UCLA plans to appoint about 20 officers in various divisions and schools on campus to advise administrators on diversity issues and assist a new vice chancellor who will focus on diversity.
The university has also hired two discrimination prevention officers, who started working at UCLA in recent weeks and will serve under the vice chancellor. Further details about the new discrimination prevention officers, who were hired separately and have different roles from the diversity specialists, were not immediately available for this article.
The new diversity specialists, or equity advisers, will be part-time appointments and will report on diversity topics within various campus departments to the new vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion, who has yet to be appointed, said UCLA spokesman Ricardo Vazquez. The university has already filled a majority of the positions, but deans must appoint the rest of the new diversity specialists by Oct. 15.
The new vice chancellor position, which Chancellor Gene Block announced last December, will be tasked with creating a more inclusive campus and improving university processes and procedures for addressing concerns about diversity and equity on campus.
The diversity specialists will advise deans and vice provosts in each school on equity-related issues, acting as liaisons for concerns relating to diversity. They will also report to the new vice chancellor to provide local insight from within each school.
Faculty members will fill a majority of the diversity specialist positions, allowing individuals who are already involved in departments to take on the roles, Vazquez said.
The vice chancellor and discrimination prevention officer positions were created in response to a report headed by former California Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno, which the university released last October. The report said that current policies and procedures for addressing discrimination claims among faculty were insufficient.
Compiled by Julia Raven, Bruin senior staff.
And students wonder why their student fees are going up. To hire bullshit administrators who add to the paperwork but absolutely do nothing for the value of a UCLA education. More administration kow-towing to the diversity cult.