In response to student-led protests, Undergraduate Student Government introduced a campus climate resolution in fall of 2015. The document demanded the administration take steps to increase diversity, equity and inclusion on campus. We researched how many of the resolution’s goals have been met since its release.
Also included is a timeline of diversity-related events in the campus' history.
| Demand | Was it met? | Documentation |
|---|---|---|
| Hire a Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | No | No such position has been hired. |
| VP of DE&I develop a strategic plan to improve campus climate with oversight from student, faculty, and administration | Partial | Diversity will be included in the next strategic plan. This will not be a separate plan. It was overseen by Provost Quick, not a VP of DE&I. |
| VP of DE&I oversee multicultural and minority affairs, international affairs, student support services, cultural centers, ethnic and gender centers, retention and pipeline offices, community outreach, training and development, equity and compliance offices, and research | No | No such position has been hired. |
| VP of DE&I and each of the deans will hire a Vice Dean of DE&I at each school | Yes | Diversity liaisons have been appointed at each school, reporting to their deans. Some schools call this position a Vice Dean or Associate Dean. |
| Undergraduate and graduate students will be involved in the hiring of VP of DE&I and Vice Deans of DE&I | Yes | Diversity liaisons were chosen with input from the Provost’s Diversity Task Force, which includes faculty, staff, and undergraduate and graduate students. |
| Vice Deans of DE&I will employ graduate and undergraduate students to advocate for diversity support and coordinate inclusion programming | Unclear | No positions were listed in connectSC. But it’s possible that the positions are already filled or that they have not started hiring students yet. |
| VP of DE&I and Vice Deans of DE&I will ensure that each syllabus will include information on resources for reporting bias, discrimination, and Title XI violations | Yes | The syllabus template provided by the Office of Academic Records & Registrar includes a statement on how to report incidents to the Office of Equity & Diversity and the Title IX Office. |
| VP of DE&I and Vice Deans of DE&I will ensure that each course at USC will have a diversity, equity, inclusion component | No | This component is not required. |
| USC increase transparency, accountability, and accessibility of demographic metrics of students, faculty, and staff | Yes | Demographic data available at http://oir.usc.edu/faculty-and-student-diversity/ |
| USC increase transparency (through charts or infographics), accountability (timeline for follow-up), and accessibility (webpage for links) of metrics from bias reporting and response units | No | |
| USC increase transparency (through charts or infographics), accountability (timeline for follow-up), and accessibility (webpage for links) of general information from Title IX and Discrimination Complaints | No | |
| USC hire an additional Title IX investigator | Yes | Gretchen Dahlinger Means has been hired. |
| Within a year, USC develop a strategic plan to a) measure and analyze DE&I, b) publically report and significantly increase recruitment, hiring, and retention of underrepresented groups to reflect national demographics by 2025 | No | Provost Michael Quick directed the strategic planning committee to include diversity in the new strategic plan. It’s not clear how diversity will be included. The current strategic plan ends in 2017. |
| USC establish an endowed fund of $100 million for scholarships, fellowships, programming, and mentorships for students/faculty from underrepresented backgrounds by 2025 | No | Individuals have donated, but the university has not created a single pooled fund. |
| USC define “diversity” and commit itself to that definition | Yes | The university has an “enduring commitment to diversity of thought, experience, and people” visible at diversity.usc.edu |
| USC create a space for students/faculty/admin to intermingle and have directed dialogues about issues | Yes | Provost Michael Quick held a series of five campus climate forums in spring 2016, addressing specific topics and with student and faculty moderation |
| All USC administrators hold public office hours | No | VP of Student Affairs Ainsley Carry holds office hours. |
| USC create an international resource center that provides community, education, and resources beyond paperwork | Partial | The Office of International Services and USC Career Center together provide resources for international students, but these are not necessarily related to diversity. |
| USC implement mandatory and recurring online diversity training of faculty as well as a mandatory in-person workshop | Yes, but not mandatory | All faculty may participate in training events during Diversity and Inclusion Week, Jan. 23-27, 2017. USC also became a member of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity. |
| USC implement mandatory, annual in-person diversity training for student leaders, including USG, GSG, RSG, Greek Councils, and all student groups | Yes, but not mandatory | USC Student Affairs has staff to conduct diversity training for leaders of all student groups, beginning in Spring 2016 |
| data-th="Demand"USC implement mandatory training on diversity, equity, and inclusion — online training for distance students and in-person training for on-campus students | No | More on-campus events include diversity, but there is no universal training. |
| USC re-implement the diversity requirement in the GE program for all incoming students, to be completed within first two semesters. Courses for this requirement must include critical race theory and queer theory | Partial | GE requirement not changed, but GE-G Citizenship in a Global Era requirement renamed to Citizenship in a Diverse World. Intention of the GE-G is clarified to include diverse cultures and how structures of power affect different groups differently. |
| USC invest in the expansion of cultural resource centers | Yes | Student Affairs will address the needs and inequities of existing cultural centers, including wages, staffing, and spaces. Created a strategic plan for creation of future cultural resource centers. |
| USC allow multi-cultural specific spaces to open at USC Village in 2017, similar to the model of the CBCSA and El Centro Chicano | No | This is not currently planned. |
Timeline credit: Savannah Sinfield and James Tyner/Annenberg Media
Share: