Friday, October 9, 2020
Dear Colleagues,
This week, members of OCC's College Council finalized a document outlining the goals and purpose of the first-ever President’s Task Force on Equity and Inclusion. Similar to the College Council, the Task Force will be made up of representatives from all of OCC’s constituency groups, including students, classified professionals, faculty and managers. .
As we continue our meaningful and necessary work to combat systemic racism, I want to reiterate my commitment to all of you to advance diversity, equity, access and inclusion on our campus not just with words, but with action.
To that end, the Task Force on Equity and Inclusion will work closely with other shared governance committees on campus to ensure that our planning, decision making and institutional practices foster an equity minded and inclusive environment. This work will include regular assessment of campus climate, as well as institutional practices, policies and structures, through a racial justice and equity lens.
The Task Force also will recommend tangible, measurable and implementable interventions that advance OCC’s values of equity and inclusion. The coordinated efforts of the Task Force and OCC's shared governance committees is an important step to ensuring that the dialogue we have on equity is not only productive, but lasting.
Finally, I want to let you know that the College and District are partnering with Cal State Fullerton and Dr. Dawn Person to engage in facilitated dialogues and training on equity, diversity and inclusion. Dr. Person is a professor in the Education Leadership department at CSUF, and has written numerous articles and book chapters on student retention for students of color. We welcome and value her assistance as we begin the work of building a campus culture that ensures all of our students and employees feel like they belong and matter.
