BIPOC Task Forces
Advancing BIPOC Leadership & Inclusion at GVSU
At Grand Valley State University, we are committed to fostering an inclusive, people-centered culture where everyone can thrive. This page provides updates on the work of our BIPOC Task Forces, which have made significant strides in addressing priorities from the Black Student Town Hall in April 2024. Inspired by our Black student community, these task forces — bringing students, faculty, and staff together — are focused on empowering student leadership and creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for BIPOC students and to ensure lasting change on campus.
By fostering collaboration and shared learning, we are building a community dedicated to advancing inclusivity through continuous dialogue and measurable progress.
- Task Force Participation: 70+ students, faculty, and staff, including 5 members of the SLT.
- Accomplishments: Performed review of existing practices; formulated multiple recommendations that seek to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the university community.
- Recommendations: Focused on 44 areas (with overlap between groups), such as enrollment engagement, diversity among faculty and staff, student support, DEI training, and university branding.
- Continuation of Efforts: To streamline work and improve accountability, existing teams have evolved and the responsibility to oversee implementation has shifted to our Black Student Union (BSU) and Division of People, Equity, and Culture (PEC) for relevant recommendations.
The Task Forces
The Admissions and Orientation Task Force is dedicated to enhancing the admissions process and orientation experience for new students. The key focus areas include:
- Expanding the EDH 181 course offerings,
- Scaling up the Structured Learning Assistance (SLA) program,
- Implementing a comprehensive Upper-Class Peer Advising Mentors Program, and
- Introducing a Multicultural Assistance program.
The Support for Students of Color Task Force's goal is to identify and implement strategies that foster an inclusive, equitable, and supportive educational environment for students of color on Grand Valley's campus. By addressing systemic barriers and promoting cultural competence, the task force seeks to empower students to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
Through implementation of the advised processes, we hope to see an increase in retention for years to come, increased morale of BIPOC students, and an increase in academic excellence as evidenced by a higher GPA average and a higher level of awareness of the resources available on campus throughout the academic year.
The Inclusive Hiring task force focuses on fostering more inclusive hiring practices at Grand Valley by increasing transparency and involving students in the faculty and staff selection process. Its goals include educating students on hiring practices and past statistics while ensuring their ongoing participation in finalist interviews to enhance trust, campus experience, and overall engagement.
The mission of this task force is to equip GVSU faculty, staff, and student employees with DEI-focused training, professional development, and accountability measures to create more inclusive classrooms, workplaces, and leadership practices. By fostering a campus culture rooted in equity and belonging, these initiatives aim to enhance teaching strategies, equitable leadership, and cultural competency while improving student engagement, retention, and academic success.
The goal this task force is to enhance our current accountability system (Evaluations and Feedback) by including questions related to culturally responsive teaching practices, as well as promote top down approaches that would encourage preventive practices in the classroom that reduced negative classroom experiences.
The Marketing and Student Engagement task force aims to enhance the visibility and authenticity of Grand Valley State University (GVSU) events and marketing materials. This initiative focuses on improving the representation of the student body, fostering a sense of belonging, and increasing student engagement through strategic marketing and event promotion.
Action Items
- Expand structured learning assistance programs across departments. Update: The university has successfully expanded its Structured Learning Assistance (SLA) programs across departments. This fall 2024, GVSU is offering 54 SLA sections, with 49 more planned for winter 2025. Additionally, 8 Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL) sections and 4 embedded tutoring sections will be available in both the fall and winter semesters. Academic Affairs Division will assess the impact of these initiatives to guide future resource allocation.
- Invest in expanded resources in the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA). Update: The Division of Student Affairs has added a dedicated Director to lead OMA and will continue to evaluate staffing needs.
- Enhance the RA curriculum to improve connections between students and campus resources. Update: Implemented and ongoing across many areas of student support.
- Increase collaboration with student organizations to ensure authentic representation. Update: Work already underway through the Marketing and Communications with engagement from student task force members.
- Develop a first-year experience course tailored for BIPOC student success. Update: This year, the university is running multiple FYE pilots, including 1YLC, EDH 181 for Oliver Wilson Scholars, BUS 101, and Voyage options. These groups have been working together on a shared set of student learning outcomes and coordinated assessment.
The following recommendations are in progress following summer efforts of the task forces. They require additional and ongoing work.
- Implement mandatory DEI training as part of new employee onboarding. Update: A virtual training was released to all employees in 2023 and participation is being tracked by the Division of Inclusion and Equity. Components have been added to new faculty orientation. Additional discussion needed.
- Create DEI positions in each college or formalize accountability for DEI commitments. Update: Every college either has a person whose portfolio includes DEI leadership and/or a committee. All divisions and colleges have representatives on the I&E Activation and Accountability Team. Additional discussions on coordination and communication will be helpful.
- Increase visibility and accessibility of student support resources. Update: Increased attention in Res Hall bulletin boards, Laker Dock, and email messaging planned. Additional discussion and work plans needed.
- Develop and certify additional DEI learning and development offerings. Update: Ongoing.
- Require supervisors to engage in a certain number of DEI training hours annually. Update: Ongoing discussions to explore feasibility and accountability. Additional work plan development needed.
- Increase student participation and representation in faculty and staff hiring processes. Update: I&E is exploring training and engagement opportunities for students through the Inclusion Advocates program. Students participated in the hiring of the new Vice President for People, Equity, and Culture. Some areas regularly include students and others are very open to doing so. In CLAS, for example, units have been inviting students to the open presentations, setting up student-focused lunches with candidates, etc., and asking students who engage to fill out the evaluation form that everyone participating in the search fills out to inform the committee's recommendations. A work plan to develop guidance and process for engagement is needed.
- Strengthen the AALT student engagement cohort connected to DEI work. Update: Ongoing with expanded stipend positions available for students this academic year.
- Use high-engagement tools like social media to improve communication with students. Update: The Branding Task Force will become an advisory body for the Marketing and Communications areas to continue to advance this recommendation.
- Ensure appropriate students of color representation in all university branding and communication efforts. Update: The Branding Task Force will become an advisory body for the Marketing and Communications areas to continue to advance this recommendation.
- Establish a transition plan for the Branding Task Force to become an advisory group. Update: Underway
The following are areas where task force members and administration agree and efforts are being or will be advanced. Some are underway and others require work plan development.
- Develop and implement a comprehensive peer mentorship program; Enhance peer-to-peer mentoring with targeted support for underrepresented students; Collaborate with the Honors College and OMA to create a peer-to-peer mentorship program. Note: Work plan should consider an inventory of current efforts.
- Establish a process for linking advising alerts with housing directors. Note: Coordination among divisions needed in work plan.
- Extend responsibilities of peer leaders for Black Excellence programming throughout the year. Note: Plan to pilot this year.
- Establish physical and emotional community spaces for Black and BIPOC resident advisors (RAs). Note: Work plan needed.
- Review downtown spaces to create more private and enclosed areas for support services. Note: Work plan needed.
- Establish a system for ongoing feedback and evaluation of student participation in hiring. Note: Include in overall student engagement in the employee hiring process work plan.
- Include culturally responsive questions in mid-semester and end-of-semester surveys. Note: Plans to pilot.
- Implement DEI workshops for department unit heads to enhance leadership. Note: Discussions underway in Provost's Office.
- Create formal safe spaces for students to give direct feedback to faculty about classroom climate. Note: Campus Climate Reporting system already exists. Exploring other opportunities can be advanced through work plans.
- Implement a QR code system to increase event visibility and engagement. Note: Work plan needed.
- Centralize event promotion through a comprehensive online platform. Update: Work plan needed.
- Develop surveys to assess the effectiveness of student engagement initiatives; Convene student focus groups to review communication strategies. Update: Work plan needed.
The following recommendations require more discussion to understand intended outcome, to ensure alignment with inclusive and best practices, and/or to determine prioritization because of resources required.
- Create a Multicultural Assistants program inspired by successful models at other universities.
- Invest in three additional FTE positions in the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA).
- Improve equitable access to quality and affordable health care for students of color.
- Seek investment in 1-2 additional FTEs for OMA staff downtown.
- Develop a system for supervisor accountability in promoting an inclusive environment.
- Prioritize tenure-track faculty for first-year courses to promote inclusivity.
- Pilot and evaluate culturally responsive teaching practices through faculty evaluations.
- Create an ongoing scholars/fellowship course series for students, faculty and staff to engage in deep learning about Inclusion and equity and to apply that knowledge to the GVSU community/system. (was not discussed by task force fully)