Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.35
Liaison Christa Rieck
Submission Date Nov. 23, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University of Houston
PA-4: Diversity and Equity Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have a diversity and equity committee, office, and/or officer tasked by the administration or governing body to advise on and implement policies, programs, and trainings related to diversity and equity on campus?:
Yes

Does the committee, office and/or officer focus on one or both of the following?:
Yes or No
Student diversity and equity Yes
Employee diversity and equity Yes

A brief description of the diversity and equity committee, office and/or officer, including purview and activities:

The University of Houston is committed to the principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action.

The Office of Equal Opportunity Services acts on behalf of the University as a neutral fact finder that enforces the University’s Equal Opportunity Policies. Equal Opportunity Services provides the University system with multiple services including the development and monitoring of faculty and staff recruiting, the presentation of awareness and prevention trainings, and the implementation of the university's discriminatory complaints policies. The Office of Equal Opportunity Services is additionally charged with the processing of all inquiries and complaints concerning discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, genetic information, and/or veteran status. Equal Opportunity Services works in conjunction with other members of the university community to seek a fair and effective resolution with regards to confidentiality of those concerned. No person shall be subject to retaliation for filing a complaint or assisting in an investigation conducted by the Office of Equal Opportunity Services.

The Center for Diversity and Inclusion seeks to engage, empower and educate campus members. Their mission is as follows:

- CDI engages campus constituents by providing intercultural dialogues, university program partnerships, and highlighting organizations and services that promote diversity and inclusion.
- CDI empowers students to celebrate and appreciate their cultural heritage and others by offering transformative diverse campus programming and by providing leadership experiences that maximize their potential. The Center is an avenue for developing students’ sense of belonging.
- CDI educates the University of Houston campus by offering meaningful educational programs, lecture series, and workshops that advance diversity education and cultural competence. The Center also serves as a change agent in fostering an inclusive environment.

Other offices fostering diversity, inclusion and offering community support include: The LGBT Resource Center, the Women and Gender Resource Center, and the Multicultural Task Force.


The full-time equivalent of people employed in the diversity and equity office:
5

The website URL where information about the diversity and equity committee, office and/or officer is available:
Does the institution make cultural competence trainings and activities available to all members of the following groups?:
Yes or No
Students Yes
Staff Yes
Faculty Yes
Administrators Yes

A brief description of the cultural competence trainings and activities:

The University of Houston not only has a wide array of established training programs for faculty, staff, students, and administrators but also has open avenues for the request of new training programs to be developed.

All new hires are required to complete a set of training activities, including an anti-discrimination segment. This segment includes hypothetical scenarios to assess cultural competence. Supervisors and managers are required to complete a training segment titled "Cultural Sensitivity in the Workplace".

The department of Equal Opportunity Services and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion handle the special requests trainings mentioned above. Examples include: workplace sensitivity, discrimination, and harassment.

Finally UH's Counseling and Psychological Services center (CAPS) houses the Diversity Institute which is a cultural outreach center to support students, their families, faculty, and staff. Additionally, CAPS holds an annual event to encourage cultural sensitivity, competence, and awareness both in and around campus.


The website URL where information about the cultural competence trainings is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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