Strategic Action Plan on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

APPENDIX II: Glossary For The Strategic Plan On Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion 

AALANA
Acronym for persons belonging to the following groups: African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans/Native Alaskans.   

Cultural competence
The ability to work effectively in cross-cultural situations and or within a diverse culture. Source: Defining Diversity:  Magazine Publishers of America (MPA).  2006. 

Diversity
a.   Individual differences  (e.g., personality, learning styles, and life experiences) and group/social differences (e.g., race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, country of origin, and ability as well as cultural, political, religious, or other affiliations) that can be engaged in the service of learning.
Source: Association of American Colleges and Universities.  2007.

b.   . . . Diversity is an inclusive value that encompasses race and ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, sexual identity and gender expression, age, ability, socio-economic status, and other aspects of identity.
Source: College at Oneonta Diversity Statement, Strategic Plan on Equity Diversity and Inclusion, page 10. 

Equity     
a.   The belief, commitment, and process that ensures that all students have the right to be successful earners in an environment that honors the uniqueness of each individual.
Source: The Eisenhower Regional Alliance for Mathematics and Science Education Reform.  2000.

b.   Equity is providing resources and support, according to need, in order to create an environment that encourages the fullest participation of its members through the recognition and acceptance of differences. Equity is more than equality.  It is more than access. Equity is developmental and systemic and is the responsibility of the entire community.
Source: New York State Education Department.  Office of Equity and Access.  1994. 

Ethnic
Relating to people grouped according to a common racial, national, tribal, cultural, linguistic origin.
Source: Defining Diversity: Magazine Publishers of America (MPA).  2006. 

Gender
Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behavior, activities and attributes that a particular society considers appropriate for men and women.
Source: Women, Gender, and Health.  World Health Organization.  2007. 

Gender Expression
All external characteristics and behaviors, which are socially defined as either masculine or feminine, such as dress, mannerisms, name, physical characteristics, and speech patterns.
Source: Empire State Pride Agenda Foundation.  2007. 

Gender Identity
A person’s innate, deeply felt psychological identification as male or female, which may or may not correspond to the person’s body or assigned sex at birth.
Source: Empire State Pride Agenda Foundation.  2007. 

Inclusion
The active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity—in people, in the curriculum, in the co-curriculum, and in communities (intellectual, social, cultural, geographical) with which individuals might connect—in ways that increase one’s awareness, content knowledge, cognitive sophistication, and empathic understanding.
Source: Association of American Colleges and Universities ( http://aacu.org/inclusive_excellence/index.cfm) 

LGBTQ
acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer 

Persons of color
People of non-European ancestry. All persons self-identifying by the general categories of African American or Black; Hispanic, Chicano or Latino; Asian or Pacific Islander; American Indian or Alaskan Native.
Source: Defining Diversity: Magazine Publishers of America (MPA).  2006. 

Race
The concept of race reflects self-identification by people according to the race or races with which they most closely identify. These categories are sociopolitical constructs and should not be interpreted as being scientific or anthropological in nature. Furthermore, the race categories include both racial and national-origin groups.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census of Population.  Public Law, 94-171.

Recruitment
To seek out, engage, and attract potential faculty [employees and students].
Source: The National Campus Diversity Project.  2004.  Harvard Graduate School of Education.  campusdiversityproject@gse.harvard.edu.  

Sexual Orientation
Sexual Orientation is an enduring emotional, romantic, sexual or affectional attraction to another person. 

Sexual orientation exists along a continuum that ranges from exclusive homosexuality to exclusive heterosexuality and includes various forms of bisexuality.

Sexual orientation is different from sexual behavior because it refers to feelings and self-concept. Persons may or may not express their sexual orientation in their behaviors.
Source: www.apa.org/topics/orientation.html 

Stereotypes (Racial/Ethnic/Cultural)
The simplifying belief that all people of a certain racial, ethnic, or cultural group are the same and behave the same way. 

Stereotype Threat
“Societal stereotypes about groups can influence the intellectual functioning and identity development of individual group members.  Negative stereotypes about intellectual abilities can act as a threat that disrupts the performance of students targeted by bad reputations.  To experience stereotype threat, one need not believe the stereotype nor even be worried that it is true oneself.”
Source: Steele, C. M.  A Threat in the Air: How Stereotypes Shape Intellectual Identity and Performance.  American Psychologist, 52 (6): 613-629.  1997. or www.psycinfo.com/library/display.cfm?document=amp/1997/june/amp526613.html page 7 of 25 

According to Aronson and Colleges (2001) the basic notion of the Stereotype Threat model is that “in situations where a stereotype about a group’s intellectual abilities is relevant, taking an intellectually challenging test, being called upon to speak in a class and so on” the person in that stereotyped group have an extra cognitive and emotional burden not applicable to people for whom the stereotype does not apply.  
Source: Aronson, J., Fried, C., and Good, C.  2002.  Reducing the Effects of Stereotype Threat on African American Students by Shaping Theories of Intelligence.  Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 113-125.  or www.idealibrary.com 

Transgender

Transgender is an umbrella term used to designate a community of people who regularly present in a gender different from the sex assigned to them at birth and who live a significant part of their lives in that gender. This includes people who have undergone medical procedures to change their sex and those who have not.
Source: Empire State Pride Agenda Foundation.  2007.

Unlawful Discrimination

Discrimination means treating people differently. But treating people differently does not necessarily constitute unlawful discrimination.  For example an employer can choose to hire one person instead of another based on merit, or a restaurant can turn people away if admission would cause the restaurant to exceed occupancy limits.  Discrimination is unlawful if it is based on an individual’s or group’s race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, creed, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran’s status.

Source: New York State Division of Human Rights. NY. US.  Brochure.  2007.  www.DHR.State 

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