President's Commissions for Equity
The President's Commissions for Equity: The Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Equity (CLGBTQE); the Commission on Racial/Ethnic Diversity (CORED); and the Commission for Women (CFW) are advisory groups to the President of Penn State.
CLGBTQE Reflects on Current Campus Climate and Recommendations for Practice - [ 10-29-2021 ]
CLGBTQE report on community survey findings - [ PDF 11-01-2021 ]
What is the charge of the Commissions?
It is the charge of the commissions to provide to the President recommendations germane to issues of LGBTQ, racially or ethnically diverse, and women-identified persons at Penn State. Innovative, evidence-informed recommendations for the creation of an inclusive and welcoming campus climate are of particular interest.
Who can be a member of the Commissions?
The commissions are comprised of up to fifteen full-time University faculty, staff, students, and administrators. The commissions value the expertise and experience that can be found among the members of the University community; students (undergraduate and graduate), faculty, staff, and administrators from all Penn State campuses are eligible to serve. The President of Penn State appoints members.
Employees must be in good standing to be considered for commission membership. Faculty or staff are considered to be in good standing if they are meeting the expectations of their positions and have not been the recipient of recent discipline. Individuals should also exhibit qualities such as civility, collegiality, and a commitment to the overall success of their departments.
Undergraduate students must have and maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 in order to serve on a commission. Graduate students must have and maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 to serve on a commission. Student applicants' academic records and conduct histories will be checked to determine eligibility for commission membership.
What does Commission membership involve?
Commission members are expected to attend meetings, typically monthly, and contribute to forwarding strategic goals. Staff members are encouraged to discuss their participation with their supervisors.
The Disability Access Initiative (DAI) is a working group at Penn State charged with addressing disability equity and inclusion.
The DAI collaborates with other offices to create evidence-informed recommendations crafted in consideration of benchmarking, best practices, research, and impact data, to address organizational or structural barriers to inclusion and promote a welcoming climate. To date, the DAI has drafted three proposals for enhancing access and inclusivity at Penn State: a web landing page that will offer visitors clear guidance on disability access issues; a reporting mechanism that will allow students, faculty, and staff to call attention to physical barriers and seek their removal or modification; and the establishment of an internship/employment network for Penn State students and graduates with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.
