Category: Uncategorized

May 6, 2020 1:47 PM

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

Today, the U.S. Department of Education released new regulations to guide the application of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which protects persons from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. We are currently reviewing the new regulations to understand the compliance expectations of the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, and we will keep our community informed as we evaluate what will need to be put in place as part of our current Title IX reporting and response processes.

Let us state unequivocally: it is the position of the University of Illinois that sexual misconduct in any form is a direct violation of our institutional values. The new 2020 Title IX regulations are a minimum threshold set by the federal government with which our university must comply. Regulations, however, do not reflect the threshold of our university’s commitment to ensure safe and equitable access to a learning environment free from discrimination based on sex, which includes sexual misconduct.

Our university is committed to work with stakeholders to uphold the following principles and values:

• We will continue to be committed to a fair and balanced process for both reporting and responding parties.
• We will continue to provide resources and supportive measures for anyone who needs them.
• We will continue to provide Confidential Advisors for survivors of sexual misconduct as required by Illinois state law.
• We will continue to prioritize the physical and emotional health of our community, as well as provide medical support when it is needed.
• We will continue our commitment to sexual misconduct prevention work to create a university culture of consent and respect.
• We will continue to provide training for professional staff and administrators on processes and skills to reduce re-traumatization and harm.
• We will continue to support and advocate for the rights of LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff.
• We will continue to work to implement recommendations from task forces, committees, and exploratory groups.

Federal regulations may change, but our community responsibility to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct extends well beyond rules and mandates. In anticipation of this release, we have engaged at both the university and system levels in a comprehensive review of the November 2018 proposed regulations, advised by campus units and stakeholders with extensive experience and expertise in prevention and response. With this final release, our next steps are to carefully review the new regulations, identify processes that may need to change in consultation with campus experts, and implement the changes. The new regulations will go into effect August 14, 2020.

For more information on reporting sexual misconduct and how to support survivors and any others who need it, please visit wecare.illinois.edu.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Jones
Chancellor

Andreas C. Cangellaris
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost

Sean C. Garrick
Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Dr. Danita M. B. Young
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

This year’s community-wide celebration of the life and work of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. features over a week of activities across Champaign-Urbana.

Focused around the theme “Leaders Serve and are not Silent,” the 2020 events reflect on how a commitment to the work necessary to make Dr. King’s dream a reality can transform communities and lives.

“Over 50 years after his death, we continue to learn from Dr. King, his messages and the life that he lived,” said Sean Garrick, Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. “This year’s celebration asks us to consider how we can lead needed, positive change in our communities, both as individuals and through the work that we do as institutions, by putting Dr. King’s dream into action.”

The Annual Countywide Dr. MLK, Jr. Celebration begins the week of events on Friday, January 17 beginning at 4 p.m. at The Vineyard Church, 1500 N. Lincoln Ave., Urbana. This celebration features a keynote by Sampson Davis, M.D. responding to the theme of Building a Healthy Community by Investing in the Dream.

The 35th Annual Service of Celebration takes place Sunday, January 19 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts’ Foellinger Great Hall, 500 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana. This year’s keynote is Al Toldeo, Lead Pastor of the Chicago Tabernacle, and will feature music from the community choir.

On Monday, January 20, university students, faculty and staff are invited to participate in a day of service, sponsored by the Office of Volunteer Programs. The afternoon begins at 1 p.m. with a keynote Illini Union Rooms ABC, 1401 W. Green St., Urbana. After, individuals and teams will participate in service projects for local community organizations.

“This year’s celebration asks us to consider how we can lead needed, positive change in our communities, both as individuals and through the work that we do as institutions, by putting Dr. King’s dream into action.”

—Sean Garrick, Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Other events include the 35th Annual Unity Breakfast on Monday, January 20 at The Vineyard Church, an afternoon of service at Urbana High School, and a noontime lunch presentation at the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center.

The final campus events conclude with a Community Celebration at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Stage 5, Saturday, January 25 at 10 a.m., which will recognize this year’s Creative Expressions Contest award recipients. The U. of I. School of Social Work will sponsor a poverty simulation on Friday, January 31 to promote poverty awareness, increase understanding, and inspire local change.

A full calendar of Martin Luther King, Jr. week events is available online.

Thanks to the efforts of numerous campus partners and units, the University of Illinois is another step closer to the implementation of full, coordinated NAGRPA compliance efforts across our university.

Signed into law in 1990, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) is the US federal law that requires federal agencies and institutions that receive federal funds to transfer culturally affiliated human remains and associated funerary objects, culturally unaffiliated human remains and associated funerary objects, unassociated funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony to Native American tribes and lineal descendants.

In keeping with the requirements of NAGPRA, best practices among our peers, and the ethics of our institution, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is fully committed to the repatriation of our Native American, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian collections that fall under NAGPRA. 

These NAGPRA activities are coordinated by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation (OVCRI) and currently led by Dr. Jenny Davis, Chancellor’s Fellow of Indigenous Research and Ethics and Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology. As of January 2020 a search for a NAGPRA Program Officer is underway. Their activities will be informed by a NAGPRA Policies & Procedures Committee. Initially, committee members will develop policies and procedures for campus-wide NAGPRA compliance. Longer term, they will serve as an advisory board to campus NAGPRA compliance efforts and the NAGPRA Program Officer.

Coordinating efforts through one existing central campus office will facilitate fulfillment of our NAGPRA legal obligations in a timely manner and actively affirms the university’s commitment to respect the sovereignty of Native Nations in our research, teaching, and museum practices. In this process, it is our priority to engage in consultation with tribal communities and lineal descendants.

Read the full NAGPRA update announcement from Susan Martinis, Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation. For media inquiries and interview requests, please contact Robin Kaler.

OVCRI Webpage: NAGPRA and the University of Illinois

November 14, 2019

Dear Members of the University Community,

As chancellor, it is my responsibility to annually reaffirm our campus commitment to equal opportunity, affirmative action, and equal access. The campus is committed to creating and maintaining a community that recognizes and values the inherent worth and dignity of every person, while fostering an environment of mutual respect among its members.

Diversity within the University of Illinois advances the academic purposes of the university. An affirmative action plan is essential to achieving diversity. As a part of our affirmative action plan, consistent with state and federal laws, we undertake good faith efforts to increase the representation of women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans.

University policies prohibit discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, disability, national origin, citizenship status, ancestry, age, order of protection status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation including gender identity, arrest record status, unfavorable discharge from the military or status as a protected veteran. These protections extend to all members of the campus community during any stage of the employment process. This includes, but is not limited to, recruitment, selection, promotion, transfer, merit increases, salary, training and development, demotion, and separation. Similarly, the university prohibits discrimination in admissions, enrollment, and provision of services, programs, and activities.

Please contact the Office for Access & Equity at accessandequity@illinois.edu if you have questions about our university policies and for assistance with discrimination, harassment, affirmative action, and disability related matters. The university’s nondiscrimination policy, procedures, and protocols are available online.

While Illinois and higher education institutions around the country continue to await further guidance on Title IX and sexual misconduct from the U.S. Department of Education, we want to assure the campus community that the State of Illinois law, Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education, remains in effect. In recognition of the continued importance in acting to eliminate sexual misconduct, Illinois has implemented a requirement that all new students will complete online sexual misconduct prevention training. Additionally, it is the expectation of this university that all students complete this training annually. More information about annual sexual misconduct prevention training is available on the We Care website. 

We want to emphasize our promise to continue to provide optimal services, support, resources, and guidance to address sexual misconduct in our community. Our responsibility to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and faculty will not change. We remain vigilant in responding to sexual misconduct while affirming due process, fairness, and dignity. We will be steadfast in our response and treat all matters with urgency while working to provide survivors with the many available campus resources.

Danielle Morrison, our Title IX and Disability Coordinator, provides oversight and support for the university’s comprehensive Title IX programs and initiatives. These programs and initiatives ensure compliance with university policies, state laws, and federal laws related to sexual discrimination and misconduct. Dr. Morrison can be reached at titleixcoordinator@illinois.edu or (844) 616-7978.

Please visit the We Care website (wecare.illinois.edu), to learn more about confidential and non-confidential resources, university policies, disciplinary procedures, rights and options, and additional information related to the prevention, reporting, and response to sexual misconduct. Questions regarding Title IX may also be sent to the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights. 

Realizing our shared vision of an inclusive campus requires that we all annually reaffirm our individual commitment. Together we will build a truly diverse, welcoming, and inclusive community of students, scholars and staff. Please join me in affirming your individual commitment to creating and maintaining an inclusive campus community. 

Sincerely,

Robert J. Jones
Chancellor

Four University of Illinois faculty and staff members will be recognized for their exceptional dedication to and success in promoting diversity and inclusion as the 2019 recipients of the Larine Y. Cowan Make A Difference Awards. This year’s recipients include:

Advocacy for LGBTQ Affairs

Amy L. Powell, Krannert Art Museum, for sustained action to bring forward LGBTQ voices in her work as Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art and commitment to supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) affairs at Illinois.

Excellence in Access and Accommodations

M.T. Hudson, Office for Access & Equity, for a career dedicated to expanding and improving the utilization of programs by persons with disabilities and advocacy to ensure access for all students, faculty, and staff to the opportunities available to them.

Teaching and Mentoring in Diversity

Monika Stodolska, Department of Recreation, Sport & Tourism, for impact on undergraduate and graduate student learning and dedication to interdisciplinary teaching and research on issues related to race, ethnicity, immigration, gender, disability, and leisure.

Leadership in Diversity

Ruby Mendenhall, Departments of Sociology, African American Studies, Urban and Regional Planning, and Social Work, for innovative research focused on the core processes through which race and social structures affect economic, educational, and holistic health outcomes for African American communities. Mendenhall is Assistant Dean for Diversity and Democratization of Health Innovation at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine.

Named in honor of the past Assistant Chancellor and Director of what would become the Office for Access & Equity, the Larine Y. Cowan Awards were created to reflect the commitment to human rights advocacy, social justice, and diversity that defined her leadership for nearly 20 years at Illinois.

This year’s award recipients will be honored at the 34^th Annual Celebration of Diversity, Friday, November 8, 2019 at the I Hotel.

Sean C. Garrick, currently the associate vice provost in the Office for Equity and Diversity at the University of Minnesota, will become the vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign effective Aug. 1, pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. Garrick will be the first person to hold this new senior-level position at Illinois.

During a national recruitment process, Garrick showed potential to identify and pursue opportunities for education, reconciliation, restoration and cultural transformation at Illinois. In addition to leading the newly established Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Garrick also will serve on the chancellor’s leadership team, providing vision and advice on diversity and social justice issues.

The 2017-2018 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion report is a brief departure from the format of the past, which highlighted the multitude of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts from across the entire campus. This year the focus of the report is on the development of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. With the establishment of this office and renewed partnerships from across the entire campus, future reports will again showcase the excellent work happening in colleges and units, at the Illinois system level and across the Big Ten to achieve Inclusive Excellence at Illinois.

Illinois is being recognized by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine as a recipient of their 2018 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award. The HEED Award is the only national recognition honoring colleges and universities that exhibit outstanding efforts and success in the area of diversity and inclusion throughout their campuses. View the news release.

The Gender Equity Council has updated the Women at Illinois brochure. View the brochure.