Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Group

Three African American men standing side by side linking arms.

Lawrence/Edwards Campus

Racism and other forms of discrimination cannot and will not be tolerated on KU’s campus.  The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Advisory Group of faculty, students, and staff has been created to  examine instances of discrimination, intolerance, and insensitivity on KU’s campus and to recommend specific actions that can be taken to create an environment where everyone is valued and safe.  

The DEI Advisory Group will discover and inform our campus community of patterns of discrimination, including lack of respect, inclusion, and equity in our educational and research environments and social communities. The group will consider on an ongoing basis the degree to which we provide inclusive educational, research, and social environments for all students, staff, and faculty.

The areas outlined below represent important first steps in building an inclusive campus. Areas for the DEI Advisory Group to address include:

  • Instilling an institutional culture of awareness through education, and training;
  • Incorporating diversity in curricular design and adopting instructional methods that ensure inclusion;
  • Improving student recruitment, retention, and graduation particularly for underrepresented groups; and
  • Improving faculty and staff recruitment, retention, and professional advancement particularly for underrepresented groups.

For each of the above topics, the group will report its observations and conclusions to the Provost, including:

  • Discover and analyze specific patterns of discrimination, as well as patterns of lack of respect, inclusion, and equity in the educational, research, and social environments of our institution;
  • Recommend specific goals and outcomes the university should work toward, along with timelines for action;
  • Recommend individuals or units that can support work toward the recommended goals and outcomes;
  • Assess the effectiveness of implementation steps, and identify ongoing improvements as needed; and
  • Provide regular reports to the Provost documenting progress. 

The DEI Advisory Group will collect information from a variety of sources. Examples of possible sources include:

  • Focus groups of students, staff, and faculty;
  • The Office of the VP for Diversity and Equity and the units reporting through it, including the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Emily Taylor Center for Women and Gender Equity, the Multicultural Scholars Program, and the Office for Diversity in Science Training;
  • KU Athletics;
  • Office of First Year Experience;
  • University Honors Program
  • University Core Curriculum Committee
  • Human Resource Management;
  • Faculty Development;
  • The Center for Teaching Excellence;
  • Policies and processes related to conduct and responsibility, including Student Governance, University Senate, and Faculty Senate (e.g., Student Code of Conduct, USRR).  

The DEI Advisory Group will understand in all its work that KU is a research and educational institution, and as such is committed to the principles of academic freedom, freedom of speech, and freedom of expression, while acknowledging that hate speech is never acceptable.

KU is committed to the principles of educational access as stated in Titles VI and IX; specifically, KU prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information and retaliation in the University's programs and activities.