1 I, Too, Am NYU Diversity Proposal FOR THE IMMEDIATE ATTENTION OF: John Sexton, President Shawn Abbott, Assistant

Vice President & Dean of Admissions David Austell, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs; Director of Global Services Melody Barnes, Vice Provost for Global Student Leadership Initiatives Ulrich Baer, Vice Provost for Faculty, Arts, Humanities and Diversity Christopher Bledsoe, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Thomas J. Carew, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Science Patricia Carey, University Associate Vice Provost for Diversity Programs and Associate Dean of Student Affairs, Chair Randall Deike, Vice President for Enrollment Management and University Institutional Research Tom Ellett, Senior Associate Vice President, Student Affairs Monroe France, Assistant Vice President for Diversity Lynn Higinbotham, Office of Financial Aid Bridget McCurtis, Assistant Vice Provost for Diversity Allen McFarlane, Assistant Vice President for Outreach and Engagement Pascha McTyson, Director, Center for Student Activities, Leadership & Service Linda G. Mills, Vice Chancellor for Global Programs and University Life Matthew S. Santirocco, Senior Vice Provost for Undergraduate Academic Affairs Evelyn Thimba, Program Associate, Office of Admissions Marc Wais, Vice President for Global Student Affairs As concerned Black, Asian Pacific American, Latin@, and Native students deeply involved in student life at New York University, we put forth the following urgent recommendations before the university administration in hopes of fostering a more diverse and inclusive educational institution that is open, informed, and engaged regarding issues of race and diversity. As organizers of the I, Too, Am NYU campaign, we have seen an incredible outpouring of interest from students seeking a safe space to voice their experiences with racism, microaggressions, and discrimination on campus. The number of students who have encountered racial prejudice from peers, faculty, and administrators--as well as the backlash the campaign has received from members of the NYU community--have reinforced our belief that our university is not fully confronting issues of race and diversity in its academic curriculum, faculty and staff training, and admissions and financial aid processes. The result is the creation of an environment that condones on-campus racism, ignorance, and discrimination, an unacceptable reality for a university which aspires to be the Global network university. As invested and accomplished students of color from diverse backgrounds, we demand the university administration look into the timely implementation of the following recommendations:

2 Undergraduate Admissions While NYU has established itself as a university in and of the world, we feel that we cannot forget our founding imperative to be a university in and of the city. As such, we believe that on-campus demographics should better reflect the diversity of the city it calls home. We recommend: An increase in enrollment of underrepresented students of color, specifically: An increase in enrollment of Black and Latin@ students to better reflect New York City demographics through active recruitment and outreach in New York City public schools throughout the five boroughs. An increase in enrollment of Native and indigenous students through active recruitment of graduating high school Native students on reservations in New York state and beyond. An increase in enrollment of underrepresented Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, and Asian American students, through active recruitment and outreach in these communities in New York City and beyond. Disaggregation of international students of color (from Asia, Africa, Central and South America, etc.) from domestic students of color in student demographic statistics to better ascertain issues of under-representation in the NYU student body. Remove institutional bias from the admissions process by no longer requiring formerly incarcerated persons to disclose their criminal history within the universitys Common Application. Establishment of a yearly recruitment fair for students of color to encourage them to apply to NYU. An emphasis will be placed on recruiting students of color from the New York City area. Formal establishment and expansion of a diversity committee within the Office of Admissions. The Diversity Committee will facilitate a transparent and ongoing relationship between the Office of Admissions and the Student of Color Advisory Council (see below). Establishment of a part-time student employment position, to be overseen by the Diversity Committee, tasked with active recruitment and outreach to prospective students of color in the New York area.

Undergraduate Financial Aid The Momentum Campaign seeks to raise $1 billion dedicated to generating scholarships at NYU. We ask for transparency about how these funds will be distributed and urge investment in scholarship programs targeted to students of color with demonstrated financial need.

3 We recommend: Establishment of a Multicultural Scholarship Fund as a priority fundraising opportunity within the Momentum Campaign. This fund will go towards need-based financial aid packages for students of color. Graduating students who contribute to the 1831 fund can choose to have their contributions go towards the Multicultural Scholarship Fund. NYU will commit to match students contributions dollar-for-dollar, as has been the policy for 1831 donations. Undocumented students from New York State will be considered amongst the pool of domestic applicants (i.e. citizens and permanent residents) in regards to the awarding of NYU financial aid packages. This policy change should be well-publicized on all recruitment and aid materials, and financial aid administrators made aware of the needs of undocumented student applicants. All financial aid administrators will be required to attend cultural competency trainings in order to better serve prospective and current students of color (see below).

Undergraduate Curriculum: Educational curriculum that is race-conscious is key to fostering an informed and inclusive student body and combatting on-campus ignorance and discrimination. Therefore, we recommend the establishment of a mandatory zero-credit diversity training series for all incoming Freshman and transfer students. Incoming freshman will be responsible for completing this four-part training before the completion of their Freshman year. Transfer students will similarly be required to complete the training before the completion of their first year at NYU. This series of trainings will be held over an eight-week period, during which students will discuss the histories of race and racism in the United States, analyze oppressive institutional systems that impact the lives of people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, differently-abled persons, and religious minorities, and explore topics of privilege and intersectionality as they relate to race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, immigration status, religion, etc... We recommend that the Center for Multicultural Education and Programs, the LGBTQ Student Center, the Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life, and the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities collaborate to organize the curriculum and facilitation of these trainings, with input from the Student of Color Council. All of the above organizations will collaborate to choose a diverse group of facilitators with experience in leading critical conversations on race and diversity. For students who wish to further engage with these topics, we recommend the establishment of a Critical Approaches to Diversity in the US course offering within the Cultures and Contexts core curriculum. We suggest the pre-existing courses Race and Ethnicity (Sociology, CAS), Introduction to Social & Cultural Analysis (Social & Cultural Analysis, CAS), Constitution and People of Color (Social & Cultural Analysis, CAS), and

4 American Dilemmas: Race, Inequality, and the Unfulfilled Promise of Public Education (Steinhardt) as potential templates from which to construct such an offering. Faculty and Staff: Experiences with racism, discrimination, and microaggressions on-campus do not come from peers alone, but from administrators and faculty as well. Therefore, we urge the implementation of a mandatory cultural competency training program for all faculty and staff. Trainings for administrators will be conducted through the Administrators Cultural Training Institute (ACT-I), with input from the Student of Color Council. Trainings for faculty will be conducted through the Center for Multicultural Education and Programs, with input from the Student of Color Council. Administrators and faculty will be required to complete these trainings every four years.

In addition, we stress the importance of making meaningful increases in diversity amongst university faculty members and administrators. Campus Climate: In its pursuit of becoming a truly diverse and global university, it is paramount that the administration possess a comprehensive understanding of the academic, extracurricular, and interpersonal experience of students on-campus. Such an understanding is particularly important in serving students of color navigating within a primarily white institution. We propose the implementation of an an annual campus climate survey to ascertain students experiences within their classrooms, residence halls, and general student life, through the lens of diversity and inclusivity. The campus climate survey may be administered through the Office of Research and Assessment. Survey responses will serve as a valuable resource for the NYU administration to take the necessary steps to ensure a safe environment for students from diverse backgrounds. Results of the survey will be made public to the university community. A number of universities dedicated to creating and maintaining a respectful and inclusive campus environment currently utilize a similar survey system, including: University of California system, University of Southern California, Rutgers University, University of Wisconsin, University of Vermont, and others. A formal bias report system for registering complaints against on-campus racism, discrimination, and hate speech will be established. This system will be implemented and overseen by the university administration, with the advice of the Student of Color Advisory Council (see below). Such a system will create a formal framework for both complaints and disciplinary actions regarding incidents on-campus discrimination. The bias report will serve as an invaluable statistic to measure the progress of our cultivation of a university culture of diversity.

5 The bias report will be widely publicized and easily accessible to students both on-line (under the University Life site tab) and off-line. Similar bias report systems have been implemented at a broad base of universities, including Georgetown University, Cornell University, and the University of California school system.

Student of Color Advisory Council: To advise the administration and general student body on issues of on-campus diversity, race, and racism, we recommend the establishment of a Student of Color Advisory Council. At its core, this council will serve as an instrumental link between the student of color community and the university administration. SCAC will be consulted throughout the implementation process of the above recommendations, specifically: campus climate surveys, cultural competency trainings for faculty and staff, and the diversity training for incoming freshman and trainings. SCAC will work closely with all on-campus diversity initiatives and student life offices, including the Center for Multicultural Education and Programs, the Office of Residential Life and Housing Services, the Center for Student Activities, Leadership, and Services, the Office of Admissions, and the Office of Financial Aid. SCAC will be housed under the Center for Student Activities, Leadership, and Service, and receive meaningful annual funding to be used to support on-campus diversity initiatives. SCAC will be composed of sixteen student representatives that represent all on-campus ethnic groups. Of these sixteen representatives, exactly four representatives will selfidentify with the following categories, so as to ensure that the voices of all on-campus communities of color are heard: Black, Asian Pacific American, Latin@, and Native/Indigenous These representatives will be selected through a yearly election. All registered members of student groups of color will be eligible to vote. SCAC will hold bi-monthly Open Forums for all students of color to voice their concerns and frame future policies and initiatives. Though outside the focus of our own proposal, we also recommend the establishment of Advisory Councils tasked with advising the administration and general student body specifically on issues related to the experiences of LGBTQ students, differently-abled students, and students who belong to religious minority groups.