The Academic Advising Center (AAC) is dedicated to integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in all aspects of our work. We acknowledge that the AAC, the University, and higher education as a whole, are steeped in cultures and systems designed to reinforce the oppression and inequity of multiple historically and currently marginalized populations, and we acknowledge our institution’s role in perpetuating systemic inequality on our campus and in our office. We are aware of intersecting identities that encompass all aspects of human difference, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, creed, color, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual identity, socio-economic status, language, culture, national origin, religion/spirituality, age, [dis]ability, military/veteran status, political perspective, and associational preferences. The AAC strives to support the myriad identities of our students and to advance equitable institutional policies and practices and commits to the following ongoing institutional and organizational efforts:

Acknowledging Power Dynamics of Individuals, Systems, and Information

• Recognizing the power dynamic between advisors and students
• Acknowledge power dynamics in the workplace among administrative staff, advisors, directors, and students
• Examine how our policies and best practices perpetuate inequities
• Attend to inequity in policies and practices and advocate to remove barriers
• Listen to and support student voices

Acknowledging Bias and Valuing Individual Experience

• Acknowledge we all have bias
• Recognize implicit bias in the advising relationship
• Recognize implicit bias in the workplace and university
• Value the individual and intersecting identities of students
• Support students through one-on-one advising while acknowledging there is no single student experience

Striving for Individual and Structural Inclusivity

• Adopt and practice holistic and inclusive advising
• Foster an inclusive environment
• Reflect a commitment to DEI initiatives in our physical spaces by creating a welcoming, inclusive, and accessible environment
• Reflect a commitment to DEI initiatives by setting a framework of expectations for our office culture

Fostering Ongoing Professional and Staff Development

• Support a growth mindset, providing resources and opportunities for staff to continuously learn about the identities and lived realities of students and colleagues
• Integrate DEI into all aspects of training and staff development, encouraging ongoing participation in University DEI education programs for all staff
• Support a professional philosophy that pushes back against the status quo and aims to reduce institutional oppression

Creating Organizational Responsibility and Accountability

• Hire and retain diverse staff
• Develop a unit-level DEI data profile to support a DEI action plan
• Develop a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Team to set goals and create an accountability plan for those goals
• Provide financial support for professional development opportunities
• Develop a DEI plan for the director team