OCR COMPLETES REVIEW, UVM SETS GOALS
by Enrique Corredera

The U.S. Department of Education´s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), in partnership with the University of Vermont, has completed a seven-month review of the campus´ racial climate. UVM President Judith A. Ramaley, in turn, has announced a series of goals, stemming from this collaboration.

The review, begun last March, is part of a new collaborative approach developed by OCR known as Profile Assessment and Resolution (PAR) to allow local community involvement in identifying effective solutions to high-priority civil rights issues. The office periodically reviews institutions, selected according to a variety of factors, including size of ALANA populations, geographic location and other information. UVM's review was not prompted by any complaints.

OCR encourages broad community participation in an effort to make the process as inclusive as possible. During the week of April 20, a four-member team from OCR, in addition to a UVM team, met with various groups on and off campus. From that and follow -up sessions, the UVM and OCR teams developed a campus profile and assessment, out of which the goals emerged.

"During the course of this review the notable level of commitment and resources that the university has put forth to address racial climate issues and harassment on campus became evident," said Thomas J. Hibino, regional director of the OCR´s Boston office. Among them, he cited the UVM community´s public embrace of a value statement, "Our Common Ground"; establishment of a board of trustees ad hoc committee on diversity (now a standing committee); continuation of Building Our Community learning days and numerous other educational and extracurricular efforts to promote diversity; assignment of a significant level of resources to the goals of racial diversity and equality; efforts to recruit ALANA students, faculty and staff, to foster dialogue on campus and to forge connections among academic and administrative units; and the commitment to these issues by President Judith A. Ramaley and Provost Geoffrey Gamble.

"This process has given the University an opportunity to identify ways to enhance our diversity and racial climate initiatives, and to think creatively about new approaches," said Ramaley. "I am grateful for OCR's help in advancing a goal to which the Board of Trustees and I are deeply committed: a welcoming, hospitable racial climate for all on campus."

Under the goals announced by Ramaley, UVM aims to:

• Publicly renew its commitment to a campus that does not tolerate racial discrimination or harassment and to a community that reflects a welcoming, hospitable racial climate. With input from the university community, UVM will develop a vision statement to guide future efforts to improve the racial climate. The values and expectations expressed in the vision statement and the already-existing Our Common Ground statement will be incorporated into the life of the campus community.

• Enhance communications capability and effectiveness and strengthen connections among units and members of the university community, as well as between UVM and the greater Burlington community.

• Review, revise and improve existing policies and procedures that address racial discrimination and harassment concerns.

• Review and enhance current strategies to recruit and retain students, faculty and staff of color, in a manner reflective of the best practices in higher education.

• Under the leadership of the provost, deans, chairs and faculty, provide students with the intellectual environment that best serves their needs as educated citizens. Academic leadership will work to ensure that graduates have an educational experience that provides them with the life skills necessary for success in a diverse world. Also, students will learn in a climate that does not tolerate race discrimination and racial harassment.

• Ensure that unit strategic plans and budget documents encompass these objectives, as well as reflect other institutional expectations. Units that efficiently use resources to achieve these goals and utilize creative means to augment those resources will be highly valued and recognized.

• Recognize that implementation of these goals is a shared responsibility, yet characterized by individual accountability. The president´s staff and provost´s council of deans will oversee implementation of these goals, and other teams of senior staff will be assigned to carry out various elements of the plan. Performance expectations will be associated with the implementation responsibilities of staff.

Copies of PAR-related documents will be available at the Bailey-Howe Library, the Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Office and the Office for Cultural Pluralism and Racial Equality after Nov. 20.

Implementation team appointed by Ramaley
UVM Record, Nov 20-Dec 10, 1998

President Judith Ramaley has appointed a team to oversee implementation of the goals to improve UVM´s campus climate. Members of the team are: Dr. Geoffrey Gamble, provost; Dr. Dean Batt, vice president for student affairs; Dr. Thomas Gustafson, interim vice president for administration; Annie Allen, executive officer of cultural diversity and racial equality; Dr. Joan Smith, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; and Dr. Michael Sesnowitz, dean of the School of Business Administration.

Wanda Heading-Grant will continue to serve as the liaison between UVM and the U.S. Department of Education´s Office of Civil Rights.