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We Are BART. » BART Diversity Statement

BART Diversity Statement

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) at BART

BART is committed to building open, responsive, and inclusive spaces within our community. We recognize our responsibility to create brave, inclusive spaces where students, families, faculty, and staff, encompassing multiple intersecting identities, may work, learn, serve, and ultimately thrive.

We are dedicated to making deliberate efforts to ensure our campus is a place where all differences are welcomed, all voices are heard, and where each person shares a sense of belonging.

 

Our DEIB Philosophy

 

1. Lifelong Learning & Cultural Humility

Diversity is at the core of our collaborative, creative, inquiry-based model of education. We offer an interdisciplinary education that is inclusive of the knowledge and experiences of groups who have been historically underrepresented.

  • Together, we strive to be a community engaged in a respectful exchange of ideas and ways of being, and critical and analytical thought—essential factors for transformative learning.
  • We believe that meaningful work within these spaces is rooted in dialogue to thoughtfully respond to the changing realities of our increasingly interconnected world.
 

2. Commitment to Action

BART strives to remove current and historical barriers to success while promoting compassion, dignity, empathy, and mutual respect. We will continuously strive for excellence in DEIB through:

  • Strategic Planning, Coordination, and Assessment
  • Community Programming and Policy
  • Professional Development and Celebration with all BART stakeholders.

 

Defining Our Principles

 

BART's commitment to DEIB is defined by the following core principles, and backed by deliberate action:

Diversity

BART is devoted to recognizing, recruiting, and retaining all facets of diverse community membership. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Identity: Race and ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation.
  • Background: Socioeconomic status, language, culture, national origin, religious commitments.
  • Thought: Line of thought, political affiliation.
  • Ability: Age, (in)visible disability status, and any other facet of identity.
 

Equity

BART is committed to working actively to challenge and respond to bias, harassment, and discrimination. In the name of equity, we have taken action, including:

  • Implemented a bias response system.
  • Launched an annual international festival.
  • Restructured our internal name change processes.
  • Created a robust three-pronged faculty/staff/student committee on DEIB.

 

Inclusion & Belonging

BART is dedicated to pursuing deliberate efforts to ensure that our campus is a place where all differences are welcomed, and all voices are heard. We foster belonging through:

  • The establishment of multiple Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).
  • The creation of various student affinity spaces, which provide an outlet for community voice and advocacy.