Campus Practices & Policies 

Bias Incident Report Form

Dominican University of California declares its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion through joining the campus community to uphold and further a shared vision of “unity in diversity.” If you or someone you know has experienced, or witnessed, a hate or bias incident, please use the new Bias Incident Report form, found on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office page, to make the University aware of the incident. If there is an immediate concern for safety or threat to life, call Campus Security (415-269-6070) and, when necessary, 911. The information on this report is received by the Director of Human Resources and/or the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and staff who may be involved in providing guidance, support and resolution.Staff and faculty reports will be managed by the Human Resources Department, while reports submitted by students will be managed by the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office.  at humanresources@dominican.edu or dei@dominican.edu. 

A Message from the Diversity Action Group:

June 5, 2020

Dear Campus Community, 

Today, Breonna Taylor should be celebrating her 27th birthday. 

Last month, Ahmaud Arbery should have celebrated his 26th birthday on May 8th.

What happened to George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Christian Cooper, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and many others before them, is vehemently wrong.  DAG denounces the police brutality, institutional racism, and abuse of power that Black lives are disproportionately victim to.  DAG stands in solidarity with Dominican’s current students and alumni that have demanded action and change at our institution. 

We are committed to holding space to listen, take note, and advocate for active allyship and change at our University.  We will continue to forge forward and ensure our University upholds its commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion through anti-racist action.

If you are experiencing micro- or macro-aggressions during this time, or feelings of profound loss, please know that various members of the Dominican Community are here to listen.  There are resources available through the Diversity Action Group, Student Health Services, Black Mental Health Resources, and the National Suicide Prevention Hotline.

Let us collectively celebrate Black lives and support our Dominican community.  True and impactful advocacy in this movement goes beyond reacting to Black death. 

With love, and in solidarity, Black Lives Matter, 

Diversity Action Group (DAG)

dei@dominican.edu

Reporting Bias: 

Students may contact the CARE team:

https://www.dominican.edu/campus-life/current/studentlife/cares-team

Confidential anonymous complaints may also be made through the campus conduct hotline: 

http://www.campusconduct.com/incident.aspx 

Resources:

Black Mental Health Resources

https://mashable.com/article/black-mental-health-resources/

Student Health Services

https://www.dominican.edu/directory/student-health-center

National Suicide Prevention Hotline 

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ 

A Message from the Diversity Action Group:

February 10, 2020

Dear Campus Community, 

With reports of the coronavirus’s spread, the Diversity Action Group would like to issue the following statement in order to call attention to a related “contagious” event: that is, the spread of rumors and misinformation, often fueled by a combination of fear, xenophobic reactions (defined as the irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries), and erroneous race-based judgements. 

It has unfortunately come to our attention that there have been a few incidents on campus of microaggressive and xenophobic behavior against ethnically-Asian and international students since the emergence of the coronavirus. It is important to understand that historical forces often shape our biases, unconscious and otherwise, around different racial minorities. For instance, the U.S. has a long history of Asian-American exclusion stretching back to the nineteenth century, and the rhetoric and cultural attitudes that have supported such legislation (from the Chinese Exclusion Act to Japanese internment during WWII) have often invoked such stereotypes as the “yellow peril,” a racist association of ethnically-Asian bodies with contagion. In addition, we should keep in mind that cultural misunderstandings may also structure our assumptions: for instance, wearing a face mask is not necessarily a sign of someone being sick, but a proactive, preventative measure. 

We hope, additionally, that the information provided below from Dr. Brett Bayles on the basic facts about the coronavirus will be helpful in allaying fears at the present moment about the virus’s risk to the Dominican campus. These facts should also make clear that xenophobic and race-based reactions to the coronavirus are inappropriate, unacceptable, and destructive for our campus community. 

• Keep things in context: seasonal influenza infects millions of Americans every year.

• Coronavirus is an airborne respiratory virus, similar to the common cold and seasonal flu.

• Risk of transmission in the United States remains exceedingly low.

• The best way to protect yourself is the same way you would protect yourself from the flu or a cold: wash your hands frequently with warm soapy water and cough/sneeze into your elbow.

• Avoid sources of misinformation from social media and word of mouth; get updates from trusted sources such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and your local health departments. These organizations regularly post updates on their websites.

We thank each and every one of you for attending to this information and doing your part to maintain an inclusive community here at Dominican. Below are a few links to further resources, including where you can report a bias incident on campus, as well as some more reading on the topics discussed above. 

-The Diversity Action Group (together with Dr. Brett Bayles, Assistant Professor of Global Public Health at Dominican)

Reporting Bias: 

Students may contact the CARE team:

https://www.dominican.edu/campus-life/current/studentlife/cares-team

Confidential anonymous complaints may also be made through the campus conduct hotline: 

http://www.campusconduct.com/incident.aspx 

Further Reading: 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/risk-assessment.html

Coronavirus 2019-nCoV Global Cases by Johns Hopkins CSSE

https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

NPR Interview on Social Media and Racist Responses to the Coronavirus

https://www.npr.org/2020/02/02/801995347/on-social-media-racist-responses-to-coronavirus-can-have-their-own-contagion

Coverage on Epidemics and the Spread of Xenophobia and Racial Stereotypes:

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-02-03/coronavirus-outbreak-narrative-xenophobia?fbclid=IwAR0Tq5wxuDYAssVHiAYap4IiTwhdMoYEBBxq4Xj8ou7PClxgu2jPG4ODW6o

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/response-coronavirus-shows-how-epidemics-can-spread-racism/?fbclid=IwAR2UyxsWxm9oyxhn27NkTajWL-_-RV3r8vlFewB_noHIDqaVxxs3Eu1LJXs

How to be Good Allies: Micro-resistance against Micro-aggression:

https://go.roberts.edu/leadingedge/join-the-micro-resistance-against-microaggressions

https://www.unomaha.edu/faculty-support/teaching-excellence/microaggressions-handout.pdf

Amy R. Wong, PhD (she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor of English

Dominican University of California

Email: amy.wong@dominican.edu

Phone: (415) 482-1935

Office: Angelico 302

On December 5, 2019, DAG members came to an agreement to create a working subgroup to update Dominican's Diversity Declaration. The initial goal is to update this statement by mid-January 2020 to more accurately represent our institution on our public facing website, where the intended online audience are prospective students and families. Student, faculty, and staff voices are intended to contribute towards the collaborative process in rewriting Dominican's Diversity Declaration. In addition to updating our external website, DAG's secondary goal is to update this presence in Dominican's academic catalog. If the catalog deadline is missed, an amendment for updating declaration will be proposed at a later date.

 (academic catalog)

Dominican declares its commitment to diversity and the fulfillment of its educational mission is best achieved when every member of the University community upholds in thought, word, and deed E Pluribus Unum; Ut Unum Sint*. Two profound visions—our American civic tradition and our Catholic heritage—inform Dominican’s commitment to the principle of pluralism and to the dream of a reconciled community. Faithful to these birthrights, Dominican seeks to nurture attitudes and behaviors that promote global awareness, inclusive sensibilities, and respect for the dignity of each individual regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic status, culture, political conviction, or disability—all in the light of the Truth that breathes forth love and in the hope of a common life that transforms the world.

Consistent with the above declaration and Dominican ideals, the University recommends that every member of the community support and express his or her active commitment to diversity utilizing the guiding principles stated below:

• All members of the University community are collectively responsible for enabling and institutionalizing diversity throughout the University

• All members of the University community consider diversity constructively in all planning, policy, decision-making, procedural, academic and administrative operations throughout the University

• All members of the University community refuse to accept any behavior or action that is diversity intolerant, insensitive, and or discriminatory

• All members of the University community promote an on-campus environment that values equity and access of opportunity for all of its participants irrespective of background, nationality, culture, religion, class, race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation, and disability

*Out of many, one; that all may be one.

Amy Wong, (Literature, Language and Humanities), Nnekay FitzClarke, (Reference & Instructional Librarian), and George Faithful, (Social Justice/Religion & Philosophy), are serving as co-chairs of the Diversity Action Group (DAG) for this academic year. 

Made up of representatives from faculty, staff, and students (with the VPAA ex-officio), DAG is clarifying its role on campus as one of proposing and advising but not setting policy and educating the campus community. Any member of the faculty, staff, administration, or student body who is concerned about issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus may join DAG. DAG members, especially the chairs, will be inviting the campus community in a collaborative process of setting goals, identifying areas of need, and determining concrete potential action steps in order to craft a five year Strategic Diversity Plan, as mandated by WASC. DAG members are collaborating to design various diversity education modules to be offered to the campus community. These can take their traditional form as faculty and staff professional development lunches, guest lessons in classrooms, or larger forums for the entire campus community. After gathering input from DAG and other groups on campus, VPAA Nicola Pitchford anticipates launching soon the search for a new long-term leader of Dominican’s crucial diversity and equity work.