SJSU's Initiatives, Activities and Programs
In order to build organizational capacity on making progress on addressing systemic racism at SJSU, there will be initiatives that span across the institution. However, for organizational change to happen at a basic operational level, many initiatives need to be tailored specifically to the needs, daily responsibilities, daily activities, and arenas of work and education of everyone in our Spartan community. Below are the initiatives, activities, and programs designed for specific categories of employees and for students.
We have also begun the process of addressing specific concerns related to:
Students
Broadening recruitment efforts
Work with the CSU Chancellor’s Office to expand our recruitment to areas where more underrepresented students, in particular Black students, may benefit from an SJSU education. Student applicants within formal recruitment boundaries receive bonus admissions value within CSU application system.
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Improve housing availability
Expand residential housing initiatives for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students, such as the Black Scholars Floor and other learning communities and themed floors.
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Increase community-building
Designate funds in Student Affairs for large-scale student programming to build community and increase sense of belonging for the Black Spartan community.
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Grow pre-matriculation programming
Implement a summer bridge program which focuses on preparing incoming Black Spartans for their SJSU experience, and serves to increase student retention.
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Faculty
New strategies in faculty hiring
Increase tenure/tenure-track cluster hires and focused full-time lecturer positions in fields of expertise (e.g., underrepresented communities business development)—to increase the number of BIPOC faculty on campus with a particular focus on underrepresented Black, Indigenous, and Latinx faculty.
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New strategies in faculty RTP processes
Develop and implement faculty search committee and RTP evaluation training using a racial justice lens which addresses implicit bias, race, gender, and cultural competence to eliminate inequity within these processes. (Completed; Status graphic goes underneath)
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Increased faculty mentoring opportunities
Expand and improve current mentoring activities and leadership opportunities for BIPOC faculty.
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Address and streamline processes
Develop a task force to examine SOTEs and make recommendations that support BIPOC faculty as SOTEs are used in faculty evaluation processes.
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SJSU Teach Online Summer Certificate Program
In partnership with the Center for Faculty Development, ODEI developed a 10-hour required module on equity and inclusion in this certificate program. Approximately half of SJSU tenure track/tenured faculty and lecturer faculty have completed the training by Spring 2021. Another 1,000 faculty will be trained Summer 2021.
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Academic research on the intersections of health and racism
Develop a grant process to support this critical area of racial equity in health. This process will further support the research many of our talented and committed faculty members are doing, while infusing new areas of research in a topic that is crucial for our students and community.
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Staff
Apply a racial equity lens to a review of personnel processes
Conduct a methodical and comprehensive review and restructuring of the key processes in the employee life cycle, including recruitment, orientation, and performance evaluations, to identify practices that promote systemic racism through unconscious bias. (Initiated; Status graphic goes underneath)
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Mentoring
Evaluate capacity and resources for expanding and improving our current mentoring activities and leadership opportunities particularly for our BIPOC staff.
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Staff and management training
Expand and enhance training requirements, offering modules identifying and addressing racist micro-aggressions and anti-bias training specific to campus roles and responsibilities, began summer 2020. Additional workshops on white privilege and systemic racial oppression, and dialogistic facilitation skills within an equity framework will be developed starting Summer 2021.
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Expanded staff recruitment
Expand recruitment efforts of underrepresented populations by employing targeted outreach through professional and community organizations.
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Implement equitable professional development strategy
Provide professional development opportunities to staff across the campus in an equitable manner.
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Community
Establish campus committee on DEI
Create and launch the Campus Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion which will serve to identify equity gaps and make recommendations to the president on addressing systemic historical inequities on an annual basis.
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Expanded targeted community partnerships
Expand community partnerships through development of intentional collaborations with BIPOC community based organizations.
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Alumni and SJSU History
The legacy of Tommie Smith and John Carlos
Remedy SJSU’s incomplete representation of the legacy of two of the world’s most celebrated Black athletes and activists, Tommie Smith and John Carlos. They were, in fact, subjected to serious racist discrimination upon their return from the 1968 Olympic Games, a fact not well acknowledged.
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SJSU's history with race
Develop a physical display and interactive environment that explores SJSU’s complex history with race in an authentic and honest way.
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Leadership
Develop comprehensive action plans
Task members of the President’s Leadership Council to develop and implement action plans which target systemic racism and address each division, department, and campus operation.
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Resources
Applying a racial equity lens
Evaluate and review processes of SJSU’s endowments, scholarships and other funding mechanisms.
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