Division of Student Affairs
Cultural and Resource Centers Work Group
Meeting Minutes
12/12/2019
Zoom: https://wsu.zoom.us/j/512621843
Attendees: Faith Price, Ana-Maria Rodriguez-Vivaldi, Sylvia Bullock, Marcela Pattinson, Jessie Hackett, Julie Mercado, Mark Beattie, Dion Crommarty, Eric Scott, Pam Duran, Jaime Nolan, Jason Abram
Reviewed Working Group Charges and Objectives
Reviewed Recommendations and Initial Responses to Gap Areas Identified
Undocumented Initiatives
- Space dedicated
- Budget allocated
- Staffing addressed
- Systemwide connection with partners
- Law Clinic in place @ WSU Pullman, available for systemwide partners (funded from President's fund for partnership with UI)
- Immigration 101 Training & UndocuAlly Training being formalized/institutionalized in partnership with HRS
Students with Disabilities
- Access Center @ WSU Pullman is connecting across the system
- Disability Awareness Training in development and to be formalized/institutionalized in partnership with HRS
- Signature Event: Disability Awareness Symposium (featuring keynote from Wesley Hamilton) and in partnership with UREC
- Looking at formalizing base funding
WSU Student Veterans
- Ongoing engagement systemwide with student veterans, and staff who support them
- March 5th Veterans Symposium @ WSU-TC; annual event to address what are promising practices in place; what are the gaps, and how do we address and make an impact ASAP
- Affinity space, virtual space, benefits, certifying officials, mentorship (professional as well as peer to peer), financial processes, advocacy, connection to resources on campus and across the system, etc.
"Non-traditional", pregnant/parenting students, students facing food/housing insecurity
- Efforts underway by Amy Sharp/Matthew Jeffries related to pregnant/parenting students
- Basic Needs Task Force officially underway to address food and housing insecurity - involvement systemwide
Jewish Students
- Formation of interfaith council to address space, security, support
Refugees
- Align needs to the services offered by Undocumented Initiatives
Formerly Incarcerated
- Working to implement best practices based on peer institution analysis
Addiction/Recovery/Sober Living
- Working to identify space in campus housing to dedicate to support this
Focus Groups
- Convening this as we speak to hear directly from students around changes to MSS, Heritage Houses, Veterans Services
Discussed the future of the 5 Working Groups
Several groups have completed or are nearing completion of their charges
Formation of the President's Commission on Campus Culture and Climate
- 2 members from each working group to serve
- Monitor the work completed and continue to address emerging needs related to these initiatives
- Jaime to work on a formal proposal to form this commission; Jaime to likely chair the commission
- Creation of subcommittees when needed to address specific issues as they emerge
- Group would meet 2x per semester with President Schulz
- Need to ensure that specific needs and resources related to "smaller" campuses do not fall off the radar and progress is continued to support diversity, equity, and inclusion
January 9th - All 5 Working Groups
January 30th - Semi-Annual update to WSU students on achievements of 5 Working Groups
Action items:
Full response from Jaime to be presented in January 2020.