State University of New York at Brockport
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

The College at Brockport is committed to a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. Each individual has the right to work in a professional atmosphere that promotes equal employment opportunities and prohibits discriminatorypractices, including harassment. Therefore, The College at Brockport expects thatall decisions and relationships among employees will be free of unlawful bias, prejudiceand harassment.

The College at Brockport is committed to compliance with all provisions of state andfederal human rights and equal opportunity laws which prohibit discrimination in employment,educational programs and services on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexualorientation, age, disability, marital status, national origin, or any other characteristicprotected by law.

The College at Brockport will not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any type,from any source. It is the responsibility of all College administrators, supervisors,employees, and students to create and maintain a workplace and academic environmentfree from discrimination and harassment.

We believe that most members of our campus community do not wish to offend or createoffensive working or academic environments. In fact, most interactions are courteous,mutually respectful, comfortable, appropriate, pleasant, and non-coercive.

It is the policy of The College at Brockport to ensure equal employment opportunitywithout discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexualorientation, age, disability, marital status, national origin, or any other characteristicprotected by law.

Any and all forms of such discrimination or harassment which involve or affect The College at Brockport ("the College") or which occur on Brockport's campus or its satellites(currently the REOC and MetroCenter), off-site facilities, or in any off-campus location that could be considered an extension of the workplace, i.e., official travel (collectively referred to as "the campus") are prohibited by this policy.

https://www.brockport.edu/support/policies/adopted/af_hr_harassment_discrimination_complaint_procedure.html

Brockport's bias response protocols apply to employees and students at Brockport.
Reporting an Incident of Harassment, Discrimination or Retaliation

Informal Procedure

If for any reason an individual does not wish to address the offender directly, or if such action does not successfully end the offensive conduct, the individual should notify his/her immediate supervisor, the Director of Human Resources, the Affirmative Action Officer, who may, if the individual so requests, talk to the alleged offender on the individual's behalf.

The College encourages individuals who believe they are subjected to harassing or discriminatory conduct to promptly advise the offender that his or her behavior is unwelcome and request that it be discontinued. Often this action alone will resolve the problem. The College recognizes, however, that an individual may prefer to pursue the matter through informal or formal complaint procedures.

An individual reporting harassment, discrimination or retaliation should be aware that the College might decide it is necessary to take action to address such conduct beyond an informal discussion. This decision will be discussed with the individual.The best course of action in any case will depend on many factors and, therefore,the informal procedure will remain flexible. Confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.

The informal procedure is not a required first step for the reporting individual.

Formal Procedure

As noted above, individuals who believe they have been the victims of conduct prohibited by this policy statement or believe they have witnessed such conduct should discuss their concerns with the Director of Human Resources, the Affirmative Action Officer, or their supervisor.

The College encourages the prompt reporting of complaints or concerns so that rapid and constructive action can be taken before relationships become irreparably strained.Therefore, while no fixed reporting period has been established, early reporting and intervention have proven to be the most effective method of resolving actual or perceived incidents of harassment.

Any reported allegations of harassment, discrimination, or retaliation will be investigated promptly. The investigation may include individual interviews with the parties involved and, where necessary, with individuals who may have observed the alleged conduct or may have other relevant knowledge.

Confidentiality will be maintained throughout the investigatory process to the extent consistent with adequate investigation and appropriate corrective action.

Brockport also has a Bias Incident Reporting System. In alignment with The Strategic Plan goals — “To be a Great College at which to Learn and Work,” The College at Brockport is devoted to maintaining an inviting, respectful and collaborative community in support of all its members. Dedicated to principles that foster integrity, civility, and dignity, our commitment to “Building a Better Brockport” is demonstrated through efforts focusing on continual growth and improvement. In support of monitoring and responding to incidents impacting the institutional climate and culture, the bias-related incident reporting system was developed.

What is a Bias-Related Incident?

The term "bias related incident" refers to language and/or behaviors which demonstrate bias against persons or groups because of factors (actual or perceived) such as: race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, creed, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, medical condition, body size, disability, marital status, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, veteran status, domestic violence victim status, ex-offender status, and/or socioeconomic status.

What is the Bias Response System?

The Bias Response System (BRS) is an anonymous online reporting database providing community members an avenue to document perceived or actual bias-related incidents occurring at the College. The online reporting system enables the College to track bias-related incidents, and to refer them to the appropriate authorities, units and processes for follow-up. Recognizing the impact of bias-related incidents on institutional climate, the BRS assists in identifying gaps in knowledge within the College community where educational interventions may serve a useful purpose.

The Bias Response System efforts are coordinated by the Bias Response Coordinating Team (BRCT), composed of the College’s Chief Diversity Officer and separately-appointed representatives from Human Resources, Academic Affairs, and Student Affairs. Uponr eceipt of a report through the System, the BRCT will consult to determine the proper officials, and/or departments for follow-up.

What is the Bias Response Coordinating Team?

The BRCT reviews reported incidents and refers them to existing processes/structures for action in accordance with respective institutional policies and procedures. The BRCT is not endowed with any additional authority; it works within existing College policies and governing structures. The BRCT may propose new policies via either the College's Policy Management Steering Committee or College Senate as appropriate.

Additionally, the BRCT collects annual data, offers support services (internal & external)and/or recommends educational follow-up. The BRCT presents the annual data to campus stakeholders, including the President’s Council on Diversity and Inclusion, to inform the various committees focused on recruitment, retention, professional development and training. As appropriate or applicable, reports may be forwarded to state or external constituencies in accordance to law.

Brockport's Bias Response Team also has support resources where students and employees can receive assistance before, during and/or after filing a bias related incident report. These resources include the following for students:

•Counseling Center
•Community Development
•Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
•University Police
•Residential Life/Learning Communities
•Student Conduct
•Human Resources
•Affirmative Action Officer

These resources include the following for employees:

•Employee Assistance Program
•Human Resources
•Affirmative Action Officer

Brockport's financial aid packaging policies are designed to give the maximum amount of aid to students with the greatest need as determined by the lowest Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC is defined by the US Dept of Education as part of the mandated Federal Methodology formulae.Federal TRIO Programs:
The College at Brockport is host to three Federally funded grant programs that seek to increase the number of low-income, first generation, or underrepresented students who reach their full academic potential and enroll in post secondary or graduate education.
The Talent Search Program serves 660 students annually in four Rochester City Middle or High Schools: Douglass, Jefferson, Franklin, and Marshall. Talent Search offers tutorial support, academic advisement, SAT prep courses, and opportunities to visit local colleges. Academic Counselors located in each of the High Schools work individually with selected students to ensure their success and mentor them through rigorous course work and the process of college applications.

Faculty and Staff Recruitment

The Office of Affirmative Action and Human Resources has significantly revised Brockport’s faculty/staff search and recruitment process through the following:

•Invested heavily in a new, comprehensive Applicant Tracking System, which will provide robust reporting capabilities in support of our diversification efforts.
•Developed a multi-point search training program, mandatory for all hiring managers and search committee members. Among other topics, the training provides an overview of Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity, as well as The College’s specific requirements regarding compliance during the search process.
•To meet The College’s responsibility to make a good faith effort in diversifying the pool of applicants available to search committees, work jointly with each hiring manager to advertise in nationally recognized venues, such as The Chronicle of HigherEd, Recruit Disability.org, Higher Ed Jobs.com, and through the U.S. Department of Labor at Job Central.com (formerly USA Jobs), all designed to reach the largest and most diverse aggregation of ready job seekers. Further, through the American Association for Access, Equity, and Diversity (AAAED), we are exploring additional, more focused advertising venues, including, but not limited to, Ability Jobs.com, Getting Hired.com, LGBT Connect.com, and Vet Central.com.
•Revamped The College’s Waiver of Search protocol to emphasize the importance of conducting proper Affirmative Action searches and increase access.

Student Recruitment

Goal 2 of Brockport's Five-year (2016-2021) Strategic Plan for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion is to achieve a balance of representation in student body population in line with state demographics; and maintain a commitment to retention, completion, and
academic success of minority and underrepresented students.

Implementation Strategies

A) Research and Implement Best Practices for Inclusive Recruitment and Enrollment including:
• Analyze demographic data and determine if additional high schools need to be
added or changed within each recruiting territory to increase the diversity reach.
• Continue to strengthen working relationships with school counseling staff in
high schools that have very diverse populations in order to understand the
specific needs of their students and connect their students to resources on
campus throughout the recruitment process.
• Develop an action plan that provides opportunities for admissions advisors to
reach out to community leaders or clergy in areas of the state that have a large
minority population.
• Develop a communication plan that specifically targets underrepresented
prospective students in order to help them understand the process for
admissions and enrollment, and to provide contacts on campus.
• Review Admissions and Enrollment Processes
- Compare percentage of EOP applicants to funded EOP seats to inform
advocacy efforts.
- Review and offer acceptance to EOP applicants that meet regular admissions
standards.
- Continue to review and coordinate transitional programming for first year
and transfer students.
- Aspire to hire professional staff with multi-lingual capabilities in the areas of
recruitment, enrollment, and advisement to increase the likelihood of being
able to communicate well with parents or guardians who are speakers of
other languages.

B) Research and Implement Best Practices for Retention of Underrepresented Students including:
• Encourage inclusion of more students of diverse backgrounds on college
committees and event planning.
• Continued support of high impact practices for all students, including building and enriching the applied learning plan.
• Continue to make visible the College’s commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion by:
- Encouraging more integrated programming and discussion between
Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, and student
clubs and leadership. The Training and Awareness Committee and the new
Academic Success Center are locations in which representatives from the
above groups can share ideas, resources, and strategies. This exchange
should lead to a broader perception across campus that curricular and cocurricular leadership, activists, and event planners are communicating and share similar goals in relation to diversity and inclusion.
- Better communication to faculty, staff, and students all diversity events and resources at the beginning of each semester.
- Using social media more widely to advertise and tag diversity events and
internal and external information related to equity and inclusion.
- Creating a multiracial resource page, disability resources page, and religious
diversity resource page to supplement the College’s LGBTQIA resources
page.
• Conduct a space-needs analysis for students around clubs, organizations,
centers, and support for the College’s diverse student body.
• Explore successful practices for retention and transition used by the Educational Opportunity Program, McNair, and CSTEP programs, as well as the former Learning About and Understanding your New College Home (LAUNCH). Consider avenues for implementing the most successful practices more broadly. This might include expanding tutoring opportunities, requiring students to attend office hours, providing transition programming more broadly, holding events with faculty and staff, and arranging peer and faculty mentorship for underrepresented and at-risk students.
• Review resources of health center to make sure there are appropriate
counselors available who represent and are culturally competent to serve a
broad social and cultural range of identities and experiences.
• Improve accessibility to all resources

C) Continue to invest in and support programming that supports local middle and high schools and increases awareness of The College at Brockport for minority and underrepresented populations.
• Support the establishment of the RISE network with Rochester Educational
Opportunity Center and Monroe Community College, working to provide college preparation, deliver support through case management, and establish pathways to four-year completion for underrepresented, underprepared, and at-risk students.
• Continue to implement and develop more rigorous assessment plans and
outreach strategies for Learning Enrichment to Achieve Potential (LEAP) and PUC Achieve programs.

https://system.suny.edu/media/suny/content-assets/documents/diversity/reports/Brockport.pdf

LAUNCH Program

Brockport’s Office of Diversity has initiated the LAUNCH program to help students from underrepresented groups embark on a successful academic career. Named “LAUNCH” (for “Learning About and Understanding Your New College Home”), the funded program replicates practices of Delta College, CSTEP/McNair, and the Educational Opportunity Program, that introduce participating underrepresented students to engaging educational experiences and high impact practices. Each incoming student enrolled in the program will have a peer mentor as well as a faculty or staff mentor, attend presentations and workshops regarding opportunities available at Brockport, and participate in cultural and recreational events as a group.

Cultural Center for Student Services and Development

The Cultural Center provides direct services to African-American, Native-American, Asian-American, international students, and other underrepresented populations. The Center sponsors programs, activities and workshops to increase cultural awareness, sensitivity and understanding of the diversecultural backgrounds representing members of the Campus constituency. Moreover, the Cultural Center provides an informal meeting place for students and provides films, exhibitions, panel discussions, workshops, guest lecturesand other activities that further develop and promote cultural awareness.

Through the collaborative efforts of the Cultural Center,the Office of Campus Life, Career Services, and Military Science, SUNY Brockport students have an opportunity to enhance their leadership skills. Students are offered seminars on self-esteem and self-awareness; in addition to others such as test-taking, study habits, critical thinking, public speaking and leadership. To assist further with the development of leadership skills, credit-bearing courses and volunteer opportunities are offered to all students.

The Office of Diversity also offers the following support programs to underrepresented groups for students and faculty/staff:

Hazen Center for Integrated Care: Health and Counseling

Employee Assistance Program: Confidential Consultation for Faculty & Staff

Student Accessibility Services

Affirmative Action, Equal Employment Opportunity, Americans with Disabilities Act/Affirmative Action Officer

Prevention and Outreach Services/Center for Select Respect

A unique aspect of EOP is the First Year Structured Program (FYSP). It is a highly structured academic experience, designed to assist and maximize a freshman student's opportunity to be successful. All students are placed in freshman classes based upon their high school academic preparation and placement tests given by EOP. During the first year, EOP professionals serve as counselors, academic advisors and instructors to their students.Courses and faculty members have been carefully chosen to become a part of this first-year academic experience. Academic support is provided to every freshman student through required supplemental instruction and tutoring for every course. EOP conducts orientation before the start of every year.

The Office of Diversity was awarded a SUNY Explorations in Diversity and Academic Excellence grant to continue its Community Conversations series.
Community Conversations is a town hall meeting approach to engage faculty, staff and students in dialogues on racial tensions and diversity issues occurring nationally, in Brockport’s surrounding communities, and on the Brockport campus. The Brockport campus also has mentoring programs for underrepresented staff/faculty within the academic departments.

The College participates in the McNair program which prepares and encourages underrepresented undergraduate students to pursue PhD’s.