1. The Equity Leader
Presentation to BAR Academy, October 17, 2018 Rosie Rimando-Chareunsap, President of South Seattle College

2. Intros About your presenter Please introduce yourself
Name, Institution & Role
What brought you here?

3. Definition of Terms
Equity: WHY
Diversity: WHO
Inclusion: HOW

4. Definition of Terms: EQUITY
Refers to WHAT the goal is, what we hope to create
Difference between Equality & Equity
“Shoes” example
Merriam-Webster: : justice according to natural law or right; specifically : freedom from bias or favoritism

5. Definition of Terms: DIVERSITY
Diversity refers to WHO we hope to create equity for
Diversity is your demographics and includes:
Races
Ethnicities (not the same as above)
Genders & Gender Identities
Many, many other identities

6. Definition of Terms: INCLUSION
Refers to HOW we hope to achieve equity
Strategies and approaches that seek to include with intention (goes further than simply “create access”)

7. Definition of Terms: IMPLICIT BIAS
“attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner”
EVERYONE has them
Develop over a LIFETIME
Can be unlearned through DEBIASING
Leader’s responsibilitiy is to develop self-awareness and actively seek education and experiences that reduce bias

8. Why is “EDI” important work, especially for leaders?

9. Why does this matter to BAR?
My thoughts, as you develop your career in Administrative Services
The functions you oversee:
Facilities: Historically, physical environments communicate exclusion (as in ADA compliance)
Processes and Policies: These are not color-blind, they can have differential impact which deserves review, can protect preserve implicit bias (see upcoming example)
Safety and Security: Where inequity becomes very visible (as in law enforcement and #BlackLivesMatter)
Diversity of the field (BAC/VPAs)
Diversity of Administraive Services divisions
Photo of segregation signage, as example of the physical environment enforcing exclusion.

10. Diversity across SBCTC system employee groups
Personnel of Color
Other Personnel
Not Reported
Total
All Employee Groups
20%
78% 2%
100%
Classified
28%
71% 1%
Exempt
25%
74%
Faculty (PT/FT)
16%
83%
Source:  Selected “Disaggregate by Race/Ethnicity:Of Color”,

11. Why does this matter to BAR?
My thoughts, as you develop your career in Administrative Services
The functions you oversee:
Facilities: Historically, physical environments communicate exclusion (as in ADA compliance)
Processes and Policies: These are not color-blind, they can have differential impact which deserves review, can protect preserve implicit bias (see upcoming example)
Safety and Security: Where inequity becomes very visible (as in law enforcement and #BlackLivesMatter)
Diversity of the field (BAC/VPAs)
Diversity of Administraive Services divisions
What are your (better informed) thoughts?
Photo of segregation signage, as example of the physical environment enforcing exclusion.

12. Case from the Field: Leadership Challenge
Complaint by custodial employees to local NAACP chapter
Request to meet by NAACP leadership with college leadership
College cited confidentiality in personnel matters
Organization held press conference just off campus, reached out to students and attended campus events
Broader campus community members joined in the concern, and surfaced other concerns
Campus brought in training and support for the area that had concerns, personnel shifts occurred
Cabinet held “listening sessions” with various affinity groups
Leadership continued to meet with NAACP leaders

13. Case from the Field: Policy
Security Dept. proposed use of tasers at an urban college campus, where non-student security concerns were rising
Some were supportive, some were concerned
Weighing between need to keep campus safe in an increasingly insecure environment, vs. risk management of liability (uncontrolled effects) or unqualified use of force
VPA spoke with faculty, student groups, others (with mixed reviews)
Brought it to Cabinet for discussion, and applied Racial Equity Toolkit (framework through which to assess unintended racial imapcts of a policy or practice
Quickly decided to withdraw proposal, upon study of impacts of use of force on communities of color

14. Discussion and/or questions

15. Areas where you can develop your leadership to contribute to equity
Understand and implement equititable hiring practices
Look for unintended impact
Understand that you are part of a system that is biased, seize opportunity to acknowledge and improve on that
Understand that everyone possesses implicit bias, and choose to understand yours and work on debiasing techniques
Attend to the diversity of your teams and your colleagues, seek to be more inclusive and intentional

16. Resources: Professional & Personal Development
Your colleagues on campus: Chief Diversity Officer or Multicultural programming leader
Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI, internationally normed resource for developing cultural competency)
Racial Equity Toolkit (utilized by City of Seattle and Puget Sound Education Service District)
Multicultural Interviewing Rubric (developed by SBCTC colleagues)
Harvard Implicit Bias assessment
There is already good work being done on your campuses, seek it out!