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Syracuse University announces progress on campus climate recommendations

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The Chancellor's Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion made 33 recommendations to improve campus climate at Syracuse University.

Syracuse University has made progress on campus climate recommendations made by the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion, the university announced in an SU News release on Wednesday.

The initiatives outlined by the recommendations include renovations to the Schine Student Center and a campus-wide accessibility audit.

The workgroup, formed in October 2015, made a total of 33 recommendations aimed at bolstering inclusive policies and promoting diversity across campus.

Here are the developments announced Wednesday on some of the workgroup’s recommendations:

  • The form SU faculty members use to update their curriculum vitae was revised to allow faculty to share how they have included equity, diversity, inclusion and international knowledge and global issues in their teaching, research and service.
  • A Schine feasibility study is being conducted to analyze ways the university could utilize existing space. Discussions have included the possibility housing cultural centers such as the Disability Cultural Center, LGBT Resource Center, Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Slutzker Center for International Services in Schine.
  • A draft of the SU policy on Information and Communication Technology accessibility is being revised. The university has also purchased Blackboard’s Ally software, which makes digital coursework more accessible, and is expected to introduce the software in the spring. SU introduced a pilot program to ensure software and hardware products meet the university’s accessibility guidelines.
  • About 9 million square feet of university space is being analyzed in an accessibility audit. SU’s Campus Planning, Design and Construction and other partners will evaluate the audit and make follow-up recommendations and plans.
  • SU held the second annual Indigenous Peoples Day in October. The university’s calendar, published by Hendricks Chapel, will note Indigenous Peoples Day as the second Monday in October.







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