Creation of the Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Equity (DIBE) Coalition
and Changes to the Charge of Diversity Enrichment Committee (DEC)

This change seeks to turn the Diversity Enrichment Committee (DEC) into the DIBE Coalition
and (1) include the Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Equity Task Force (DIBE) as a permanent committee of the DIBE Coalition with primary oversight of faculty and (2) create two other
permanent committees that take as their primary emphases staff and students, respectively.
This proposal has been thoroughly discussed at both the DIBE Task Force and the Diversity Enrichment Committee (DEC) meetings. In addition, both groups have met together and come to an agreement on this structure.
In addition to DEC and DIBE’s commitments to promoting diversity, inclusion, belonging, and
equity at Southwestern, there are other compelling reasons to reorganize DEC in this way:
1. DEC’s charge, reflected in both the Faculty Handbook and Staff Handbook, states that DEC “leads efforts to promote the diversification of Southwestern University,” including, among other things, “the recruitment and retention efforts of under-represented students, faculty, and staff ”;
2. The proposed reorganization allows for more consistent, efficient, and effective communication between committees with both similar and divergent concerns related to diversity than separate committees;
3. The proposed reorganization allows for more advocacy and coalitional work than separate committees would;

4. The proposed reorganization makes use of an already formalized structure; and

5. The proposed reorganization would make DEC a more productive committee;

In addition to the reorganization of the committee, we recommend renaming it the Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Equity Coalition (DIBE) to align with the tactical plan and the initiatives set forth by the university. The name change will also help encourage collaborative work among all stakeholders and more accurately reflect the charge of the committee.
Given the foregoing, each committee (i.e. Faculty, Staff, and Student) would have relative autonomy in conducting their meetings and executing their tasks. The entirety of the DEC would be expected to meet at least twice a year (once a semester) to report on initiatives, issues, and other concerns related to each committee and, when necessary, the entire committee.

We propose the new DIBE Coalition’s charge as follows.

Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Equity Coalition (Appointed)

Charge: The Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Equity (DIBE) Coalition, is composed of three committees, (1) faculty, (1) staff, and (1) students with the purpose of facilitating regular communication and coordinating to propose initiatives, make programming recommendations, and advocate for institutional changes to further increase the DIBE framework and social justice at Southwestern.
The coalition’s efforts to promote Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Equity at Southwestern include, but are not limited to:
1) advancing recruitment and retention efforts of under-represented students, faculty, and staff; 2) enhancing and challenging the existing thoughtful, open, and inclusive conversations, educational programs, and events that address diversity concerns; 3) allocating resources to University-recognized groups to provide diversity enrichment programs; and 4) collaborating with other University committees and offices in implementing
recommendations regarding the above-stated areas.
The chairs of the three committees will co-chair the coalition. As needed, the co-chairs of the coalition will meet with the Senior Staff (president, vice presidents, and dean of faculty) of the five areas to discuss the committees’ plans of action. The co-chairs of the coalition as a whole will attend a Senior Staff meeting at least once per year to report on the coalition’s priorities and make institutional recommendations. Additional meetings throughout the year may be requested by the coalition.
The coalition will meet at least once a semester for the purpose of communicating and aligning goals, sharing concerns and collaborating where appropriate. The chairs of the three committees will set the agendas of the committees respectively. At least two representatives of each committee must be in attendance for the meetings to establish a quorum. Each committee will function autonomously and not require approval from the DIBE Coalition for action. Membership from underrepresented groups will be critical to the success of the group. Preference is given to members of the Southwestern community who have illustrated an interest in and commitment to issues of racial diversity and equity.

The Coalition and committees will report to appropriate Senior Staff in order to ensure effective implementation of committee initiatives, which will often not fall neatly into one part of the institutional structure.