Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Initiative and Community Affairs

Diversity is a defining feature of California's past, present, and future, and is essential to teaching, scholarship, research, and service. Both UCSF and the Academic Senate are committed to reflecting this diversity in our faculty, students and other academic personnel. Central to this commitment is the Senate’s land acknowledgement to the the Ramaytush Ohlone community as well as campus Indigenous groups:

“We would like to acknowledge the Ramaytush Ohlone people, who are the traditional custodians of this land. We pay our respects to the Ramaytush Ohlone elders, past, present, and future who call this place, the land that UCSF sits upon, their home. We are proud to continue their tradition of coming together and growing as a community. We thank the Ramaytush Ohlone community for their stewardship and support, and we look forward to strengthening our ties as we continue our relationship of mutual respect and understanding."

Background on UCSF’s land acknowledgement statement and the Ramaytush Ohlone people can be found here.

While all of the Senate’s standing committees are concerned about and committed to diversity, Academic Personnel (CAP), Academic Planning & Budget (APB), the Committee on Committees (CoC), Committee on Courses (COCOI), Committee on Faculty Welfare (CFW), Committee on Research (COR), and Equal Opportunity (EQOP) proactively work to fulfill these values of equity and diversity.

EQOP reports on and makes recommendations regarding issues relating to gender equity,  underrepresented minority (URM) faculty, and historically excluded groups at UCSF. EQOP has also played a significant role in advocating for and distributing funds to URM Faculty, including sponsoring more than 40 UCSF faculty to participate in the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity’s (NCFDD) Faculty Success Program since 2015. Other recent initiatives include the promotion of resources and strategies for improving faculty recruitment and retention and partnering with the Academic Senate Office to launch a communications campaign highlighting disability and accommodations resources for UCSF faculty.

COCOI
The Committee on Courses of Instruction (COCOI) is encouraging all teaching faculty to consider how Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and the concepts of anti-oppression (AO) and anti-racism (AR) may apply to their courses. COCOI also seeks to better understand how this is happening currently and to inspire actions that advance the thoughtful integration of DEI, AO, and AR, throughout courses using a trauma-informed and healing-centered lens. While the exact applicability of these concepts to specific course content may vary, reviewing and considering all aspects of a course through a DEI-AO-AR lens is of vital importance to the University’s efforts to support diverse learners and their contributions to society. Towards that end, COCOI has developed the DEI Course Initiative:
COCOI DEI Initiative Letter to Course Preparers and Reviewers
COCOI DEI Initiative Instructions for course forms preparers, reviewers and course instructors
COCOI DEI Initiative Information and Resources

CFW
Diversity, equity, and inclusion influence all of the work of the Committee on Faculty Welfare (CFW). Per the Division bylaws, CFW is responsible for considering matters related to “housing, parking, health, childcare, benefits, and general welfare of the faculty[.]” This broad portfolio enables CFW to advocate for faculty on a wide range of issues and advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. While diversity, equity, and inclusion influences all of CFW’s work, here are some examples of relevant advocacy and projects.

2019-2020

  • CFW commented on the future of policing at UC and how policing can be reformed to eliminate racial bias.
  • CFW commented on the importance of protecting reproductive rights in UC’s affiliations with other health care providers.
  • CFW advocated for improving pregnancy disability leave and parental leave.
  • CFW supported grass-roots efforts to improve dependent care.
  • CFW pledged its support to the Office of Diversity and Outreach to assist in dismantling structural racism.

2020-2021

  • CFW continued to provide input and comments on UC police reform.
  • CFW called for improved access to COVID testing for UCSF dependents.
  • CFW worked to mitigate the impacts of COVID and to bring attention to the disproportionate impacts of COVID on women, underrepresented, and junior faculty.
  • CFW advocated for a systemwide committee with a mandate to provide advice on issues that affect the welfare of health sciences faculty. Health sciences faculty are among the most diverse in the University.
  • CFW gathered data on the salary freeze and investigated whether it was disproportionately impacting women and underrepresented faculty.
  • CFW continued to advocate for the protection of reproductive rights in affiliations with other health care providers.

2021-2022

  • CFW commented on systemwide policies on sexual violence and sexual harassment and policies on abusive conduct and bullying.
  • CFW advocated for greater attention to equity in advancement and promotion, accelerations, and salary negotiations.
  • CFW commented on UC’s proposed policy on affiliations with healthcare organizations with policy-based restrictions on care and advocated for the protection of reproductive rights.
  • CFW supported revisions to systemwide policies on leaves of absence, family and medical leave, and family accommodations for childbearing and childrearing to make there more supportive of families.
  • CFW advocated for increased recognition of faculty doing research in the global south who are not principal researchers but who partner with principal researchers in the global south to do research that advances global health.
  • CFW facilitated addressing racially insensitive behavior at a UCSF child care center.
  • CFW advocated for improving equity in accelerations.
  • CFW provided the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center Gender Equity Committee a forum to present their work.
  • CFW joined EQOP in advocating for better disability resources for faculty.

2022-2023 (on-going)

  • CFW advocated for better representation for faculty in the Health Sciences Clinical and Adjunct series systemwide. Faculty in these series are the most diverse.
  • CFW is developing a survey to measure the service work of faculty and to examine the minority tax at UCSF.
  • CFW is seeking partners to develop a pilot program that will test whether paying faculty more for teaching, mentoring, and service would close or narrow gender and racial salary gaps.

CAP
The Committee on Academic Personnel (CAP) considers contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the academic advancement and review process. Faculty are encouraged to consult the Guidelines for Development of Statements for UCSF Faculty, which were developed by EQOP.

COR
The Committee on Research (COR) partners with the UCSF Office of Research to guide equitable research conduct, building capacity for research on racism in biomedical research, and for supporting research using anti-racist and racial equity approaches. Toward this goal, the Research Development Office (RDO) has developed this anti-racism research seed grant program through its Resource Allocation Program (RAP). Base funding for this initiative is provided by the Academic Senate, School of Medicine’s Research Evaluation and Allocation Committee (REAC), and the UCSF Clinical and Translational Research Institute (CTSI).

RAP’s Pilot for anti-racism research

Resources:
Office of Diversity and Outreach