 

While we know this outside of working hours for many, we strongly encourage all to attend, especially faculty.

Please use the link in the letter to register.  We will be using Zoom meeting so the meeting is capped at 300 participants.

The next forum will be July 7 at 7pm EDT.  We will be focusing on classroom experiences and solutions. 

Dear Clarkson Community Members,  
Thank you for attending Clarkson’s second Community Forum on Racism (06/11/2020).  With the size of the group attending, we tried a different format to include everyone interested in participating.  It was with great hope that we would be able to continue the energy and enthusiasm from our first forum (06/04/2020), but unfortunately, the technology did not carry the same spirit of engagement as the first forum.  
With more than 300 members of the Clarkson community in attendance, it is clear that our university community wants to engage in dialogue that moves to meaningful action to affirm Black lives matter. During this time when many are engaging remotely, we realize the need to create online forums that support more productive conversations in and outside of the Clarkson community. With this being said, we will be moving forward to provide a variety of large and small group sessions and dialogues to create actions to reduce systemic racism within our own University and wider community now, this Fall when we return to campus, and into the future. 
After review of the action items presented in the first forum letter, the following items were added or clarified: 

• Develop a common educational experience for all students with a corresponding set of trainings and workshops for staff and faculty that address macro and microagressions, implicit bias, bias incidents, and systemic inequality, i.e. systemic racism within society and our institution.  
• Ensure educational requirement and employee training is inclusive, involves input from the community, and the whole community participates in it.
• Build personal and systematic methods of accountability
• Understand the symbols that divide our university community by sending messages of oppression and marganization to members of our community such as the confederate flag. Identify the common values and symbols that unite us.
• Create conversation safe spaces via e-forums/chat/Facebook groups for Black and POC alumni and current students. Support the current efforts developing.  
• Develop groups for individuals to volunteer to work on action items.  The following Google Forms below.

At our next forum, we will focus on class-based issues. What are the issues related to classroom experience and management and what steps can we take to address them?  
The next forum will be July 7 at 7pm EDT.  We will be focusing on classroom experiences and solutions.  The Zoom will be in meeting format.  Please register for the meeting link here:  https://forms.gle/8JzT9pHwVTDcpxwq5
To submit anonymous comments to the moderators, please click here:  https://forms.gle/YgbVBJHmMsz7r3Dw5
Please see the Community Forums page for updates. We have attached a list of actions currently underway and identified action items. https://www.clarkson.edu/diversity-and-inclusion/community-forums
For those who wished to contribute to the current efforts, please use these forms to express your interest:  https://forms.gle/muLHjL8ij6Tzku1JA
Also, please find links to current resources: 

• Resources for Black Community Members https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1gPgxzhQlxnIwsffNZJZNyOAO9S_5l7oh  
• How to be an Ally https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1gPgxzhQlxnIwsffNZJZNyOAO9S_5l7oh

Thank you,
The Members of Chief Inclusion Office and Bias Prevention and Response Team (BPART)
The following actions have been taken:

• On June 16, the Chief Inclusion Office hosted the Community Forum on Racism for Faculty & Staff.  We are following up in this forum with the Provost’s Office, the Faculty Senate, and the Human Resources Office to develop action items related to concerns raised:  recruitment of BIPOC faculty and staff, addressing microaggressions between employees and wider community relations.
• Representatives from Clarkson’s Black students met with the President, Provost, Chief Inclusion Officer, VP for Student Affairs and Enrollment, Associate Provost for Faculty Achievement to establish Black Leadership Advocate for Change[BLAC] and develop a list of action items with deadlines with ongoing meetings scheduled.  A separate list will be shared out on these items after our next meeting on July 6.
• The Chief Inclusion Office has met with students from the Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islanders Communities at Clarkson to hear their concerns and work on action items with them to address safety concerns, develop stronger support networks, and identify needed trainings for employees and students.
• In addition, Society for Asian Scientists and Engineers[SASE] hosted the Asian & Pacific Islander Forum on June 19.  SASE and the Chief Inclusion Office have identified a few key action items and are currently working on the details of how to roll them out.
• The Human Resources Office is getting ready to roll out a baseline online D&I training program for all employees.  This will be supplemented by follow up trainings and professional development.
• The combined BPART and Climate and Engagement Committee is drafting a new Bias Incident Policy and developing a back-to-campus Action Guide for employees to support BIPOC students.
• The Chief Inclusion Team is currently developing the comprehensive training and professional development roadmap for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.
• The Chief Inclusion Office and Human Resource Office is working with our food service provider, Sodexo, to offer training in August, create a stronger process for reporting concerns to Sodexo, addressing those concerns, integrating Clarkson into these responses so we know the concerns, can make sure they are addressed, and keep them from reoccurring.
• The Chief Inclusion Office along with the Clarkson Intercultural Ambassadors are going to give training to all incoming students as part of orientation and we will give DEIB training to all student-based club leaders in the Fall.
• Board Trustee, Simoon Cannon, is working with the Chief Inclusion Officer to establish the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Board for the University.  It will consist of both internal and external advisors drawing on alumni and DEI field experts to guide the DEIB strategic plan.
• The Chief Inclusion Office is finalizing a partnership with Sustained Dialog Institute to grow and support the university’s commitment to intergroup dialog.
• The Provost’s Office is working on a plan to increase recruitment of BIPOC faculty and working on a core set of resources with the Chief Inclusion Office to distribute to all faculty to foster systematic change in Academic Affairs with follow up professional development.
• Several academic departments and the Student Affairs Division are currently performing a review of potential action items to share out with the wider community.
• A group of faculty is utilizing a slack channel to discuss faculty actions to develop supportive classroom environments, improve the representation of BIPOC contributors and texts to courses, and ways faculty can practice anti-racism in their classes, mentorship, and research.  Please contact akochowi@clarkson.edu for more details and access.
• Another group of Clarkson Community members have begun an Anti-racist reading group open to all. Please contact mmanierr@clarkson.edu for further information and to join.