Equity and Inclusion

PPPM Equity Initiative

Since 2015, we have been actively working to address diversity, equity, and inclusion in the School of PPPM. This joint faculty and student effort has been called the PPPM Equity Initiative. Although we have made progress, there is a need to further address these issues for all members of the PPPM community. As a community, we commit to holding each other accountable to these standards of diversity, equity and inclusion.

The Equity Initiative leads PPPM’s efforts to implement actions, strategies, and policies related to equity and diversity. These efforts are linked to Diversity Action Planning (DAP) coordinated by the College of Design and the University of Oregon.

Our History

In 2015 PPPM graduate students approached the faculty and advocated for more attention to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Their efforts led to the formation of a faculty-student co-led effort called the Equity Initiative. The goals of the Equity Initiative are to:

  • Improve student diversity
  • Improve faculty diversity
  • Improve the curriculum (core course content, diversity of authors, new electives)
  • Improve the climate (classrooms, student groups, campus, and Eugene)
  • Improve our understanding of different perspectives.

Our Principles

Diversity

PPPM foregrounds racial and ethnic identities that have been historically excluded or have experienced substandard access to resources to meet their educational aspirations and potential in our public service fields. This includes all Indigenous peoples and individuals from the various Black, Latina/o/x, and Asian diasporas. Our centering of racial and ethnic identities does not contest or exclude the various other identities of groups that also experience marginalization and structural challenges in higher education, including gender, sexual orientation, ability, and lower socioeconomic background—PPPM must also be accountable to these and other under-represented identities in higher education. Yet, the targeting of our approach by race/ethnicity as they intersect with other marginalized identities is aimed to address acute and sustained disadvantages.

Equity

PPPM commits to centering racial and ethnic equity when allocating resources. Our resources should support the development of initiatives, programs, and support systems that aim to address, reverse, and change social, political, and economic structure of inequality. An equity lens filters all the organizational decisions we make regarding curriculum development, faculty and staff hires, student recruitment, retention and support, and PPPM’s development and growth.

Inclusion

Our aim is to create a school environment where the initiatives, programs, research, and support systems that we develop are geared toward addressing the nuanced and complex needs of our community members internally and those we work with who are Indigenous and of the various Black, Latina/o/x, and Asian diasporas, in addition to others whose identities are marginalized in higher education. In so doing, we strive to support and empower their voices, ambitions, and whole person development.

Our Approach

The Equity Initiative (EI) plays the lead role in guiding the implementation of the school’s Diversity Action Plan. This is grounded in participatory processes involving faculty, staff, and students:

  • Equity Initiative Committee: A faculty, staff, and student committee who meet regularly to oversee the progress of the EI.
  • Student Employees: Includes compensated graduate and undergraduate student employees. The student employees are members of the EI committee and help run the day-to-day work.
  • Equity Initiative Student Liaisons: Includes any student in PPPM interested in taking part in the work of the EI as volunteers.

There are several ways this work is carried out:

  • Initiate projects
  • Consult with students, faculty and staff through annual surveys, affinity groups, and major events such as the Listening Session
  • Recommend changes to school policy, resources allocation, or procedures
  • Initiate changes that require higher levels of approval
  • Collect data to monitor progress and share with appropriate parties

What Have We Done?

See current PPPM DAP

The Equity Initiative is the starting place for many ideas. Some changes require resources or approvals that take time. Others have been implemented right away. Examples include:

  • Initiative to hire more diverse faculty related to access and equity
  • Prioritization of diversity in student recruitment
  • New tenure and promotion policies to forefront commitment to equity and inclusion
  • Regular review of curriculum related to equity and inclusion
  • Annual listening sessions to foster conversations and feedback about climate
  • Annual survey of students that addresses equity and inclusion issues
  • Faculty training sessions on implicit bias, inclusion, and difficult conversations
  • School based training scenarios on bystander intervention
  • Creation of affinity groups for BIPOC and LGBTQ students
  • Diversification of School Advisory Board to seek more support of EI efforts
  • Creation of new professional development course focused on DEI issues
  • Incorporation of DEI training and forums in fall graduate student orientation
  • Creation of graduate and undergraduate student employee positions to support DEI
  • Funding a cultural competency report prepared by PPPM graduate students
  • Creation of new graduate and undergraduate courses related to DEI
  • Holding forums and events to support unique DEI issues of international students
  • Sponsoring events and speakers related to DEI

What DAP Action Items are Under Way?

  • Hire an undergraduate student representative to work alongside the graduate student employee (Initiated fall 2020.)
  • Create BIPOC Affinity Group to support students (Launched fall 2020.)
  • Create LGBTQ+ Affinity Group to support students (Launched fall 2020.)
  • Review curriculum and syllabi to examine equity and inclusion content, authorship, and discussions (Completed fall 2020.)
  • Review curriculum and syllabi to identify an international field of interest (First round completed winter 2021. Additional work in progress.)
  • Review curriculum and syllabi in MNM core curriculum (Initiated winter 2021.)
  • Create new courses addressing equity and inclusion: PPPM 321 Inclusive Urbanism (Course created; common core approval in development.)
  • Create new courses addressing equity and inclusion: PPPM 101: Advocacy and Social Change (Course created; common core approved.)
  • Improve accessibility by ensuring that faculty utilize closed captioning features in online and remote learning (Resources and tips shared with faculty winter 2021.)

What Action Items are In Development?

  • Create a protocol for an annual collection and synthesis of student recruitment and retention data, including:
    • Application, acceptance and enrollment rates
    • Resource allocation for BIPOC student recruitment and retention
  • Seek more financial support to recruit for student diversity
  • Create system for tracking, monitoring, and interviewing students who go on leave or drop out of a program
  • Link affinity groups with mentors in revamped PPPM Advisory Board
  • Review internship policies for international students
  • Discuss strategies for all faculty to support students, including:
    • Ensuring accessibility
    • Serving as mentors and advocates for underrepresented students
    • Mentoring other students facing challenges

Demographics

UO Demographics

PPPM Demographics

Demographic profile of PPPM graduate students (Fall term)

Female 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Applied 73 103 146 95 88
Admitted 51 77 126 82 70
Enrolled 20 31 48 38 36
Accept Rate 70% 75% 86% 86% 80%
Students of Color 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Applied 32 23 40 28 23
Admitted 21 15 35 21 16
Enrolled <10* <10* 15 14 <10*
Accept Rate 66% 65% 88% 75% 70%
International 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Applied 31 35 35 19 17
Admitted 12 17 21 12 12
Enrolled <10* <10* <10* <10* <10*
Accept Rate 39% 49% 60% 63% 71%

“Students of Color” represents Asian, American India or Alaska Native, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, and two or more races.
*There were less than 10 students in this category. Number of students are hidden to adhere to FERPA.
Notes: Students could overlap in two categories Information is based on Fall census for each academic year.

PPPM undergraduate majors by race/ethnicity (Fall term)

Race/Ethnicity 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Hispanic or Latino 19 27 19 27 21
American Indian or Alaska Native <10* <10* <10* <10* <10*
Asian <10* <10* <10* <10* 14
Black or African American <10* <10* <10* <10* <10*
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander <10* <10* <10* <10* <10*
White 88 106 96 106 115
Two or more races 13 18 14 15 11
Nonresident alien <10* <10* <10* <10* <10*
Race and ethnicity unknown <10* <10* <10* <10* <10*

*There were less than 10 students in this category. Number of students are hidden to adhere to FERPA.

Resources

PPPM Supports Black Lives Matter

PPPM and the Equity Initiative fully supports the Black Lives Matter movement. Read our full letter of support.

Land Acknowledgement

The University of Oregon is located on Kalapuya Ilihi, the traditional indigenous homeland of the Kalapuya people. Following treaties between 1851 and 1855, Kalapuya people were dispossessed of their indigenous homeland by the United States government and forcibly removed to the Coast Reservation in Western Oregon. Today, descendants are citizens of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians of Oregon, and continue to make important contributions in their communities, at UO, and across the land we now refer to as Oregon.

In following the Indigenous protocol of acknowledging the original people of the land we occupy, we also extend our respect to the nine federally recognized Indigenous nations of Oregon: the Burns Paiute Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, the Coquille Indian Tribe, the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, and the Klamath Tribes. We express our respect to the many more tribes who have ancestral connections to this territory, as well as to all other displaced Indigenous peoples who call Oregon home. Hayu masi.