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About Us

The Mission of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility (DEIA) Committee is to examine the institution with a critical lens by acknowledging our diversity, creating a culture of unity, developing equitable practices, promoting an inclusive and fully accessible environment for all students and community members. 

This space is meant to be a social justice seeking, anti-racist space where all minds, bodies and feelings are welcome and challenged to be life-long learners.

On behalf of Columbia College, the DEIA Committee facilitates work toward ten working goals:   

  1. Identify, attract, retain and graduate a  diverse student body.  
  2. Identify, attract and retain a  diverse faculty and staff.   
  3. Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion as a common goal in  campus culture.   
  4. Educate, train, mentor, and model an inclusive perspective through professional development.  
  5. Connect the Columbia College Community to  diverse services,  information, and resources.  
  6. Support faculty in the infusion of diversity, equity, and inclusion in  curriculum.   
  7. Demonstrate self-awareness, confidence, family pride and positive  social identities  within individuals and diverse populations.  
  8. Facilitate dialogue  about human diversity using accurate language for human differences; and deep, caring human connections to create comfort and joy in diversity.    
  9. Recognize and  understand unfairness,  racism, and bigotry exist and create language to describe discrimination, and understand that discrimination hurts. 
  10. Demonstrate empowerment  and the skills to act, with others or alone, against prejudice and/or discrimination. 

The Columbia College DEIA committee is dedicated to racial justice and is committed to healing, reconciling, and dismantling racism. This commitment is rooted in the belief that all members of our community are valued and needed.

As an institution of higher learning, Columbia College is obligated to address structural racism and the inequitable and racialized outcomes it produces.  We also have the professional responsibility to be civil, respectful, decent, and fair to all people. The violence against, bias toward, and inequitable treatment of all human beings, particularly people of color, will not be tolerated. To that end, we will work as a community and with stakeholders in our College to address these ongoing issues and to counter racist views and practices.

The DEIA committee recognizes that our varying experiences and participation in systems of power and privilege make ongoing conversations about race and institutional racism challenging. Therefore, we commit to advocate for policies and practices that provide solutions to dismantling oppressive and discriminating systems and develop new strategies related to racial justice. We will also strive to foster a culturally diverse environment that is free of discrimination, bigotry, and hate speech.

We are dedicated and committed to this path of social justice and welcome others to walk with us in the journey.

The DEIA committee begins each meeting session by reading the following land acknowledgment. Please feel free to use this acknowledgment in any of your meetings as well.

On behalf of Columbia College, I acknowledge the land on which we stand today as the traditional home of the Central Sierra MeWuk Peoples. Without them, we would not have access to this gathering and to this dialog. I take this opportunity to thank the original caretakers of this land who are still here.

 

dEIA Newsletters

 

DEIA Feedback and Recognition

DEIA Comments/Suggestions
We welcome you to share your comments/feedback, add committee agenda items, and suggest ideas by clicking Interest Form.

DEIA Acknowledgements
Here we seek to honor some of the work that is already being done in the areas of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Social Justice related to our campus community. Please take the time to nominate someone or a group of people who have taken positive steps in these areas. Nominees can include Students, Faculty, Staff and Leadership members including any of the groups they comprise. Submit your nomination by clicking DEIA Awards.


DEIA Achievements
Around the college campus, through every department, events, projects, and professional development learning opportunities that support and reflect the DEIA mission and goals are happening! Everyone is encouraged to report their DEIA efforts - yearly reminders will be sent and compiled results will be available in the Spring DEIA Newsletters annually. Click DEIA Achievements.

DEIA Library Collection

Native america heritage library guide

Disabled student resources guide

Columbia College DEIA Logo