Social Equity and Accountability Mission Vision Statement
The Department of Athletics is dedicated to creating and fostering an equitable and inclusive environment. We strive to be accepting and supportive of people across a range of differences, including but not limited to differences in values, identities, life experiences, cultures, and abilities. We understand diversity is multifactored and intersectional with complex interplays between age, sex, gender identity, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, ability status, political affiliation, religion, region, etc. We value these differences as strengths and believe they are fundamental to the success of student-athletes, staff and coaches.
The purpose of the Social Equity and Accountability (S.E.A.) committee is to organize an effort with long-term systemic involvement in the conversation surrounding equity, diversity and social justice. It is with this in mind:
- To provide support and resources for diversity and social justice efforts for our student athletes, staff and coaches.
- Identifying ways in which Cal Poly Humboldt may best support our under represented/minoritized student-athletes, staff and coaches.
- Provide a safe space for our student-athletes, staff and coaches to address their experiences and concerns regarding social equity.
- Align with the campus mission to help individuals prepare to be responsible members of diverse societies.
- Intentional creation of policies, procedures and practices that invite all voices to the decision-making table.
- Continuously work toward achieving equity amongst all student-athletes, staff and coaches.
Humboldt Athletics Student-Athlete Inclusive Leader Definition:
An Inclusive leader is an empathetic and selfless individual who leads by example, actively listens to and respects diverse perspectives, encourages open dialogue, and fosters a supportive environment where everyone feels valued and heard, while also being humble, accountable, and courageous in addressing challenges and advocating for their team.
Values:
Our core value is to promote inclusion. We must continue to work together if we're going to create significant change so that racial and social injustice become a thing of the past. We will promote the dignity of all individuals in fair and equitable treatment, opportunities, and outcomes for campus and surrounding communities.
Mission:
To create and promote conversations around diversity, equity and inclusion within our department. To take feedback from many perspectives with the intent to improve our ability to support diversity, equity and inclusion. To create an environment that is welcoming and supportive of diverse identities that perpetuates and reflects the diversity of our University and community. To support introspection into policy and affect systemic change.
We believe diversity refers to the experience of each member of the University community, with the understanding that each individual possesses unique social identities and that some of these social identities can intersect. Our commitment to diversity also includes the cultivation of a climate that respects and values individual and cultural differences. Thus, the principles of diversity and inclusion refer to characteristics of each social identity (including the intersection of multiple identities) as well as systemic factors that lead to an inclusive community and environment.
We believe equity is the full embrace of equality and fairness. Commitment to equity means ensuring that everyone has a seat at the table, and everyone has the same access to all opportunities and fosters participatory decision making and shared governance. To achieve equity, we must recognize and acknowledge that historical and systemic barriers exist and must be addressed. Personal, cultural, institutional, and organizational discrimination and stigmatization along social identities create and sustain privileges for some while creating and maintaining oppression for others. Fairness means just treatment of all persons within the University community with an acknowledgment that persons with specific social identities have historically been oppressed within society. Further, the Cal Poly Humboldt community embraces the ethic of cura personalis (care for the whole person) and shares a commitment to moving beyond tolerance to embracing diversity.
We believe inclusion is the active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity—in the curriculum, in the co-curriculum, and in communities (intellectual, social, cultural, geographical) with which individuals might connect—in ways that increase awareness, content knowledge, cognitive sophistication, and emphatic understanding of the complex ways individuals interact within systems and institutions. We are committed to ensuring that people with diverse identities feel supported and valued.
