SDSU Diversity Equity and Outreach Committee
Minutes of the September 30, 2014 meeting
Present: Janet Abbott, Thais Alves, Edith Benkov, Eric Boime, Aaron Bruce, Nola Butler-Byrd
(Chair), Beth Chung, Sandra Cook, Kevin Delgado, Anne Donadey (scribe), Sally Mathieson, Thom
Harpole, Jose Preciado, Gloria Rhodes, Pamela J. Starr, Chris Turntine, Liz Klonoff for Emilio
Ulloa.
1. Approval of minutes from the May 2014 meeting was moved to the October meeting.
2. Announcements
a. Diversity Newsletter is new this year and looking for contributors (Aaron Bruce).
SDSU received the HEED award for the 2nd year in a row this year
b. Disability Awareness Month events October 8, 15, 23, and 24; wheelchair accessible
cart is now available (Pam Starr)—go through OERC for F/S, through SDS for
students; wheelchair accessible van is now available on campus; an outside
evaluation agency will assess our accessibility to and from parking lots
c. Diversity inventory search engine is in the works (Aaron Bruce)
d. Oct 15 STEM Career fair; Oct 16 Professional and Grad School fair; 365 Aztec
Mentor students
e. The library is searching for a position in Hispanic services
3.
Old Business
a. Strategic Plan Working Groups—Updates
Underrepresented faculty: 54 new faculty were hired: 29 female; 3 American Indian, 4 Black, 4
Hispanic, 12 Asian faculty members (self-reported); ENG hired 3 women (100% increase to 6)
Diversity training for search committee chairs coming up soon; Edee Benkov is doing Interfolio
training with committee chairs; Edee sent demographic information to all Deans about the
demographics of their faculty.
Underrepresented students: American Indian Heritage month events in November are used in part as
a recruiting tool; we are pairing American Indian and African American students with mentors (not
necessarily of their own ethnic group).
Integrative Diversity: the committee is working on programming.
Ability: The committee is working on sending out a survey (from Caren Sax) to get baseline
information on our disability campus culture in the spring.
Undergrad research: faculty mini-grants (25-30 expected to be granted this year); F-SMP: 11 faculty
are paired with low-income students.
b. 2014/15 DEO Agenda Planning: we revised the annual report
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DEO Committee Composition: We need new student members.
Possible diversity best practices conference through the office of the Chief Diversity Officer.
Follow-up regarding Campus SaVE Act (VAWA Sect 304) at SDSU: a task force has been
created; Jeff Bucholtz’s online training was selected to be used for all the CSU campuses for
high risk populations; Oct. 22: he will do a training for F/S; task force is working on the
compliance side; we could have Jessica Rentto report to us—is there someone working on
policy implications? Maybe the DEO could be involved at that level? What about the new
Women’s Resource Center? There have been some issues.
Administrators have received a list of expected outcomes linked to the strategic plan: DEO
should look at those from a diversity lens to ensure that diversity is included. We should
request it from the President.
HSI grant: suggest that the committee be more integrated with the broader campus (e.g.,
include Alda Blanco from Spanish, faculty in the English department, etc.). SDSU needs to
do something on implementing HSI status. Aaron will bring it to the President.
4. New Business
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Provost Enwemeka meeting with DEO--Jan. 26, 12:45 - 1:30 p.m.
Diversity images/reflections on campus: could there be more diverse representation?
The Senate has not had an enrollment report from AP&P in two years; what about diversity
numbers?
The DEO should go to SDSU-IV this fall. There does not appear to be any student affairs
funding there, only academic affairs funding. There does not appear to be a group for student
parents.
A lactation room will be available in the library.