New campus workforce on race, equity and inclusion aims to address social issues at UHCL

UHCL implemented a new workforce on race, equity and inclusion that aims to address social issues on campus identified by student voices. 

The group, comprised of 20 faculty, staff and students, hopes to engage the campus community in a variety of ways by beginning conversations and fostering learning opportunities regarding social issues. 

“Formalized in July 2020, [the workforce] is a group of individuals interested in and committed to help address the issues of systemic racism and social injustice, to identify ways to show action behind making changes across and within the UHCL community, to support one another as we build an inclusive environment where differences are respected,” said De’Awn Bunch, associate vice president for Marketing and Communications and co-chair of the workforce.

One of the current focuses of this group is to address concerns raised by students at the summer and fall town hall meetings and open forums.

“I think that this workforce will help to amplify concerns voiced by students of color over the past several months,” said Brian Mills, director of Campus Recreation and Wellness and representative for the Division of Student Affairs on the committee. 

Concerns raised by students have served as a starting point for the workforce to make plans and take action.

“Being a part of the open forums and town halls has provided students with a chance to voice their experiences and concerns to the administration. Our workforce is taking those ideas and analyzing what we can do to address them moving forward.”

“Being a part of the open forums and town halls has provided students with a chance to voice their experiences and concerns to the administration,” Mills said. “Our workforce is taking those ideas and analyzing what we can do to address them moving forward.”

The workforce, which currently meets biweekly, will continue to have conversations about race and social issues on campus and explore ways to build a more inclusive campus experience.

“Among the town halls and separate conversations happening across the university, there is more vested interest and time being dedicated…to listen, to learn, to connect, to have the hard conversations…and we’re being held accountable to put action behind words,” Bunch said. “Because the issues being discussed are so important, especially now, I believe this initiative will change the way our campus culture is perceived and improve the experiences of our Black students and employees.” 

As of Sept. 25, the group began developing goals for the university. These goals, although not yet finalized, serve as the start of the group’s foundation. 

Mills provided a list of the working goals for the workforce:

• Creating meaningful opportunities to foster learning and understanding regarding racism, diversity and culture
• Identify and eradicate systemic racism at the institutional, faculty and administrative staff levels
• Develop metrics to hold the institution accountable for sustainable social reform
• Engage students, faculty and staff in conversation about life experiences through the lens of someone different from themselves

Students can expect a variety of initiatives from the workforce to meet these goals, including various engagement opportunities, reviewing and submitting changes to current policy and procedure as it relates to education, diversity and inclusion, as well as serving as a voice for these social issues at UHCL.

“We have the support from President Blake, VP for Student Affairs Dr. Aaron Hart, and the rest of our administration to activate positive change that will provide a safe place to live, learn and work for all, but especially our Black students,” Bunch said.

Students can expect the workforce to remain at UHCL and continue working toward creating a more inclusive campus culture and addressing social injustices on campus. 

“Our campus has always been thought of as a safe, welcoming space for everyone, but through the town halls and open forums, new insight and student concerns have been presented that shed light on areas where we, as a campus, need to grow,” Mills said. “Our focus now is on racial topics, but in the long term, this workforce hopes to generate conversation and developmental opportunities related to a number of equity, diversity and inclusion issues beyond just race.”