Diversity Affairs Council (DAC)
Commitment to Change
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The Diversity Affairs Council recognizes the need for institutional change at Washington University in St. Louis in
order to build long-lasting and productive dialogue among students and between students and the administration.
After discussion with student leaders and the Washington University community, the DAC has recognized the major
goals that we are committed to accomplishing in order to create a more inclusive campus climate. These goals are the
steps that we have identified in order for the DAC to fulfill our vision. These goals are outlined below:
Center for Diversity
The purpose of this center is to provide a physical space for all diversity and social justice groups to congregate. A
common trend that the Diversity Affairs council witnessed this past year was a desire for a physical space to be provided
for groups to regularly meet and collaborate. The purpose of this center is to provide trained professionals to guide and
be advisors for student leaders, provide academic resources for interested students, and provide meeting spaces for student
groups. A center represents the university’s commitment to diversity issues as well as providing a physical space that
student groups and communities have access to in order to grow and learn while planning events that are educational and
collaborative.
Description of the center:
This center will be a physical space that is fully staffed and has funding to provide for educational resources
as well as providing training resources to student leaders. The center will also have multiple meeting
rooms and gender neutral bathrooms. Student groups will still belong to Student Union and no money will
be provided by the center for student group events. Instead, the money made available to the center will
provide leadership, diversity, and social justice training to students, especially student leaders. Money will
also be provided to send student leaders to national diversity conferences to connect our university’s
student leaders with like-minded student leaders from universities across the country. This will allow for
the trading of ideas and programming in order to 1) improve student group operations, 2) improve
relations between our university and other universities, and 3) display the universities commitment to
providing an education that produces good people. Examples of programming include intergroup dialogues
where students can openly discuss issues related to diversity and social justice, diversity and inclusion
workshops, and monthly discussion series that engage students, faculty, and staff in candid discussions on
social justice issues.
Steps toward establishing a center:
The Diversity Affairs Council has worked with other student group leaders and some student group leaders
to outline a timeline to create a fully-funded center. It is important that the administration recognize the
students’ desire for a center to be created. Ideas that have been proposed include a petition, sit-ins, hunger
strikes, and RARA Campaign. To obtain funding, reaching out to alumni has been suggested. In terms of
location, the South 40, Women’s Building, Umrath Basement, and House 1 and 11 have been suggested. It
is important that no compromise is made on fully paid faculty and staff for this center.
Bias Incident Reporting System:
The Bias Incident Reporting System is a reporting system that will allow students to report, anonymously or non-anonymously, on
incidents of bias that occur at Washington University. The purpose of this system is two-fold: 1) Provide a pre-established response
system for any incidents of bias that allow for a quick and complete response by the administration and students, and 2) create a
record of bias incidents so that the university and the Center can keep an archive or bias incidents. This reporting system will be
staffed by students, faculty, and administration that will work together to make the system available 24/7. Beyond it’s obvious
functionalities, the reporting system will also serve as a recognized system so that students do not feel unheard. This system, rather
than being aimed at disciplining any involved parties, will serve to provide a report so that appropriate parties, like the University’s
Judicial System, to gain a full and accurate account of what transpired so necessary discipline can be decided. This reporting system
will allow so that the appropriate parties can be contacted immediately upon any bias incident, rather than the response being
dictated by any individual person.
Description of the system:
Student Involvement & Leadership, the Campus Diversity Collaborative, and the Diversity Affairs Council are already
working towards the establishment of this system. This reporting system will be staffed by students as well as faculty
and administration to provide a 24/7 response. Prior to any public announcement of this system, a response flow
diagram will be created and verified by parties that will be involved in this response. In order to accomplish this
response diagram, groups like WUPD, Uncle Joe’s, SHS, etc (not a comprehensive list) must be contacted and be
involved in this reporting system. After this response diagram is generated and approved by each involved party, the
response system must be fully staffed with a group of trained students, faculty, and administration. Upon receiving a
bias incident report, the person on duty is responsible for determining the exact type of response and taking the
appropriate steps as outlined by the reporting system.
Steps toward establishing a Bias Incident Reporting System:
1. Creating a planning committee of students and administrators who will be responsible for setting up this
reporting system. This committee should not be isolated to any particular student or faculty group, rather,
should be made up by interested individuals from a wide array of groups.
2. Background research on reporting systems used at other institutions
3. Creating a list of 1) types of incidents, 2) potential parties that should be contacted in any cases, 3) list of
faculty groups and student groups that should be involved.
a. Create a 1st draft of a bias incident response flow diagram. For every type of incident identified,
outline a first response and later responses. Outline the appropriate parties that should be involved
and make available a list of suggested action and steps that particular student groups can take.
4. Contacting members of each list and establishing meetings between committee members and members of
the list to explain the bias incident reporting system to them.
5. Before implementing any system, do multiple test trials. Also, do focus groups with students to gauge
different types of responses. Also, find information on previous bias incidents and how they could have been
avoided or approached differently (if at all).
Freshman First40 Discussion:
This discussion, in whatever form it takes, will initiate discussion among freshmen and South40 staff (RAs, RCD, trained diversity
and inclusion community members) concerning a broad list of diversity and social justice issues. This Freshman program is intended
to introduce a common set of vocabulary as well as institute an environment of discussion in the freshman class. Programs should
also be considered that students must complete prior to coming onto campus. Proposed discussions have been: 1) something akin to
the Date, where a group of actors run through a series of possible bias incidents and discussion proceeds that can focus on intent,
microaggression, etc, 2) RA-led discussions on each freshman floor that would establish each floor as a safe space for all individuals
(this is especially important to be clear on the safe space as the university moves away from sub-free floors), 3) RCD events where
RCDs lead discussions on the importance of understanding intent etc.
The purpose of this discussion is to introduce diversity and social justice topics to all members of the incoming class in the first 40
days at this university. This will display the universities commitment to establishing a diversity community in more than just name,
as a first40 event will set the university’s environment. However this is established, in any of the aforementioned methods or in any
method not already mentioned, this discussion is important in creating a campus-wide change in this university’s environment. It
has been expressed often (and seen frequently), that a small group of students at this university contribute the most to the majority of
the discussions regarding diversity and social justice.
It will be up to the people involved in planning this whether or not there will be a particular focus that changes each year, but this
commitment has included a list of topics that have been identified as problems by students in this university. A suggestion for these
discussions is that situations be discussed, but it should be left up to the community participating (leaders or students) as to how the
discussion proceeds.
1. Intent of individuals and how actions can be misinterpreted as discriminatory. Being conscious of how words and actions
are perceived differently in different communities
2. Microaggressions
3. Being active agents of change. How every member of our community is needed to speak out against language and action
that can be discriminatory against certain communities.
a. Example. Speaking out against use of the word “retarded” or “gay” or “nigga” or “chink”. Any words that are
commonly used in casual conversation that are hurtful.
Academic Classes focused on Discussion, Activism, and History
This institutional change is, in large part, in the hands of the administration. Providing classes that focus on activism or discussion
will mold students into activists that will change not only the university, but the world. Providing classes that teach students about
the history of particular communities (i.e. LGBT history, Asian American history, Mexican American history, etc.) will help students
who are interested and/or belong in particular communities learn more about these communities. Previous discussions has raised
that the new ArtSci requirements does have a space for these classes. This “Diversity” requirement should be used more effectively so
that students, in fulfilling these requirements, actually do gain knowledge that is intended by this requirement. Other proposals
have involved a Writing 1 Culture Class. Discussions should also be had in involving the other schools so that this required class is a
school-wide program. This will naturally lead to engineers, artists, architects, and business school students becoming more involved
in Diversity and Social Justice work on campus.
Written by David Yang, DAC Chair 2012-2013 School Year
Edited by the Diversity Affairs Council Cabinet 2012-2013