By Akira Morris
Riverside City College tackled pivotal issues in its second-to-last Academic Senate meeting, notably the formation of the President’s Advisory Council on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility, Anti-Racism, and Belonging for Social and Economic Justice (DEIAAB/SEJ) on May 6.
College President Claire Oliveros announced the opening of nominations for the DEIAAB/SEJ committee.
“The hope is that this group or this call attracts interest to form a 15-member body appointed by our respective constituency shared governance groups,” Oliveros said. “This body will work in consultation and collaboration to advance the work of DEIAAB/SEJ through our shared governance and leadership councils.”
The council includes representatives from administration, faculty, student leaders and community-based organizations. It will be an umbrella body addressing intense topics within the college’s shared governance structure.
Oliveros emphasized the council’s commitment to addressing policies and their implementation, along with procedures, protocols and innovative approaches to ensure or create more equitable opportunities for all RCC groups.
Membership criteria for the council include recommendations from the Academic Senate, California Teachers Association (CTA), California School Employees Association (CSEA), and Associated Students of RCC (ASRCC). Applications are due by May 15.
“Please encourage colleagues or yourself to consider applying,” Oliveros said. “It’s a very short submission. We will review next week and we will have a kickoff luncheon on May 22.”
The proposed objectives of the council include listening and responding to the RCC community’s concerns and advocating for respectful interactions. The objectives also include building an inclusive organizational culture, celebrating multiculturalism, promoting culturally responsive communication, assessing campus climate and monitoring the college’s strategic plan through a DEIAAB/SEJ lens.
The proposal will focus on specific areas, such as developing guiding principles and community agreements and implementing a culture of change through the leadership councils.
The council will also have goals that involve utilizing disaggregated data, acknowledging RCC’s tribal connections, assessing DEIAAB/SEJ processes, identifying equity-minded professional learning opportunities towards institutional change, diversifying hiring, facilitating professional learning communities, and advancing guided pathways and culturally responsive curriculum.
Oliveros encourages active participation from all members of the RCC community to ensure diverse perspectives and genuine contributions toward reaching DEIAAB/SEJ goals.
The Academic Senate’s deliberations highlighted RCC’s commitment to enhancing a welcoming environment and tackling deep-rooted forms of inequality.
The college established the President’s Advisory Council on DEIAAB/SEJ to advance fairness and equality within its campus community and beyond.
