Establish and sustain the resources and practices necessary to provide an equitable environment for all students, staff, and faculty to thrive.

Objectives: 3.1 / 3.2

Objective 3.1 Identify and remove institutional barriers that result in differential outcomes for student, staff, and faculty achievement and belonging based on identity.

Strategy 3.1.1

Explore structures beyond New Student Week to aid in the successful transition to college for new students, perhaps building upon the success of TRIO, Posse, FOCUS, CUBE, ISL, and others.

  • (Proposed) Responsible Party: Dean of Students, Student Activities, International Student Life, Provost.
  • Process: Survey of first-year students in existing programs, and survey of upperclass students who help organize and run programs, including New Student Week leaders, peer leaders, etc., conducted and analyzed (November 2022); new or revised structure developed and implemented (September 2024).

Strategy 3.1.2

Develop a comprehensive model to enable student access to support resources, including structured pathways, personalized academic advising, individualized academic plans, integrated academic and nonacademic supports, mechanisms to monitor student progress, SHAC services, and career exploration and/or services.

  • (Proposed) Responsible Party: Tuesday Group with Dean of Students, Institutional Research and Assessment, Provost.
  • Process: Existing support structures reviewed and areas of improvement identified in coordination between Dean of Students Office and Provost’s Office (September 2023), recommendations submitted to Tuesday Group (May 2024).

Strategy 3.1.3

Design an onboarding model for staff comparable to the model used for faculty to access current campus support resources, taking into consideration the needs of underrepresented staff.

  • (Proposed) Responsible Party: Human Resources, Provost.
  • Process: Model developed and deployed (September 2023).

Strategy 3.1.4

Establish priorities to allow for and recognize staff participation in professional development or committee work pertaining to IDE-specific initiatives. Develop strategies for allowing work time for staff development in the area of IDE.

  • (Proposed) Responsible Party: Human Resources, consulting with Community Equity Diversity Inclusion (CEDI), Department Heads, Tuesday Group.
  • Process: Priorities and appropriate recognition established (September 2023).

Strategy 3.1.5

Ensure that the Ombuds Program is an independent and confidential resource for faculty and for staff in supporting individuals who have workplace grievances.

  • (Proposed) Responsible Party: President, Tuesday Group.
  • Process: Working group develops a proposal to address in consultation with FAC, SAC, and Forum (September 2023) with an evaluation after three years of the new or revised system (September 2026).

Strategy 3.1.6

Examine the student fee structure (beyond the comprehensive fee) that may present financial barriers to students’ participation or success in academic and nonacademic programs and define the cost to the college of eliminating or reducing fees that may be inequitable.

  • (Proposed) Responsible Party: Budget Office, in consultation with the Provost and Dean of Students.
  • Process: Submit report on current fees and the number of students who are impacted (May 2023), recommendations for eliminating fees and assessment of cost submitted (November 2023), implementation to begin thereafter.

Strategy 3.1.7

Examine current policies and coordination between the financial aid and business offices in order to improve the student experience and to ensure access to awarded financial aid is available in a timely manner.

  • (Proposed) Responsible Party: Vice President for Admissions and Financial Aid, Dean of Students, Vice President and Treasurer, and Business Office.
  • Process: Strategies for improving and coordinating communication process developed in response to student survey data (May 2023), new or revised process implemented (September 2023).

Strategy 3.1.8

Examine disparities in curriculum structure that hinder student progression through major/minor requirements and consider increasing opportunities for additional skill building throughout the curriculum (e.g., Math 101, Q-bits, courses with problem solving, pre-algebra, English 109).

  • (Proposed) Responsible Party: Provost, Education and Curriculum Committee, Academic Departments.
  • Process: Conduct a review of curricular barriers and current skill-building opportunities through equity audit process (July 2023), additional skill-building courses or experiences proposed and developed (July 2024), new skill-building courses, or experiences offered (beginning September 2025).

Objective 3.2 Ensure that campus support offices and programs have the appropriate resources to meet student, staff, and faculty needs.

Strategy 3.2.1

Assess current personnel, financial resources, and facilities space needs for all student-facing campus support offices (for example, Student Health and Counseling, Office of Accessibility Resources, and Gender and Sexuality Center).

  • (Proposed) Responsible Party: Tuesday Group, Human Resources, Dean of Students, Vice President and Treasurer, Facilities Management, Provost.
  • Process: Utilize methods such as external reviews, departmental audits, and end of year reports to determine areas of growth, and allocate additional resources (staffing, space, centralized locations, financial resources) where needed (in coordination with Residential Housing Plan).

Strategy 3.2.2

Ensure that the spaces used for student multicultural groups honor and support the range of different student identities on campus.

  • (Proposed) Responsible Party: Tuesday Group, Dean of Students, Facilities, Office of Intercultural Life.
  • Process: Work with the Black student community on their desire for a Black Community Center and the Indigenous student community on their desire for dedicated space, taking into account how these needs can be accommodated in the larger context of multicultural spaces on campus. Research and identify locations for dedicated space (May 2023); incorporate facilities into Residential Housing plan (September 2023).

Strategy 3.2.3

Reexamine the purpose of student employment and its goals within a residential liberal arts college to ensure equity in pay and in assigning and hiring for campus positions.

  • (Proposed) Responsible Party: Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, AFAC, Business and Finance, Student Financial Aid, Advisory Committee on Student Life, Career Center, Tuesday Group.
  • Process: Assess the equity of the student employment program’s existing structure(s) relating to: placement procedures (before arriving at Carleton), how student work is awarded in the financial aid package, how positions are advertised, supervisor hiring procedures and practices, the possibility of multiple pay scales, and impact of off-campus employment, thus ensuring all students are receiving the same opportunities regardless of socioeconomic status. Program review report submitted to Tuesday Group (May 2023), new or revised approach developed and proposed to Tuesday Group (May 2024), new or revised approach implemented (July 2025).

Goal 4: Engagement

The Work of the Steering Group  |  IDE Steering Group  |  Working Groups  |  FAQs  |  Related Efforts