Diversity, Inclusion & Access

Culture of Inclusion

Ensuring a strong culture of inclusion is one of the primary pillars of DI&A-related work. Without it, increasing diversity through recruitment, retention, access and equity efforts becomes moot. We can’t retain and sustain diversity without inclusion. Mines continues to spearhead ways to build cultural inclusion among all groups on campus. From the Women in Science, Engineering and Mathematics’ (WISEM) professional development series and “Wednesdays with WISEM” events, Trefny Innovative Instruction Center’s inclusive classroom work, the Arther Lakes Library’s communication and outreach efforts, the Multicultural Engineering Program’s (MEP) activities and professional societies to Mines DI&A’s inclusion icebreakers, the community is actively making Mines a more culturally inclusive institution.  

One department that’s making their inclusion efforts well known is Applied Mathematics and Statistics (AMS). Check out the AMS website that features their commitments to diversity and inclusion at Mines.  

Mines promotes and supports an inclusive campus culture that aligns with Mines’ values for all employees and students. Mines recognizes the importance of providing clear avenues for reporting issues. One example is SpeakUp@Mines, which is a secure and anonymous reporting tool that can be used by any Mines student or employee to submit a report on sexual violence or harassment, fraud, non-compliance with policies, research misconduct or other questionable activities at Mines. To expand avenues for reporting, Mines created the new Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX. This office handles reports of campus climate concerns and incidents of bias, discrimination, harassment, violence and retaliation based on a protected class and continues to manage complaints of sexual harassment or other forms of sexual misconduct for students, employees and third parties. The office works closely with Human Resources, Student Life, Academic Affairs and other campus offices to provide support or resolve issues. Complaints of bias, discrimination, harassment, violence and campus climate concerns can be submitted through their websiteComplaints of sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, stalking or other forms of sexual misconduct can continue to be submitted at the Title IX website. 

Another campus-wide effort that is working toward creating an inclusive environment for everyone is the “Preferred Name” project from Information and Technology Solutions. This is an effort, in conjunction with the Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX, to provide use of preferred names in online and technology systems. This is important for acknowledging the identities of everyone in the Mines community. This project started in 2020 and has two phases. Phase one is complete where several key platforms now use preferred names.

Phase 1 – Complete Phase 2 – Future Work
Trailhead Cognos reports
Canvas Teams
Chrome River (Travel/Procurement System), Zoom
Percipio (Ongoing Learning Platform) ADIT
Alma (Library Services Platform) LPAD
Academic Works (Scholarship Management Platform) AIM (Disability Support Services Portal)
PageUp (Applicant Tracking) CRS (Contract & Research System)
TeamDynamix (Ticket System for ITS, MAPS) Fusion (Recreation Center System)
University Tickets (Campus and Athletic Events) T2 (Parking Permit Portal)
Directory (Online and Printable) BEACON (Academic Advising)
StarRez (Housing) Bright Horizons (Employee Benefits System)
TerraDotta (International Student Services and Study Abroad Management Platform) Convercent (Conflict of Interest Tracking)
FAMIS (Work Order Tracking)
Heartland (Meal Plan Tracking)

 

Strategic Plan Recommendations

Three Geology students in field working together

Establish Standards for Effective Teamwork
and inclusion in the classroom

Two male students studying together

Ensure Campus Practices and Policies
support work-life balance, health, wellness and family

Students sitting in class

Embed Implicit Bias Training as part of on-boarding, teaching, leadership preparation and other relevant processes or committees

Two students working together on a large wooden frame

Ensure All University Materials and Spaces
are available to all who need them

Key Highlights and Opportunities

Highlights: 

  • Disability Support Services staff continue to experience steady growth in student applications and registrations each year, with an average growth of 29% over the past four years. Furthermore, the number of registered students has nearly tripled since 2017-2018.  
  • New initiatives like the student-led group “Kickstart” and Fraternity and Sorority Life’s bystander intervention program help students learn and practice active bystander intervention skills to increase allyship and advocacy on campus. 

Opportunities: 

  • Launch the Mines-wide Viewfinder climate survey to do a deep dive into institutional culture and climate-related metrics at Mines.  
  • Continue to offer and expand programming for learning and development around DI&A-topics across Mines. 
  • Continue to provide support to those who have experienced bias incidents through the Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX. 

Establish Standards for Effective Teamwork and Inclusion in the Classroom

Mines is a world-renowned university known for producing highly trained STEM graduates. This wouldn’t be possible without the commitment and dedication to effective and inclusive learning practices. As such, the Trefny Innovative Instruction Center established guidelines for effective teaching and inclusive classrooms. They have also developed the inclusive classroom checklist, which includes best practices for fostering inclusive learning strategies for all students, no matter their social identities or backgrounds. The Trefny Center facilitates a Creating Inclusive Classrooms Workshop. During this workshop, participants explore a variety of strategies from the Inclusive Teaching Practices Tips and Checklist to create more inclusive classroom environments. Since the fall of 2019, 112 participants have attended various versions of the Creating Inclusive Classrooms workshop. Departments and units can request this workshop for their group. These best practices are incorporated into workshops and professional development opportunities for instructors. In addition to the efforts by the Trefny Center, faculty and staff across all of campus contribute to providing inclusive learning opportunities for students. Navigate through the tabs to learn more.  


Dr. Derrick Hudson, Associate Teaching Professor from the Department of Humanities, Arts and Social Science is leading an educational and service-learning course titled, “Dialogues on Agency, Race, Citizenship, Society (ARCS) and STEM.” It is hoped that over time, this course will begin to attract students of color who will aspire to view Mines as a “top-of-mind” goal to pursue STEM degrees and careers.
For more information on Dr. Hudson’s effort, open the PDF linked here.

Another example is a project conceptualized and led by Dr. Shannon Mancus, Associate Teaching Professor from the Department of Humanities, Arts and Social Science. She is leading a project that aims to provide two critical DI&A-related resources to Mines faculty members. The first is a document that shows how DI&A content can be scaffolded throughout the curriculum; the second is a collection of resources for planning and facilitating difficult conversations in the classroom and beyond. To learn more about this project, check out the Fellows page on the DI&A Annual Report website.

Each new undergraduate student who comes to Mines attends an introductory class called CSM 101: Freshman Success Seminar. CSM 101 is a first-year advising and mentoring course that functions as a “college transition” course, which is taught in small groups. In 2021, two lesson plans focused on DI&A-related topics, specifically regarding students’ identities. The first lesson plan on identity focused on students learning about their personal identity “wheel” within the context of the broader “social identity” wheel. For their personal identity wheel, they found commonalities with their classmates to aid in building community, they gained a better understanding of their own identities and how the idea of identity can be very diverse and then they connected their personal identities to their future endeavors or goals. The second half of the lesson discusses broader social identity wheels and students were asked to consider how their identities interact with the world. They found shared experiences with other peers, worked on empathy and learned how privilege normalizes specific identities over others. This image is an example of a social identity wheel – and is one that was developed by the Mines DI&A Ambassadors for their workshops. 

The second lesson plan that focused on identity emphasized group learning and interactive activities to explore the concept. The first part of the session, students could choose between two activities: “Privilege for Sale” or “Scholarship Activity.” After participating in either the “Privilege for Sale” or “Scholarship Activity”, students reflected on their experiences participating in the activity, how it applies to real life and discussed how they went about making decisions during the activity. The second part of the session, students were asked to review content posted on social media about the experiences of Mines’ students of color at the institution and had discussions based on the information.  

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Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) 

We can’t get 100 percent of the student body to study abroad.  So how do we bring the international experience to more students? 

Traditional bilateral exchange isn’t the only way to gain cross-cultural competency, for students or for teachers.  The Global Education Office is exploring new methods to connect Mines students with peers in different parts of the world, without leaving campus.  Our goal is to develop new ways to support Mines faculty by bringing global connections into their local classroom. 

One way to do this is through COIL: Sometimes called “virtual exchange,” COIL refers to any method of using technology to bring global experiences into classrooms or curricula. In COIL courses, faculty in different nations loosely sync their curricula so that students collaborate on an assignment or project in international groups.  COIL can allow students who may be bound by time or cost from studying abroad to have rich international experiences — without leaving campus. 

In the spring of 2021, Global Education helped develop two COILs: 

  • Thermodynamics Spring 2021: This COIL took place between two thermodynamics courses, one taught by Prof. Justin Shaffer at Mines (70 Students) and the other taught by Prof. Hayrullo Hamidov at the Navoi State Mining Institute in Uzbekistan (30 students).  This COIL was funded by the American Council on International Education.   
  • Innov8 X Spring 2021: This COIL took place in cooperation with Khalifa University and the American University of Sharjah (both in the United Arab Emirates).  This program was funded by the Ministry of Possibilities and developed by Prof. Sid Saleh.

The Trefny Innovative Instruction Center is committed to supporting faculty in creating inclusive classrooms on campus. Starting in fall 2021, the Trefny Center partnered with Mines DI&A to facilitate a Classroom Equity and Inclusion Learning Community. The group met four times during the fall 2021 semester and three times during the spring 2022 semester. From a list of 68 inclusive strategies, members of the learning community explored things that they could do when preparing for the semester, developing the syllabus and incorporating activities and discussions in their course. This work was funded through the IUSE Division of the NSF under Grant No. 2021204.

Picture of TAs helping students during Friday afternoon Help Hours for PHGN 100
The Physics Department’s Undergraduate TA program helps support retention efforts by providing an inclusive, small-class feel in our large-enrollment introductory classes (PHGN 100 and 200). They incorporate DI&A issues into their annual TA training so that TAs are aware of the cultural issues within physics, with the goal of helping all Mines students feel like they belong in the classes and field as a whole. The discipline-based education research on courses have shown that students’ sense of belonging is correlated with student success in physics, which Physics TAs and evolving course structures seek to promote. Students report appreciating having dedicated and supportive TAs from a diverse range of demographics and TAs frequently express that being a TA was one of the highlights of their time at Mines.

Whiteboard drawing of ghost caricatures in the Physics Student LoungeIn addition, the Physics summer Field Session course, dedicated student spaces, and supportive faculty and staff have helped foster a sense of community within the Engineering Physics major. This fall, several students spontaneously started an art project depicting members of the department (students, faculty, and staff) as ghost caricatures for Halloween. Surveys have shown that physics majors report that the Physics Department prioritizes learning and cares about student well-being more than other departments.

Ensure Campus Practices and Policies Support Work-life Balance, Health, Wellness and Family

Mines is dedicated to ensuring their policies and campus practices support work-life balance, health, wellness and family for all Orediggers, including students and employees. The following are some examples of what Mines is doing across the different units and departments toward advancing work-life balance, health, wellness and family for all.  


Mines is developing an Early Childhood Education Center. In spring 2021, planning for the center made forward progress. Mines decided to move forward with designing a standalone center. Bright Horizons has been contracted to operate the center. There is intent to provide an early childhood education
center that is the right size to meet the needs of our community. For more information,
contact Finance, Administration and Operations at Mines 

In fall 2022, the Arthur Lakes Library circulation desk debuted, “Busy Bags.” Busy bags contain activities, puzzles, and books tailored to various age groups, allowing faculty and students who are parents to easily transform any study room into a family-friendly space! The initiative was led by Circulation & User Services Manager Rebecca Schneider. For her work on this DI&A initiative, she won a $3,000 scholarship for her ongoing graduate studies in library science. Rebecca also created a new entrance display to raise awareness of the new Busy Bags. She has been receiving regular positive feedback on the program. Next steps: Several parents have requested the ability to check out children’s books and busy bags. Rebecca is currently exploring funding opportunities to meet this interest. 

Display of busy bags including backpack and activity books

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A new project in 2021 for Information and Technology Solutions is providing flexible schedules for ITS team members. ITS leadership supported flexible scheduling for employees in consideration of parents, women, or other populations who may be disproportionately impacted by caregiving responsibility changes due to COVID-19.

Mines supports work-life balance, health, wellness and family through many different endeavors, such as Mines’ partnership with Colorado State Employee Assistance Program (CSEAP). CSEAP provides access to an on-campus counselor, tele-therapy, financial wellness and stress-managing workshops, wellness, resiliency and talking about equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace. As a result of the pandemic, the State of Colorado implemented the “Healthy Families and Workplace Act,” which granted supplemental leave for COVID-related illness or care.  This additional leave was a welcome need for those who required time off to take care of themselves or family members with COVID-related illnesses. 

Many Mines employees are also caregivers. Mines provides backup care for childcare and elder care through our contract with Bright Horizons. This is an exceptional program very few institutions of higher education offer to employees. Mines has created a “flexible worksite” policy that allows staff to have a flexible work-life balance, which has been partly catalyzed by the pandemic. 

Utilize a Vetted and Professionally Developed Campus Climate Survey

Mines deeply values rooting DI&A efforts in data and evidence-based best practices. In order to understand the nuances of what’s going on at Mines for both marginalized and non-marginalized community members, we have made plans for and deployed a number of “culture” or “climate” surveys.

In October 2020, Mines contracted with ModernThink, an independent research firm, to conduct an inaugural employee engagement survey. Mines achieved an exceptional 61 percent employee response rate which included representation from all employee groups. To capture the student perspective, the Trefny Innovative Instruction Center deploys their Student Survey, which typically has around 1000 respondents each year. Questions cover topics related to the student experience at Mines, including institutional culture, curriculum and opportunities. In addition to these efforts, during the fall of 2021, Mines identified and approved a contract with INSIGHT into Diversity to deploy their nationally vetted Viewfinder climate survey for institutions of higher education. Survey development has been underway during the spring and summer of 2022 and there are plans for deployment in the near future. Lastly, in spring 2022, the Out in STEM (oSTEM) group for LGBTQ+ students worked with the Mines DI&A team to design and deploy the oSTEM climate survey for current students and employees at Mines. Find out more about each of these efforts and what we learned below.

Human Resources-led ModernThink Employee Climate Survey

Results from this survey were presented to leadership in February of 2021, with subsequent discussions at the VP, department and team levels. This survey is planned to follow a biannual cycle and it qualifies Mines to be included in the “Great Colleges to Work For” program. It also further advances the institution toward the MINES@150 goal of becoming an employer of choice. Navigate through the tabs to review some highlights from the ModernThink climate survey.

The ModernThink survey asked participants about if they understand how their job contributes to the Mines’ mission. There was an overwhelmingly positive response for these four demographic groups, by gender and race/ethnicity. In addition, responses were consistent between female and male, and between employees of color and white employees.

Gender data for this survey included female, male and non-binary responses. Non-binary responses were omitted to protect privacy. URG denotes “underrepresented groups” and include American Indian/Alaskan Native, African American/Black, Asian, Hispanic/Latinx, multiple races and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.

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As part of the ModernThink survey, Mines added specific-to-Mines items that asked participants about their experiences and perspectives. This item about examining one’s own attitudes that affect climate for underrepresented groups is one that was added by Mines leadership to the instrument. The results show it to be one of the most positive responses in the whole survey, demonstrating the self-awareness and commitment to DI&A that Mines employees’ exhibit.

Gender data for this survey included female, male and non-binary responses. Non-binary responses were omitted to protect privacy. URG denotes “underrepresented groups” and include American Indian/Alaskan Native, African American/Black, Asian, Hispanic/Latinx, multiple races and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.

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Having a good relationship with one’s supervisor is key to having a healthy workplace environment. Overall, the ModernThink survey showed that the majority of participants feel they agree or strongly agree with their experiences of having a good relationship with their supervisor.

Gender data for this survey included female, male and non-binary responses. Non-binary responses were omitted to protect privacy. URG denotes “underrepresented groups” and include American Indian/Alaskan Native, African American/Black, Asian, Hispanic/Latinx, multiple races and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.

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Mines Human Resources has been working on the Hiring Excellence project, which works to reduce implicit bias in the hiring process and ensure Mines is representative of the populations we serve. When employees were asked about Mines placing sufficient emphasis on having diverse employees, most respondents agreed with the sentiment. However, there was a statistically significant difference between female and male responses and between underrepresented groups and white employees regarding their concerns in this area. Females and underrepresented groups disagreed at higher rates than males and white employees.

Gender data for this survey included female, male and non-binary responses. Non-binary responses were omitted to protect privacy. URG denotes “underrepresented groups” and include American Indian/Alaskan Native, African American/Black, Asian, Hispanic/Latinx, multiple races and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.

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Mines strives to create opportunities for career advancement for all employees. Between Academic Faculty, Administrative Faculty and Classified Staff, most respondents (over 60% in most cases) agree or strongly agree they understand the requirements for career advancement at Mines. However, for each of these employee groups, there is a statistically significant difference between female and male responses who disagree with this sentiment. This is an opportunity for growth for Mines, to ensure that all employees understand their own career growth opportunities.

Gender data for this survey included female, male and non-binary responses. Non-binary responses were omitted to protect privacy. URG denotes “underrepresented groups” and include American Indian/Alaskan Native, African American/Black, Asian, Hispanic/Latinx, multiple races and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.

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Mines DI&A-led Viewfinder Campus Climate Survey

In fall 2021, the Mines DI&A team, in collaboration with the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, identified a campus climate survey instrument and consultant to administer a campus-wide climate survey for the Mines community. The Viewfinder climate survey contains questions for both employees and students. Questions include topics about the experiences people from different social identity groups have while at Mines, what resources are available to those from different social identity groups and what challenges or opportunities exist to improve the campus climate. Survey modification is underway and is being led by two teams with representatives throughout the Mines community. We want to acknowledge and thank Whiting and Shell for their support for this project.

Out in STEM (oSTEM) Climate Survey

There were 78 people who identified with the LGBTQ+ community that took the oSTEM survey in spring 2022. Almost 50% of respondents feel comfortable and safe expressing public displays of affection with their partners on campus. There were 50% of respondents who feel the Mines’ overall climate is positive toward the LGBTQ+ community. Furthermore, nearly three-quarters of respondents say they feel safe on campus as an LGBTQ+ identifying person.

LGBTQ+ is defined as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and additional identities.

Graphs about oSTEM survey participants' perspectives from those who identify as LGBTQ+. Vertical bar graph with four survey items on the x-axis: "I feel comfortable expressing PDA on campus," "I feel safe expressing PDA on campus," "Mines overall climate toward LGBTQ+ is positive," and "As an LGBTQ+ person, I feel safe on campus." There is 19% of people who don't feel comfortable with PDA, and 16% who don't feel safe. There is 40% who are neutral about the campus climate, and 47% who agree it's positive. Most respondents feel safe on campus - almost 75%.

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There were 34 people who do not identify with the LGBTQ+ community that took the oSTEM survey in spring 2022. Over 50% say they think the Mines’ climate overall is positive toward the LGBTQ+ community, which is a slightly higher percentage than the LGBTQ+ responses. Over 80% of respondents say they are active allies of the LGBTQ+ community, though that is unsurprising given the self-selection of participants in the survey. Almost 90% of respondents indicated they would intervene if they observed a situation on campus where an LGBTQ+ community member wasn’t being treated well.

LGBTQ+ is defined as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and additional identities.

Graphs about oSTEM survey participants' perspectives from those who do not identify as LGBTQ+. Vertical bar graph with three survey items on the x-axis: "Mines' overall climate toward LGBTQ is positive," "I consider myself an ally," and "If I observed harm of an LGBTQ+ person on campus, I would intervene." There is over 15% of people who don't feel the climate is positive toward LGTBQ+ people.  Almost all respondents say they are allies and that they would likely intervene.

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Both populations, those who are LGBTQ+ and those who are not, feel similarly positive (over 80% for each) that students’ experiences regarding both their gender identity and their sexuality can have impacts on their learning.

LGBTQ+ is defined as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and additional identities. Gender identity is each person’s internal and individual experience of gender. It is a person’s sense of being a woman, a man, both, neither, or anywhere along the gender spectrum. A person’s chosen name and pronoun are also common ways of expressing gender. Sexuality, sexual/romantic identity/orientation is how people think of themselves in terms of whom they are romantically or sexually attracted to.

Graphs about oSTEM survey participants' perspectives from both LGBTQ+ and allies. Vertical bar graph with two survey items on the x-axis: "I feel students' experiences regarding their gender identity can have impacts on their learning," and "I feel students' experiences regarding their sexual identity/orientation can have impacts on their learning." Overall, proportionally more allies say they agree or strongly agree with these statements comparead to the proportion of LGBTQ+ individuals, although across the board, nearly everyone agrees or strongly agrees.

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Trefny Center

Each spring semester, the Trefny Innovative Instruction Center administers a climate survey to undergraduate students to understand their experiences over the past year. In 2021, over 900 students participated in the survey. One of the items that Mines is interested in learning about is students’ perceptions of the climate and opportunities at Mines for students from marginalized or different social identity groups. Over 800 students responded to these statements, though the “n” varies between statements.  Students responded to these statements based on a 7-point scale where 1 = “Strongly disagree” and 7 = “Strongly agree.” Of particular interest is the responses from Non-binary and LGBTQ+ identifying students, where oftentimes they “moderately disagree” or are “neutral” to the statements presented. Furthermore, male and non-LGBTQ+ identifying students tend to have the most positive responses to the statements, “moderately agreeing” with each statement. LGBTQ+ is defined as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and additional identities. Gender identity is each person’s internal and individual experience of gender. It is a person’s sense of being a woman, a man, both, neither, or anywhere along the gender spectrum. A person’s chosen name and pronoun are also common ways of expressing gender. Vertical bar graph relating undergraduates' perspectives on climate and opportunities at Mines, amongst different identity groups. It includes gender identity, LGBTQ+ students, and First-Generation indicator. There are four items on the x-axisClick on graph image to view larger size

Embed Implicit Bias Training as Part of On-boarding, Teaching, Leadership Preparation and Other Relevant Processes or Committees

There has been a continued interest and need for DI&A-related learning and skill development, as expressed broadly by the Mines community. Moving beyond simply providing “implicit bias trainings,” this recommendation has been expanded to include general DI&A learning and development activities. There have been consistent and considerable efforts from across the campus community to advance our collective knowledge and skills in this space. Navigate to Mines DI&A website to request a workshop!


Diversity & Equity Workshops (DEW) committees offered a full year of programming to CLASS and expanded their offerings to all of Student Life. The DEW committee delivered a robust collection of facilitator-led professional development workshops for the entire Student Life division, including a division-wide introductory session with Vernon Wall in September 2020, followed by monthly sessions on relevant equity topics stemming from the framework established in September. Vernon Wall led a leadership workshop with Student Life leadership team to help advance a DI&A strategic vision by the leadership team.
 


Infrastructure and Operations had 89% of their employees attend DI&A workshops in 2021, which included implicit bias or microaggressions workshops, Advocates and Allies workshop, and the DI&A Symposium. In addition, they also implemented DI&A conversations using the icebreakers at unit meetings.
 
 

 

  • In the U.S., the field of Physics as a whole has struggled to live up to the ideals of DI&A. Thus, the Physics department at Mines joined and participated in the American Physical Society (APS) Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Alliance (IDEA) network to learn about best practices for improving DI&A in physics departments. Members from the Physics department participated in three workshops and six online learning communities through IDEA. As a result, they created “driver diagrams,” “power maps,” and shared ideas and challenges with members of other physics departments across the country.  
  • Eight members of the Physics department participated in the Mines DI&A Ambassador-led Implicit Bias workshop, which is a series of three 1-hour sessions. As a result, positive survey responses indicated feelings of inclusion and diversity retention.  

Header in the Black Life in America website - The experience and impact of African Americans as recorded by the news mediaThe Arthur Lakes Library’s Collection Management team debuted, “Black Life in America,” an extensive digital collection of primary source material centered on African American history, culture and daily life—as well as the ways the dominant culture has portrayed and perceived people of African descent. Black Life in America covers the experience and impact of African Americans as recorded by the news media, from 1704 to present times. To use this search feature and learn more about Black lives in America, please navigate to their database.  

 

Arthur Lakes Library book display featuring LGBTQ+ booksIn addition, they celebrated Pride month in June 2021 with a dedicated book display.  

 

  • In 2021, ITS continued their Roundtable Discussions on Social Justice, Race and Gender Equity from 12-1pm for three Fridays out of every month. Topics covered included: unconscious Bias, Restitution, White privilege, Unconscious Bias, Black Lives Matter, Mines Instagram BIPOC, Crimes against Asian Americans, allyship, and many other related issues that were in the news.   
  • FA&O led their Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Cohorts, that ran from January through March and consisted of four, 60-minute sessions. Twelve facilitators, from both FA&O and across campus, were identified and trained to conduct the sessions. Over 340 FA&O employees were invited to attend. The training was not mandatory, but highly encouraged. Thirteen cohorts were formed, averaging 28 employees to each group. To encourage a free exchange of ideas, cohorts for the FA&O leadership and FA&O directors and managers were created. By design, the other cohorts included employees from different offices across FA&O to further support inclusion and belonging, as well as encourage community building. Session topics included, “Personal Reflection on Social Justice,” “Bias,” “Microaggressions and Response,” and “Allyship.


Unlearning Racism in Geoscience (URGE) is a nation-wide initiative funded by the National Science Foundation to help geoscientists, faculty, practitioners and students unlearn racism in the discipline.
URGE has four primary objectives, as listed on their website. The departments of Geophysics and Geology & Geological Engineering came together to participate in this work, forming a “pod” to unlearn racism in the geosciences. They participated in eight, 2-week sessions covering topics such as, “Racism and History,” “Racism and Individuals,” “Racism and Accountability,” among others. To learn more about what the Geophysics and Geology & Geological Engineering departments did to catalyze systemic change, visit their webpage on URGE deliverables.  


All officers have received cultural awareness and sensitivity training in the past year. In addition, each officer completed a course around community policing principles, and procedural justice. All Department of Public Safety personnel completed in-service training around topics such as microaggressions, racial profiling, and working with the mentally ill & de-escalation techniques. In addition, several employees actively participate in the Womens’ Advisory Board and the Ally workshops delivered to all campus community members.    


The Trefny Innovative Instruction Center incorporated aspects of DI&A into workshops, office hours, resources, short courses, and consultations. In fall 2020, total counts include: 

  • 58 Workshops  
  • 35 Office Hours  
  • 14 New Resources 
  • 2 Short Courses  
  • 38 Consultations  
  • Large Class Brainstorming sessions (biweekly)  

    In spring 2021, total counts include: 

    • Student Panel: 2  
    • Workshops: 3  
    • Strategy Share-A-Thon: 1  
    • Large Class Brainstorming sessions (biweekly)  
    • Coffee Hours: 11  
    • WACs: 12  
    • Organized a Getting Ready for the Spring Semester series (week of Jan. 3) 

        Furthermore, 11 out of 14 Trefny Center staff have participated in the Mines DI&A-led Minimizing Microaggressions workshop.  


        Mines HR welcomes you to explore Percipio’s expansive library, which provides resources and tools for employees. Percipio has a wide variety of courses focused on DI&A-related themes, including, “Leading Diversity, Equity & Inclusion,” and “Unconscious Bias.” To explore short videos, articles and audiobooks, log into Percipio, navigate to the Library and then select, “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.”  

        Ensure All University Materials and Spaces are Available to All Who Need Them

        Student Accessibility


        Disability Support Services (DSS) provides services and coordinates academic accommodations, workshops, education, consultation and advocacy for students, staff, faculty and administration around disability and compliance. DSS staff continue to experience steady growth in student applications and registrations each year, with an average growth of 29% over the past four years. Furthermore, the number of registered students has nearly tripled since 2017-2018. DSS devotes significant time and resources to processing applications (149 since August 2021) and coordinating accommodations for students who are actively registered (528 as of January 2021). The office supports greater access and inclusion through collaboration with campus partners, professional development efforts and the development and procurement of assistive technology, software and resources.
         

        Of those registered in 2021, the following table outlines which disabilities have been registered with DSS:  

        Type of Disability  Proportion of DSS Registered Students 
        Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)  30% 
        Specific learning disabilities (such as dyslexia)  14% 
        Psychological/Psychiatric disabilities  13% 
        Chronic health conditions  7% 
        Autism Spectrum Disorder  8% 
        Physical disability/mobility impairment  4% 
        Hearing disability  2% 
        Vision disability  1% 
        Students who register with more than one disability  53% 

        In the fall 2021 semester, the Mines Testing Center (MTC) proctored over 2,200 exams for students.  

        Students with registered accommodations with DSS  

        Fall Semester  # of registered students  Annual % increase 
        2020  404  28% 
        2021  502  24% 


        ODAC was started in 2021 to promote activism and community within the disabled population at Mines. Mines has historically had a small disabled population, but it is growing steadily in recent years. This club strives to bring this population to the forefront so that we can make the campus more accessible and provide better support for those who need it. The members of this club aim to create a community in which disabled Orediggers and allies can interact and create meaningful relationships to carry them through their life at Mines and beyond.
         


        Over the last year, ITS worked in conjunction with the Dean of Students to provide technology to students in need.  The “raise your hand” initiative gathered technology resources from ITS loaner technology, Colorado Department of Higher Education technology grant, the student emergency fund and COVID emergency funds to help Mines students with their technology needs to complete their schoolwork.  The devices students needed ranged from laptops, internet/VPN access and peripherals.  Over the last year the “raise your hand” initiative had 71 requests with 91% of the requests being for a laptop, either to use while theirs gets repaired or because the student doesn’t have a computer of their own. Additional requests have been made and fulfilled by other departments across Mines.  All student requests for laptops during the Spring of 2020 and the 2020 – 2021 school year were fulfilled by either ITS, departments at Mines, the laptop loaner kiosks or working with the Dean of Students to purchase the needed equipment.  
         

        In February, ITS staff were charged to look at a more sustainable program. ITS met with other universities and with Student Life to write a proposal and determine equipment and funding needs, and guidelines for qualifications. This program is still in the proposal phase and working with DI&A and the Dean of Undergraduate studies to include data collected by instructors during the Fall 2020 semester.  The student technology equity program will provide laptops, drawing tablets, MiFi hotspots, external microphones, webcams and/or headphones to students based on need.   


        The Library and Museum help ensure students have access to course materials through the Open Educational Resources (OER) program. ORE at Mines is
        now saving students approximately $621,000 annually by removing or reducing textbook costs associated with courses. This program has funded 37 projects to make course materials low or no cost to students across 17 departments. Faculty engagement and participation in this movement toward open science continues to grow with each year of the program’s facilitation. For more information, please check out this flyer about OER@Mines or
        visit the OER website for details.

        General Accessibility

        As an institution of higher education, Mines is an equal access and equal opportunity employer. To ensure Mines is accessible to all employees, Human Resources provides individualized accommodations for job seekers (such as interpreters for those with hearing impairments), provides tools and software accommodations to ensure new and current employees can perform their job duties and ensures all buildings are accessible for those with physical disabilities, consistent with the requirements outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act 

        At Mines, employees who are registered with Human Resources as needing accommodation are typically around 10 people. Types of reasonable accommodation include physical workspace accommodations, established guidelines and policies to allow for service animals, or flexibility for teleworking options, for example.  

        Active Bystanders and Allies

        When a situation occurs that makes one of our Orediggers feel unwelcome, unsafe, or unheard, it’s critical that supervisors, mentors, professors, colleagues, peers and others advocate for those affected. Active bystanders or allies are those who intervene and provide support when a transgression occurs. A campus of allies who practice active bystander intervention skills is important for building an inclusive Mines community where everyone feels welcome and supported. The following provide highlights of activities and groups across campus who are “building our bench” of active bystanders and allies.

        Kickstart members gathered after a meetingFounded in December 2020 by a group of first-year students in Spruce Hall, Kickstart’s goal is to create a more diverse and cohesive community at the Colorado School of Mines. After experiencing racism on campus, the founders reasoned that insensitive behavior and microaggressions stem from a lack of experience with people from diverse backgrounds. Through the facilitation of nuanced discussions about controversial topics, social events and collaborations with other influential campus organizations, Kickstart hopes to bring the campus together by encouraging students to interact with individuals of varying majors, identities and experiences. The Executive Board of Kickstart meets once a week on Sundays in Spruce Hall, but you must receive a nomination from a current member of the E-Board to participate. This is our first year operating campus-wide and have grown our event attendance from 30 to as many as 130. We have received support from the Multicultural Engineering Program (MEP), Residence Life, the Residence Housing Association (RHA) and the Mines Philanthropy Council (MPC) as co-winners of their Mines Philanthropy Tank competition. We have also participated in numerous collaborations with organizations such as Fraternity-Sorority Life (FSL), the Arthur Lakes Library, the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE), the Mines Activity Council (MAC) and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE).

        Kickstart’s recent projects include an Anti-AAPI Hate zoom discussion, monthly “Around the Table” discussions with Fraternal-Sorority Life (FSL) and a Black History Month event that highlighted the accomplishments of unsung heroes from African American history along with a video that featured Black faculty, students and staff sharing their experiences at Mines. At our events, there is always free food from local businesses in the area and is first come first serve.

        For updates on events and information about events, follow our Instagram @csm_kickstart, look for us on Engage and look for our newsletter in the Daily Blast every other week!

        As part of Student Activities, Involvement and Leadership (SAIL), Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) participated in a program to build students’ bystander intervention skills around DI&A topics. This program is built upon a shared commitment to, and responsibility for, diversity, equity, inclusion and access values and principles among FSL members. The program increased awareness, knowledge and skills related to (1) inclusive recruitment practices, (2) allyship and advocacy, (3) identity development, (4) concepts of power and privilege, and (5) equity frameworks, all through formal learning and coaching in the program. FSL members developed language and fluency in talking about identity and equity topics, specifically allyship, race and ethnicity, and privilege concepts. For the Inclusive Recruitment Strategies Learning Workshop, there were nearly 40 attendees. There was a live panel event, “Allyship: Building a Stronger Community at Mines” that had approximately 600 attendees over two sessions. Lastly, there were chapter learning workshops in the fall and spring, which had around ten FSL members per session.