Foster a more welcoming and inclusive UCSC community through individual learning and community action! The DEI resources for UCSC staff listed below have been curated by the DEI Committee from a variety of sources to help you on your journey.
- Recognize intersectionality
No person has only one identity category; all people exist at the intersection of multiple identities.
Avoid over-simplifications or generalizations about cultures and cultural identities. - Examine and acknowledge your identity
“[Individuals] cannot merely increase awareness and knowledge about those from other cultures. They must also recognize themselves as cultural creatures and realize that they must first know themselves to appreciate the cultural lenses through which they interpret others” Cornett-DeVito and Reeves (1999). - Interpret intent before reacting
Appreciate differences and attempt to discover intent, rather than demonstrate reactive judgment. Similar behaviors can serve dissimilar functions (and different behaviors serve similar ones) in different settings.
Core Principles of Academic Advising
- Caring
Academic advisors respond to and are accessible to others in ways that challenge, support, nurture, and teach. Advisors build relationships through empathetic listening and compassion for students, colleagues, and others. - Commitment
Academic advisors value and are dedicated to excellence in all dimensions of student success. Advisors are committed to students, colleagues, institutions, and the profession through assessment, scholarly inquiry, life-long learning, and professional development. - Empowerment
Academic advisors motivate, encourage, and support students and the greater educational community to recognize their potential, meet challenges, and respect individuality. - Inclusivity
Academic advisors respect, engage, and value a supportive culture for diverse populations. Advisors strive to create and support environments that consider the needs and perspectives of students, institutions, and colleagues through openness, acceptance, and equity. - Integrity
Academic advisors act intentionally in accordance with ethical and professional behavior developed through reflective practice. Advisors value honesty, transparency, and accountability to the student, institution, and the advising profession. - Professionalism
Academic advisors act in accordance with the values of the profession of advising for the greater good of students, colleagues, institutions, and higher education in general. - Respect
Academic advisors honor the inherent value of all students. Advisors build positive relationships by understanding and appreciating students’ views and cultures, maintaining a student-centered approach and mindset, and treating students with sensitivity and fairness.
Equitable Advising
- Provide a safe space where students can talk openly about their challenges.
- One study indicated that for every meeting with an advisor the odds that a first-generation student is retained increases by 13%.
- Be familiar with campus resources for students and actively connect students with other possible mentors to fill possible gaps. Research indicates that same-identity mentors may offer the best psychosocial support.
- Approaching a conversation with culturally incorrect assumptions can result in inaccurate assessment of the situation, which may then lead to inappropriate advice being given.
- a “personal/professional ethical balance that safeguards advisors from using their positions of power, privilege and social dominance in making unethical decisions that negatively affect students’ success and the institution at large” (Rouse, 2011, p. 35).
- Expanding Your Comfort Zone: Strategies for Developing Cultural Competence in Academic Advising
- Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Equity and Equal Protection Office
The Equity and Equal Protection Office (EEP) administers UCSC’s policies and procedures regarding discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, religion, disability, sex, gender, age and other protected identities. Units under the EEP umbrella include
- Campus Advocacy Resources and Education (CARE)
The CARE office is a confidential space to discuss issues of sexual assault and stalking. - Resource Centers
- Conflict Resolution Center
Unconscious Bias
Everyone holds unconscious beliefs about various social and identity groups; and these biases arise from fundamental cognitive processes—we organize our knowledge by categorizing and use those categories to interpret the present and predict future events. Unconscious bias is far more prevalent than conscious prejudice and often incompatible with our conscious values. Recognizing and breaking down false, damaging expectations and beliefs involves sustained, honest awareness and assessment of our thoughts, statements, and actions.
Stereotype Threat
Negative stereotypes can raise inhibiting doubts and high-pressure anxieties, resulting in stereotype threat. The effects of stereotype threat are typically most severe among highly competent, motivated students who value both their academic goals and their group identities.
Negative stereotypes don’t need to be explicitly referenced to evoke stereotype vigilance. Even indirect reminders that someone belongs to a stereotyped group have been shown to significantly impact performance.
Are you aware of other resources or initiatives/programs we should include here? Please let us know.