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2002 SOCIAL JUSTICE ANNUAL REPORT The President's Office for Social
Justice:
Throughout the academic year, we work to provide leadership for a comprehensive education and awareness program across the campus community, using both formal and informal delivery methods to address the broad range of relevant issues. Additionally, we are charged with assuring that the institution complies with all relevant federal and state laws and University policies related to civil rights and affirmative action. We also must assure that a professional mediation program effectively serves the campus community. Through these duties, we strive to advocate throughout the institution and the state the vision and values for social justice. The issues addressed by our office are numerous and wide-ranging. Our office is responsible for addressing issues such as disability services, ADA compliance, affirmative action, sexual harassment training and compliance, illegal discrimination, mediation, diversity education and student preparedness. No matter the circumstance or situation, one idea is at the forefront of our minds: substantial advocacy for social justice must never cease. Every day, we work for the cause of social justice in hopes of making a difference at West Virginia University, and a difference in our community. 2002-2003 GOALS ESTABLISHED FOR WVU AND REGIONAL CAMPUSES The goals for the President's Office for Social Justice emerge from campus and societal needs with the framework of the responsibilities of this office. Goals include:
WVU Academic Partnership Program The WVU Academic Partnership Program for Minority Teaching Fellows was established to create a partnership between this University, state colleges, and the Offices of the Chancellor and the Provost to provide semester teaching appointments at West Virginia state colleges for WVU minority doctoral students. Minority doctoral students serve as visiting faculty for at least one semester at one of the participating colleges: Fairmont State College, Glenville State College, Potomac State College, or WVU Parkersburg. The program assists the state colleges in recruiting excellent teachers while bringing greater diversity to their campuses and affording teaching fellows the opportunity to gain valuable college-level teaching experience. The program is continuing at these colleges in the fall of 2002 and expanding to West Liberty State College. This partnership facilitated three important achievements over the past year. WVU minority doctoral students succeeded in gaining important college level teaching experience, the state colleges were beneficiaries of more diverse, competent faculty, and one teaching fellow was offered and accepted a regular faculty appointment at Glenville State College. This is the first known Black tenure track faculty member at this school. The Aspiring Minority Doctoral Colloquium Perhaps one of the most remarkable achievements in the area of Social Justice during the 2001-2002 academic year was the first WVU Aspiring Minority Doctoral Colloquium. Because of the unwavering support of Provost Gerald Lang and Chancellor Michael Mullen, our dreams of implementing this program became a reality. Designed to promote graduate education at WVU, the colloquium reached out to promising minority candidates interested in pursuing terminal degrees in their field. Over 40 minority candidates from within the state of West Virginia as well as Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio attended the two-day colloquium held May 3-4, 2002, on the WVU campus. Participant evaluations of the colloquium were overwhelmingly positive. During the colloquium, participants learned of the many ways graduate education is financed at WVU, heard from current graduate students about their experiences at WVU, and met with representatives from their program of interest in informational sessions that covered admission requirements, course requirements, and additional fellowship/scholarship opportunities in their specific areas of study. In between scrumptious meals and a much-raved-about ice cream social on the waterfront, participants toured the campus while gleaning a snapshot of day to day life in Morgantown. The post-colloquium evaluation also indicated that the majority of participants were very likely to apply to WVU. The Office of Social Justice reports that at least seven of the colloquium participants are graduate students at WVU the fall 2002 semester. Diversity Week Celebrations "Diversity Week 2001: Diversity of Appalachia",
was held October 8 through October 12, 2001. The week included lectures
on "Language Diversity and Bidilectialism in Appalachia," "Beating
the Biscuits in Appalachia," and "Disability in Media Everywhere."
Many movies highlighting Appalachian culture were shown throughout the
week in the Mountainlair. On October 9th, a Military Appreciation Breakfast
was held in the Mountainlair Ballrooms, paying tribute to all veterans
and current members of the Armed Forces who are affiliated with the University.
The Women of Color Day Luncheon was also a part of the Diversity Week
calendar, where many gathered to watch Illene Evans perform while they
enjoyed a catered lunch. Other special events such as "Revelations:
A Staged Reading on Appalachian Resiliency in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual,
and Transgendered People," were sponsored by The President's Office
for Social Justice and BiGLM in honor of National Coming Out Day. The
week's finale included Blue Grass and Appalachian Roots Performances by
"Mountain Stage" from Charleston, West Virginia, Larry Groce
and the Mountain Stage Band, Hazel Dickens, Johnny Staats, Gandydancer,
Scott Miller and Danny Barnes & Three Old Codgers. Neil Bucklew Award Recipient Devika Malhotra, a West Virginia University at Parkersburg sociology professor, is the 2002 recipient of the Neil S. Bucklew Award for Social Justice. Devika serves as WVU Parkersburg's academic diversity facilitator and chair of the campus Social Justice Committee. A native of India, Malhotra received bachelor's degrees and a master's from Agra University in India. She immigrated to the United States in 1961 and joined the Parkersburg faculty in 1975. Her commitment to promoting rights of minorities and underprivileged and to facilitating cross-cultural understanding has extended from the classroom to her community. Devika created the college's first gender course, a team-taught class in Gender and Human Identity, in 1992. She has developed other courses in response to social change, including Sociology of Work, Focus on Society, Introduction to Sociology, Africans, Introduction to Anthropology, Marriage & Family, Social Change and Social Problems. Malhotra has been actively involved in the campus Social Justice Committee since its formation 10 years ago and is chairing the committee for the second year. She initiated the campus Multi-cultural Awareness Coalition, a student group of 125 members dedicated to the promotion and celebration of diversity, and she now serves as its advisor. Additionally, Devika has received many other honors and recognition for her continued efforts in pursuing social justice. Devika, devoted to this cause, has often been described as a champion for Social Justice. WVU Mediation Program The WVU Mediation Program was initiated in the mid-1980s. Since then it has gone through a series of transitions and on July 1, 2000, was assigned to the President's Office for Social Justice. Charles Morris has led this effort since that time. From July 1, 2000, through September 30, 2002, forty-four requests for mediation have been received. Most requests were made within the last year. Two of these requests are in process and not included in this summary. Of the forty-two requests acted on, in ten cases the second party declined mediation and seven individuals withdrew their request for mediation before the process was fully implemented. Of the remaining twenty-five cases completing mediation, eighteen reported reaching agreement, two reached no agreement, and in five cases, the results were uncertain. Twelve grievances were resolved or avoided, but most of the issues addressed were not ones that would be grievable.
The principal function of the Social Justice Visiting Committee is to bring the teaching and research activities of the University into closer contact with those elements in the life of the State and the Nation to which they should be most intimately related. It is our expectation that by periodic visits and conferences with the University staff, the Visiting Committees will stimulate the departments, schools and colleges to operate with maximum effectiveness; that they will bring to the staff the points of view and needs of industry and the professions; that they will help to bridge the gap between academic procedure and professional practice; and that they will afford the instructional staff expert comment on and appraisal of their efforts. The value of the Visiting Committee for Social Justice continues to grow as the committee matures. The insights and judgments it shares are invaluable. Important influences of the committee include: creating the vision that WVU should help prepare students with social justice competencies in order to function effectively in the global workplace, encouraging WVU participation in Multifest, and actively encouraging the Social Justice Office to pursue character education. In essence, this group serves as a sounding board to the institution, reflecting to the campus broad-based input on contemporary issues relevant to social justice.
In March 2002, WVU's Center for Excellence in Disabilities and the President's Office for Social Justice signed a memorandum of agreement designed to implement avenues for collaboration in serving WVU students with disabilities and compliance with EEO/AA in the employment of qualified individuals with disabilties. The agreement endorsed these offices' goals of sharing information in order to offer a full range of support in the area of disabilities, collaboration on identifying assistive technologies and information technologies, working together to train WVU faculty and staff on disability awareness and person-centered supports, assisting the Office of Social Justice in determining the needs for accessibility and accommodations for students with disabilities, and assisting the WVUCED in the recruitment of minority students for Center training opportunities and in the identification of minority applicants to fill faculty and staff positions including Title I of the ADA, 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and other appropriate Public Laws. OTHER NOTEWORTHY ACCOMPLISHMENTS Charleston Multifest In cooperation with the Alumni Association, Health Sciences Center Charleston Division and the Office of Institutional Advancement, WVU has become an integral part of Multifest in Charleston. This annual event attracts as many as 25,000 participants at a time, perhaps the most diverse crowd of any event held in our state. Our presence there is creating increased trust and awareness of WVU in the minority community throughout the state. Sexual Harrassment Awareness An extensive program of Sexual Harassment and Diversity Training continued. Sessions were conducted with all new WVU employees, the faculty and staff of WVU Institute of Technology, a campus-wide audience at Potomac State College, and numerous student and employee groups on the Morgantown campus. Character Training Character education was well received during freshman orientation sessions. Employees participated in a leadership training session for campus leaders on implementing character education on our campus. In addition, the principles of good character are being integrated into the University Student Code of Conduct. Social Justice Liaisons Social Justice Liaisons continue to be a valuable resource as they serve in virtually every department and administrative unit. They participated in four training sessions and provide an immediate "broker service" for the many needs that employees and students have on subjects such as abuse, violence, need for counseling, discrimination and harassment, mediation, and hostile environment. Investigations of Discrimination WVU recognizes its responsibility to investigate all complaints of discrimination in a timely and professional manner. These investigations are conducted to assure that both those registering complaints and those charged with any potential wrongdoing are afforded an objective and thorough review. Investigations focus on discrimination and harassment based on age, color, disability, ethnic origin, marital status, pregnancy, race, religious beliefs, sex, sexual orientation, and veteran status. Social Justice Search Representatives An essential responsibility of the Social Justice Office is to assure University Compliance with relevant state and federal employment laws. To do this, a University-wide team of Social Justice Search Representatives (SJSR's) is trained to work as a resource to search committees. SJSR's are nominated by their dean or director. Approximately fifty faculty and staff serve in this role in addition to their regular responsibilities. WVU Parkersburg Accomplishments In efforts to implement an aggressive social justice program, various programs were presented on the WVU Parkersburg campus during the 2001-2002 academic year. Activities such as discussion forums were presented to assist the faculty, staff, and students in dealing with terrorist activities. Additionally, faculty workshops and conferences concerning domestic violence, "Infusing Diversity into the Curriculum," "Gender and Spirituality," "Cultural Resistance to Imperial Legacies," and academic diversity were conducted. WVU Parkersburg also observed its second annual International Lunch, Take-our-Moms-to-Class Day, Take-our-Daughters/Sons-to-Work-Day, Diversity Week (co-sponsored with MAC and PTK), Veterans Awareness, Ghandi's birthday, Holocaust Remembrance, National Courtesy Month, Gay Pride Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, U.N. Day, National American Indian Heritage Month, Black History Month, Women's History Month, and Earth Day. Additionally, the campus implemented sponsorship of the mentoring project and added new courses addressing cultural diversity to the curriculum. To strengthen WVU Parkersburg's relationship with the community through international awareness and other social justice issues, several programs were also planned. A Fortieth Anniversary Celebration of WVU at Parkersburg included an anniversary luncheon and concert by Johnny Staats, and a Martin Luther King Celebration began a series of activities with a "non-violence" theme. Programs such as "Non-violence ways of coping in a violent World" were presented for education majors. Dianne Mitchum from the Justice Department conducted two sessions on "Hate Crimes," and Robert Gaetz, a pastor and civil rights activist during the Montgomery bus boycott spoke on his experiences. Addtionally, an American Indian Dance Theatre, which brought together dancers, drummers, and singers from tribes across the United States, was created. Potomac State College Accomplishments During the 2001-2002 academic year, the Social
Justice Council at Potomac State planned and sponsored the following events:
Appalachian Heritage Day, highlighting traditional crafts, foods, and
music; Military Appreciation Day, honoring all students, faculty, and
students who had or who are serving in the military; Black History Events,
including working with a VISTA volunteer to sponsor an essay contest in
a local school; Presentations for Black History Month and Women's History
Month, co-sponsored with Literary Club; Multicultural Day, featuring food
and entertainment from around the world; and a reception for Dee Singh
and Ed Brown, our Minority Doctoral Teaching Fellows. The College was
privileged to be one of four state colleges to partner with WVU in the
Minority Doctoral Teaching Fellows program, initiated in 2001 in cooperation
with the WVU Office for Social Justice, the Chancellor of Higher Education,
Michael Mullen, and Provost Gerald Lang. Dee Singh taught agricultural
economics, while Ed Brown taught two music appreciation courses. Both
have returned to the campus this fall for teaching and student services
assignments. In fall 2002, WVU Tech Accomplishments During the 2001-2002 academic year, the WVU Tech
Social Justice Office strived to make the Student Success Center a comfortable,
friendly environment that provided students of all race, color, and ethnic
backgrounds an opportunity to meet, mingle and learn from each other.
Cultural Diversity and acceptance have also been promoted within the local
community, as well. One of many programs sponsored by the Social Justice
Office was the International Dinner that was co-sponsored with the International
Student Organization and the Montgomery Women's Club. Additionally, in
recognition of February being Black History month, the Social Justice
office teamed with the Student Activities Board, the Convocations Committee,
and the City of Montgomery to host Jim Lucas in his portrayal of Dr. Martin
Luther King. Before the beginning of the fall semester, the Social Justice
Office presented workshops on sexual harassment and ADA to faculty and
staff. This was also provided to all of the Residence Hall staff during
their fall training. During Orientation, the Social Justice Office provided
all new students with handouts on topics such as the Americans With Disabilities
Act, WVU Tech's Sexual Harassment Policy, Affirmative Action / Equal Employment
Opportunity, and Social Justice, to name a few. Most recently, the Social
Justice Office joined with Human Resources to provide all faculty and
staff with Sexual Harassment training. With mediation still being "new"
to the Social Justice area, the few cases in which it was recommended
to the parties involved resulted in either or both parties declining.
The goal for this coming year is to publicize mediation, educate the campus
on the advantages of utilizing the process, and solicit more volunteers
from within the campus community who will be trained as mediators. The
Social Justice office continues to maintain the documentation and files
on all students, faculty and staff who qualify under the ADA standards.
Additionally, the Counseling part of this office has continued to serve
the campus by providing Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) / Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) testing. |
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