The Equity and Diversity Committee (EDC) is a formal governance committee that advises the dean on issues of equity and diversity affecting the college. EDC operates independently of the ODEI, but they collaborate frequently and consult with one another one. Examples of issues that EDC has advised on include: recommendations regarding a grievance procedure for students, academic staff, and faculty; procedures in hiring searches to ensure greater diversity among the college’s faculty and staff; recruitment and retention of minority students; minority student programs; retention programs for at-risk students; other issues as deemed appropriate by the committee.

More information about the EDC can be found on their website.

The Wellness Committee was launched in 2015 with the vision of a culture and environment of wellness in CALS. Its mission is to support opportunities that promote the health and well-being of the CALS community. They work in partnership with UWell, a campus-wide effort committed to benefiting and promoting wellness on campus. Their approach to wellness is holistic, and they strive to promote activities and events on campus that meet the seven dimensions of wellness.

More information about the Wellness Committee can be found on their website.

The purpose of the CALS department diversity representatives meeting is to enhance communication and coordination between CALS academic departments and central administration when it comes to DEI opportunities, challenges and needs.

Department diversity representatives will focus on the following strategic goals:

• Establish a broader sense of community that extends across CALS departments and administration
• Share and discuss current DEI trends–both promising and challenging–within departments and CALS more broadly to identify themes and inform collective action
• Advocate to ensure the groups learning and insights positively influence departments’ decision-making processes around DEI-related topics
• Invest in building individual and collective awareness and capacity to move DEI initiatives forward in alignment with the CALS mission
• Identify aspects of departmental operations in need of greater support and/or coordination from CALS administration, and vice versa

The role of a department diversity representative is to:

• Participate in department diversity representative meetings
• Ensure that DEI updates are standing items on department meeting agendas
• Help identify the major challenges facing the department, using whichever mechanisms of feedback are most useful (e.g., CALS climate survey, one-on-one conversations, small group discussions, consultations with leadership)
• Become familiar with issues relating to diversity, climate, and inclusion through professional development activities (e.g., conference/workshop attendance, LCICE Workshops, reading group)
• Understand processes relating to equity and diversity, including whom to contact for issues such as grievances, hate and bias reporting
• Serve as an advocate for communicating information in departments regarding upcoming programs, workshops, or activities relating to diversity, climate, and inclusion
• Be a point of contact for programs seeking partnerships on diversity related activities (e.g., student group visits, outreach events)

The purpose of the CALS graduate programs coordinator meeting is to enhance communication and coordination between CALS academic departments and central administration when it comes to DEI opportunities, challenges and needs. Graduate program coordinators are professional staff members who work with faculty and students, and are often tasked to relay information to different groups. The ODEI recognizes their unique role and seeks to support them in their work.

The ODEI meets regularly with two CALS student groups, MOSAIC (Mentoring Opportunities in Science & Agriculture for Individuals of Color) and MANNRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences, UW-Madison Chapter). The purpose of the meetings is to enhance communication and coordination between students and central administration when it comes to DEI opportunities, challenges and needs. The meetings provide ODEI with insights from undergraduate and graduate students within CALS to incorporate their perspectives into DEI programs and initiatives.

Visit the MOSAIC website for more information. More information about MANNRS can be found on their website.