Cal Poly announced it will provide more than $950,000 toward improving diversity, equity and inclusion on campus through several diversity initiatives, according to a campus-wide email.
The initiatives are partly based on recommendations from the Collective Impact process, the Cal Poly Experience (CPX) survey and listening sessions, according to the email.
Part of the funding will go toward developing a Native American and Indigenous Peoples Center, which will be created in collaboration with local tribal leaders.
The Cross-Cultural Centers (CCC), Black Academic Excellence Center (BAEC) and Dream Center will also be united under one organizational structure that will report to Assistant Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Jamie Patton.
Arranging the programs under one structure will help create a sense of belonging for student communities, according to the email.
About $115,000 of the funding will go to the Disability Resource Center to hire an access specialist. According to the email, the position will help manage the 88 percent increase in students qualifying for accessibility accommodations since 2017.
In addition to the $950,000, Cal Poly is allocating more than $450,000 to increase access and supportive spaces for students.
Plans for these spaces include establishing a Latinx Center, enhancing programming in the CCC, creating additional programming for the BAEC and providing additional support for the Dream Center and other culturally based student groups.
A campus-wide speakers program, including conversations on topics such as white allyship, micro-affirmations and campus climate will be established with $50,000 of the funding.
“We’re excited about these changes, because everyone works and learns to their highest potential when Cal Poly is diverse, equitable and inclusive,” Vice President of Diversity and inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer Jozi De Leon wrote in the email.
More information on the programs, funding amounts and sources of funding will be outlined at a later date, according to the email.