Higher Ground: The Alignment of UCI’s Policies, Principles, and Programs with the UC Regents’ Principles Against Intolerance

Higher Ground: The Alignment of UCI’s Policies, Principles, and Programs with the UC Regents’ Principles Against Intolerance

I am writing to update the campus community regarding UCI’s alignment with the UC Regents’ Principles Against Intolerance. Last August, Chancellor Gillman requested me to assess our campus policies, principles and practices in relation to the regents’ principles with attention to the climate for Jewish students, and report this month. Earlier this week I shared and discussed my report entitled “Higher Ground” with the Chancellor’s Cabinet. (The report is now available here.) The cabinet accepted the report and adopted the recommendations.

The report opens with a background to the January 22, 2016 UC Regents’ Final Report before turning to the multi-faceted aspects of campus life that are available to and experienced by Jewish students. The final section provides a minimum of 19 separate recommendations organized into four categories to address the climate for Jewish students. These are combatting anti-Semitism, campus accountability, education and training, and responsive engagement. Together, these recommendations are designed to substantively improve the experience for Jewish students while making UCI a national leader and global model of inclusive excellence.

As I begin implementing the “Higher Ground” recommendations, I look forward to consulting with student, staff and faculty stakeholders on campus, including the Chancellor’s Advisory Council on Climate, Culture and Inclusion among others.

Expect Equity, Support Diversity and Practice Inclusion,

Douglas M. Haynes
Vice Provost for Academic Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Office of Inclusive Excellence
https://inclusion.uci.edu
Director, ADVANCE Program
http://advance.uci.edu/
Professor of History Director, Medical Humanities Inter-School Excellence Initiative
http://medicalhumanities.uci.edu/