Introduction to CASA
(Contacts And Self-Assessment)
ANR Affirmative Action Unit
Topics & Outcomes
Participants will have an understanding of . . .
• What is Affirmative Action?
• What is CASA?
• CASA Nuts & Bolts
 Why do we collect racial data?
 What is All Reasonable Effort?
 What is parity of participation?
 4H/NFCS Programs and CASA
• What is Program Compliance?
Overview of Affirmative Action
• First established by the federal government in 1965 through
an executive order signed by President Lyndon Johnson
• Designed to eliminate the present effects of past
discrimination, such as the under-representation of minorities
and women; and, in addition, to encourage the employment
of veterans and persons with disabilities.
• Valuing inclusion and diversity to guide educational
programming for our clientele.
• Implement the ANR Core Values as an expression
of support for the goals of Affirmative Action.
What is CASA?
The following USDA requirement receives its scope, in part, from Code of Federal Regulations,
Title 7: Agriculture, Subtitle A: Office of the Secretary of Agriculture, Part 15A
“Each agency that administers programs subject to
7 CFR 15, Subpart A or B, will develop a system for
establishing base data that identifies eligible
populations and measures delivery of program
benefits in order that the quantity and quality of
benefits and services delivered to minority
individuals can be documented and compared to
benefits delivered to nonminority individuals . . .”
Ultimately, CASA is to be documentation that ANR executes its CE
mission with equality. . .that the “quantity and quality of benefits
and services” is the same for both people of color and whites.
CASA Nuts & Bolts
Why Do We Have to
Collect Racial Data?
 California courts have held that use of racial data to
monitor for non-discrimination does NOT violate
Proposition 209 (which doesn’t apply to us anyway).
 In order to comply with the USDA requirement that the
“. . . quantity and quality of benefits and services
delivered to minority individuals can be
documented and compared to benefits delivered
to nonminority individuals . . .”
Why Do We Report Contacts?
• Compliance with Federal and State Civil Rights Laws
• Promote nondiscrimination and the valuing of
differences among clientele
• To move toward program compliance
What is Program Compliance?
Program Compliance or compliance with federal requirements is achieved
when 1) clientele contacts are in “Parity”; but if parity is not achieved, then 2)
through establishing All Reasonable Effort (more on this later).
What is Parity?
Parity or ‘parity of participation’ is defined by the USDA as when the percentage
of each minority group making up your actual contacts comes to within 20% of
their percentage in the baseline. For example, if Hispanics make up 10% of your
potential or baseline, then Hispanics should make up at least 8% of your actual
contacts in order for your program to be in parity for Hispanics.
What is All Reasonable Effort?
All Reasonable Effort (ARE) is the utilization of specific outreach methods in
order to expand access and move toward or maintain parity of participation.
(More on this later.)
Your AA Responsibilities…
Establishing Your Baseline
• Learn about the demographics of your county by
viewing US Census, Ag Census, Ag Commissioners
Report, CBEDS, local data, and local knowledge
• Define potential audience for each program
Ask who are those individuals who would be interested in
or benefit from your educational program
• Work with partners and stakeholders who represent
and serve those protected classes
Where they live and work
Their values and beliefs
Their cultures.
Your AA Responsibilities
• All reasonable efforts to reach individuals who are
representative of the cultures and ethnicities, genders and
age of your county/area
• Move from ARE toward parity in program participation
• Partner with groups, agencies and organizations to reach
protected audiences you want to reach
• Include people from protected or underrepresented groups
on program planning committees or groups or survey lists
• Keep mailing and e-mail lists
• Make personal contacts from protected or underrepresented
groups
• Conduct meetings/trainings in facilities welcoming and
accessible.
CASA Nuts & Bolts #1: Creating Your Potential or Baseline
Program Area

Type
Comments

A potential clientele group that is an Organization type would be, for instance, a governmental, NGO, or professional
agency concerned with your program area. By definition, Organizations do NOT have gender or ethnicity; therefore
you will not have to find the ethnic makeup of the organization’s members.
A clientele group that is an Individual or Family type must have a source of its gender & ethnic makeup and this source
is recorded in the Source column. (A “Family” type clientele group has ethnicity but no gender.) If you have strong
personal knowledge that the demographic data from your source is not accurate, you may adjust the data; however,
you must state in the Comments section that you are adjusting the data and why you are doing so (i.e. “from personal
observations”; etc.).
Sample table from 2006-2007 FY
CASA
Nuts
&&
Bolts
Clientele
Group(s)
CASA
Notes
Bolts#2:
#1: Assign
CreatingYourself
Your Potential
or Baseline
Your name
Test_User1
Test_User2
Test_User2
Test_User2
Test_User2
Test_User3
Test_User4
Test_User5

CASA Nuts & Bolts #3: Reporting Clientele Contacts
Advisor’s Name
One Advisor


Another Advisor

In order for an ethnic/racial group to be “in parity” your percentage of actual contacts MUST match
or be greater than the TOP line of percentages in the “Parity Range” row (see red arrowed row to
the left) for that particular ethnic/racial group. In the example above, we see that Asian’s actual
percentage (i.e. the percentage of actual contacts) is 5.42% -- this is higher than the 1.35% (the top
percentage in the Parity Range row for Asian) and therefore this clientele group is “in parity” for
Asians.
The “Parity Range” is based on the “Potential Percentage” row (just above the “Parity Range” and
the “Parity Range” represents a range or window which is 20% above the potential (bottom
row)and 20% below the potential (the top line of the Parity Range). Any percentage within or
above this range is said to be in parity.
CASA Nuts & Bolts #4: Reporting Outreach Methods
Comments!
(More on This Later)
In the above example, notice the shaded row “Totals – Test_User”. If is divided into two rows; the top row
records the number of times the advisor or program rep used the outreach methods listed in the top row
where the two horizontal black arrows are pointing (i.e. Mass Media / Newsletters / Personal Letters, etc.). You
will notice that Test_User did NOT use ANY of the first four outreach methods. Because they did NOT use at
least 3 of those first four outreach methods (i.e. Mass Media / Newsletters / Personal Letters / Personal
Contacts), they did NOT establish All Reasonable Effort (ARE).
If your program’s clientele contacts are NOT in parity and your outreach methods do NOT establish ARE, then
your program will be found to be in non-compliance.
More on this in a later slide.
4-H & NFCS Programs
and
CASA
• 4-H Advisors are NOT required to enter club or group Youth
enrollments as contacts in CASA.
• NFCS Advisors in UC CalFresh or EFNEP who have been entering
adult and/or youth participants as contacts in CASA (and are
comfortable with their baseline data) may continue to enter
their contacts into CASA.
4-H & NFCS Programs & CASA (cont.)
•
NFCS Advisors in UC CalFresh or EFNEP who are not comfortable with their
baseline data or a new advisor who has not determined a baseline are NOT
required to enter contacts into CASA. The State YFC Office and ANR AA will take
your participation data, establish a standardized baseline and determine the
compliance status of your program for you. Your county will be notified
concerning the compliance status of your program.
 The long term goal is to establish consistent baselines between education
programs working with families, adults, and youth. This process will take a few
webinars discussions and examination of the different baseline sources.
• All other NFCS programs DO require their contact numbers to be entered into CASA.
• All 4-H Advisors and NFCS Advisors are required to enter their Outreach into CASA.
4-H & NFCS Programs & CASA (cont.)(again)

•
•
Program Representatives 
Program Representatives in CalFresh or EFNEP who do not have a NFCS Advisor
supervising the program in their county/area should consult with their County/
Area Director. CE program activity needs to be recorded in CASA. At the discretion
of the County/Area Director, the Program Representative can be provided CASA
access to enter their programmatic activity into CASA – either that or some other
advisor with CASA access will need to enter the programmatic activity into CASA
for them.
Whoever enters the CalFresh or EFNEP data into CASA, they are not required to
enter the contact data into CASA if . . .
1) The Program Representative responsible for the program is not comfortable with the
existing baseline data, or . . .
2) No baseline data has yet been established.
•
The State YFC Office and ANR AA will take your participation data, establish a
standardized baseline and determine the compliance status of your program for
you.
4-H & NFCS Programs & CASA (cont.)(again)
 Program Representatives 
• Program Representatives in all other NFCS programs are
required to enter their contact numbers into CASA (or have
someone else with CASA access enter them for them).
• No matter what the program, all Outreach is required to be
entered into CASA.
IPM Advisors
and
CASA
All IPM Advisors will report contacts and outreach
into CASA.
What is Outreach?
Why Do We Do It?
•
•
Outreach is the things you do to encourage people to
participate in your program. It is not synonymous with
program delivery methods.
Outreach can be targeted to reach underserved clientele in
order to expand access.
• Promote nondiscrimination and the valuing of differences
among clientele.
• To promote the widest adoption of best practices to the
widest possible audience.

In this example NONE of the
first four methods were
used. ARE is NOT
established here.
2.
3.
4.



1.
Totals of Individual methods
WhatUtilizing
is All
Reasonable
Effort?
3 of the first 4 outreach methods.
Evaluation
 County Director/MCP Director annually complete the CASA
County/MCP Director report in CASA.
 Measurable Goals: establish measurable goals such as moving
toward full parity in your program.
 AA Unit annually reviews CASA reports and monitors progress
toward compliance/parity. Also, supplies compliance status of
programs of advisors up for Merit/ Promotion to Executive
Director of Academic Personnel.
 Advisors should be comfortable defending their choice of
clientele group(s) and the source of their baseline data should
there be a federal audit.
The
End
Almost.
TEST
TIME!
Were YOU Paying Attention?
What is Parity?
What is All Reasonable Effort?
How is compliance achieved?
IPM Advisors will report contacts into CASA. True or False??
What is Outreach?
Questions?
Linda Manton
LMMANTON@ucanr.edu
David White
dewhite@ucanr.edu