President’s Commission on Human Relations & Equity
DRAFT Meeting Notes
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Present:
Juan Carlos Gonzalez
Francine Oputa
Angel Sanchez
Cynthia Teniente-Matson
Christopher Vieira
Alma Clayton-Pedersen
Marc Barrie
Jan Parten
Gwen Burks
Dawn Lewis
Ivan Pagan
Alex Espinoza
Kathleen Schock
Ronald Avedisian
Absent:
Brian Tsukumura
Michael Caldwell
Moses Menchaca
Susan Elrod
8:15 a.m. – 3:00 pm
Judy Clements
Kris Wescott
Suzanne Kotkin-Jaszi
Janice Brown
Luz Gonzalez
Paul Oliaro (designee present)
Smittcamp Alumni House
Meeting commenced at approximately 8:20 a.m. A quorum was present.
I. Welcome
Chair Matson welcomed the committee, provided a brief overview of the agenda, and introduced Alma Clayton Pedersen as our
guest speaker.
II. The Name Game and Who Am I Exercise
Alma Clayton-Pedersen had the members take out a piece of paper and write down their thoughts about their own identities as well as
the other identities of others in the room. After sharing their own thoughts about each other, the members introduced themselves to
the rest of the group.
III. Working Session 1A
A. Chair Matson introduced Dr. Sanchez and explained his role in advancing ASPIRE. Dr. Sanchez circulated table 7
and 8 of the OIE Cultural Climate Survey. He explained his thoughts on using the survey to move deeper into the
concepts in order to gain a more accurate picture of the university climate and to use this data to track our progress on
our ASPIRE goals. He explained the 4 dimensions that were used in the survey and requested that the commission
identify items from each dimension that might be used to track the goals of ASPIRE. He expressed his belief in the
Strategic Plan and ASPIRE as well as how impressed he was with the work the commission has done.
B. Dr. Sanchez asked the commission to look at each domain in depth and share their thoughts on the initial data. Dr.
Barrie suggested that perhaps respondents were feeling happy with their individual departments but not with the
university as a whole. Gwen Burks agreed. Dr. Lewis thought that respondents might not feel comfortable speaking
for the university as a whole. Chair Matson suggested that we might not be consistent with how we look as an
institution. Dr. Juan Carlos Gonzalez thought that respondents might be reacting to the administration of the
university and wondered if our leaders where trained to be university citizens. Dr. Juan Carlos Gonzalez also cited
graduation attendance of faculty at different ceremonies as an example of a non-inclusive environment and stressed
the need to focus on the campus culture. Dr. Clayton-Pedersen compared this survey to what is happening in K-12
where many members like their own schools, but dislike the system overall. Dr. Oputa thought perceptions of leaders
were overlooked and that we need to address the perception that going into administration is “turning to the dark
side.” Dr. Espinoza suggested the economy impacted many divisions and dissatisfaction may have a lot to do with
lack of resources.
C. Dr. Sanchez suggested developing focus groups to learn what each stakeholder feels and how they perceive the
university on a variety of topics. Dr. Kotkin-Jaszi suggested using NVivo software on qualitative data. Dr. Gonzalez
supported the collection of more qualitative data toward targeted groups. Dr. Kotkin-Jaszi thought the respondents
choosing not to share demographic information was reflective of negative perceptions about climate. Dr. Barrie
thought targeting users was a better method to understand programs. Dr. Sanchez noted that “survey fatigue” may be
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August 15th, 2013
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a reason why responses could be low or rushed. Dr. Lewis suggested the fear of electronic surveys not really being
anonymous could be an issue and that respondents may have a sense that nothing would get done from the survey, but
with the new President and opportunity for change, the university might feel more open to responding. Dr. Juan
Carlos Gonzalez stated that it is possible to track electronic surveys and that we need to ensure we inform
respondents of our ethical obligation to keep them anonymous. Dr. Sanchez believed that the OIE needs to be the
guardian of confidentiality.
IV. Preparation for President Castro
Chair Matson described President Castro’s commitment to the ASPIRE initiative and updated the President’s Charge to reflect his
support for the PCHRE Commitment. Chair Matson asked if the commission was comfortable with the approach to speak to the
President, framing the discussion in the themes of ASPIRE. One suggestion was to ask the President for support in hosting town hall
type events that discuss topics on diversity. Chair Matson explained Dr. Oputa’s project on bias reporting and how it currently is not
visible in the community. Dr. Oputa explained the reasoning for having bias reporting as a system for tracking and targeting areas
for improvement. She suggested having a bias incident reporting team. Chair Matson suggested this as a topic that could be brought
up to President Castro.
The following were other suggestions that were generated during the brainstorming session:






Research focused on the diversity and culture of our campus.
A commitment to resources.
Asking for a commitment and expectation toward a campus cultural shift.
Having consistent articulation and subtle messaging in all communications that reflect ASPIRE.
Make a bold and open commitment to ASPIRE.
Canceling search committees that were not attempting to find diverse candidates.
V. President Castro’s Arrival
Chair Matson introduced President Castro to the commission and presented a PowerPoint on the ASPIRE initiative. Theme 1 of the
initiative was explained by Dr. Sanchez. Theme 2 was explained by Jan Parten. Theme 3 was explained by Dr. Espinoza. Chair
Matson concluded by explaining theme 4.
President Castro thanked the commission for their efforts and explained his commitment to ASPIRE and familiarity with diversity
initiatives. He demonstrated his belief in diversity through past appointments to boards and awareness of recognition to those that
make progress in diversity awareness and initiatives. He offered his support by suggesting that more faculty development programs
must be built around the topic of diversity. He stated that no initiative should be mandated but rather come organically from the
campus community. He concluded by stating that he would create partnerships that are win-win for the university and other sectors.
He also asked the commission to inform him of events or campus-wide discussions that he should attend in order to support ASPIRE.
Dr. Oputa acknowledged Chair Matson’s work on moving the commission forward. Dr. Luz Gonzalez also acknowledged the
progress made by President Welty and Chair Matson by creating a plan to move forward. Dr. Lewis suggested continued
transparency as a way to keep gaining support from the campus community. Dr. Espinoza asked President Castro to consider looking
at other groups that do not traditionally get involved by reaching out to younger faculty. Dr. Juan Carlos Gonzalez stated that faculty
of color want opportunities to connect and grow within diverse groups and without knowing they exist on campus, we risk losing
them to other campuses. Janice Brown encouraged President Castro to continue the effort to be inclusive in all events. Kris Wescott
thanked President Castro for visiting student groups and encouraged him to continue reaching out to student organizations. President
Castro stated that using social media was a strategy for reaching out to younger groups and creating events that focused on rewarding
and acknowledging efforts made in diversity initiatives. He cited the Martine Luther King, Jr. award as an example. Dr. Oputa
asked for continued support in the way of resources. President Castro said he would be interested in identifying groups that would be
willing to fund initiatives through donations. President Castro thanked the group for their time.
VI. Interim-Provost Hoff Arrival
Interim-Provost Hoff expressed his support for the goals of the commission and encouraged them to continue their efforts. He
acknowledged the different groups and cultures on campus and how conflicted these groups can be. He suggested that the retention
problems of diverse faculty and staff might be a community-wide issue and asked the commission to consider how their work can
impact the overall community outside of the campus. He stated that the commission can look forward to his continued support
throughout the year.
VII. Dr. Luz Gonzalez’ Presentation
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Dr. Luz Gonzalez discussed the work being done by the Center for the Recruitment and Retention of Underrepresented Staff and
Administrators. She said recruiting and reaching out to diverse groups was a key area of focus for the center and that using the work
of the commission was a strategy to highlight to potential employees that we are a diverse campus. She stated that recruitment
efforts should focus on gathering a diverse pool for each position. Dr. Juan Carlos Gonzalez stated that visiting faculty should also
be considered for recruitment efforts. Dr. Lewis suggested that the Athletic Department be invited to participate in this effort.
VII. Video Presentations
The Fresno Language Project was presented to the commission. All members agreed that this would be a great tool to showcase
diversity at Fresno State and would be helpful as a recruitment tool for potential employees. The Diversity Matters video was also
shown to the commission. All members agreed that it would be a helpful tool to use as well. Dr. Oputa suggested having the ASI
Gay Pride Alliance banner somewhere in the video to ensure the LGBT community was represented.
Christina Roybal presented on her experiences abroad in Hong Kong. The commission agreed that it was important to consider the
international community when discussing diversity.
VIII. Brochures
The commission agreed that the ASPIRE brochures were much improved from their last printing. A few suggestions were made for
improvement. Jan Parten suggested having the word “respect” in the grey word cloud located on the front of the brochure and also
on the inside of the brochure. Dr. Oputa suggested including more images that represent the LGBT community.
IX. Work Groups
The following work groups suggested action steps to for the commission to consider when moving forward:
Work Group 1
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Speak with Divisions to ensure they understand the commission is here to help them by providing support, feedback,
and advice. Engage in the process of consultation with them.
Address the barriers for those who do not speak English.
Engage with student clubs to offer advice, support, and training in cultural competence.
Define and understand micro and macro measures.
Create incentives for faculty and staff to engage in cultural competence.
Work Group 2
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Ensure that cultural competency is intentional. Dissemination of all recruiting materials, so potential employees can
clearly see we are an institution that welcomes all differences.
Encourage leaders to model cultural competence by encouraging junior faculty and new employees to attend cultural
events. Use the diversity event calendar as a reference.
Create a President’s Showcase of Excellence that focuses on diversity and cultural competence.
Showcase our progress nationally through publications.
Use diversity video and Fresno Language Project on our jobs website to show employees that we care about
diversity.
Enlist student help in research through events like the Research Symposium.
Work Group 3
1.
2.
3.
4.
Create workshops and trainings to build awareness of cultural competency.
Utilize student organizations as a resource.
Use LEAD workshops as an opportunity to build cultural competence.
Gather data through focus groups and surveys to ensure we are making progress.
After each work group presented their action steps, Chair Matson concluded the retreat by thanking the commission for its efforts
in moving ASPIRE forward.
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Next Steps:
OIE Cultural Climate Survey:
1.
Dr. Sanchez will meet with Dr. Juan Carlos and determine a strategic plan for gathering quantitative and qualitative
data, after narrowing down indicators chosen by the commission to best track ASPIRE progress.
Bias Reporting System:
1.
Dr. Oputa will further develop the bias reporting system to track and target areas for improvement across campus.
Faculty Development Programs:
1.
2.
President Castro suggested having more faculty development programs that included diversity training.
Coordinate with the Center for the Recruitment and Retention of Underrepresented Staff and Administrators (as
practical).
Diversity Video:
1.
2.
Kathleen Schock will include an image that recognizes the LGBT community.
Fresno State Logo is to be included at the start of the video.
Brochures:
1.
2.
Include the word “respect” and “inclusion” in the word cloud.
Include more LGBT representation via imagery.
Events/President Castro Support:
1.
2.
3.
Create town hall events around ASPIRE awareness. Dr. Castro can support/host the guest speakers/lecturers in order
to create dialogue around the broader campus.
Dr. Castro suggested the commission look for foundation funds to support ASPIRE.
Dr. Castro inquired about awards and recognition programs that support ASPIRE such as:
a. Expanding and building on the MLK, Jr. Award, Rosa Parks Award, and new awards for staff/managers.
b. Use the Provost’s Award to include advancement of ASPIRE goals.
Next Meeting: September 24th, 2013