Position Statement on Racial Equity

As members of the President and Provost's Council on Women, we work toward a more equitable world for women. We believe this: If women of color do not have equity women do not have equity. And the data is clear: Women of color do not have equity.

September 2020

As our nation grapples with centuries of institutionalized racism, many of us have asked a simple question: What do we do next? As members of the President and Provost’s Council on Women (PPCW), we work toward a more equitable world for women. We believe this: If women of color do not have equity, women do not have equity. And the data is clear: Women of color do not have equity.

Consider:

Just 4 percent of Ohio State’s tenure track faculty are African-American, Hispanic, Native American or Native Hawaiian, compared to 11 percent in the student population. This number largely holds true at the department and college levels — and has remained roughly the same for the past decade. Some gains have been made for clinical faculty, but both the number and proportion remain low.
Very few senior leaders at Ohio State are women of color, at both the faculty and staff level (including the Council of Deans and Senior Management Council). Only 8 percent of department chairs are African-American, Hispanic, Native American or Native Hawaiian women. (Source: Office of Institutional Research and Planning.)

These numbers galvanize us: We must do better. We believe the path to lasting, meaningful change lies in first understanding, then taking action.The PPCW is already at work on two initiatives that address the career paths of Ohio State women of color:

We are dedicated to improving pay equity and the pay equity appeal process. Progress here is key to women’s long-term economic health: Consider that women earn 82 percent of what men earn. That falls to 62 percent for Black women and 54 percent for Hispanic women. (Source: American Association of University Women.)
We are dedicated to creating programs that increase mentorship opportunities for women.

As an advisory council to the president and provost, we seek conversation and a renewed university-wide commitment to these charges and the resources necessary to make lasting change. We also urge the university to commit to action in two other key areas:

IMPROVING HIRING, RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF WOMEN OF COLOR
This has long been recognized as a challenge at Ohio State. We seek action that includes:

More women of color in leadership positions across the board (faculty and staff).
Examining, affirming and establishing equitable recruitment practices.

CREATING A WELCOMING, INCLUSIVE CULTURE
It is not enough to talk about standing with people of color. We seek actions that include:

Creating a university-wide program for allies and advocates for people of color, modeled after Ohio State’s program for allies of women, hosted by The Women’s Place.
Making implicit bias training and resources available and/or required for faculty and staff.

We must share the strength of our united voice. We must welcome and embrace — not tolerate. We must actively invite, not simply include.

Signed,

Kristen Cole, PPCW Chair, Senior Director, Operations, Comprehensive Cancer Center
Joyce J. Chen, PPCW Chair-elect, Associate Professor, College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
Bella Mehta, PPCW Past Chair, Professor, College of Pharmacy
Jacqueline Aberegg, Senior Enterprise Marketing Strategist, University Advancement
Quanetta Batts, Program Director, Outreach and Engagement, University Libraries
Donna Bobbitt-Zeher, Associate Professor, College of Arts and Sciences, Sociology (Marion Campus)
Rachel Bowen, Associate Professor, College of Arts and Sciences, Political Science (Mansfield Campus)
Cynthia Callahan, Associate Professor, College of Arts and Sciences - English (Mansfield Campus)
Emily Caldwell, Media Relations Manager, Office of the President
Kristen Convery, Senior Director, Marketing Content, University Advancement
Sheila Craft-Morgan, Senior Resource Planning Analyst, Academic Affairs, Office of Institutional Research & Planning
Kimberly Doran, Director for Instructional Support Services, Academic Affairs, Student Athlete Support Services Office
Molly Driscoll, Senior Director, Talent and Acquisition, Human Resources
Elena Foulis, Senior Lecturer, College of Arts and Sciences
Toni Greenslade-Smith, Director, STEP Operations and Housing Administration, Student Life/University Housing
Grace Johnson, Chief of Staff, Office of the Vice Provost & Chief Diversity Officer
Wendy Karavolos, Executive Assistant to Interim VP and General Counsel, ASFW representative
Clara Lee, Associate Professor, Physician, College of Plastic Surgery
Sandra López, Legislative Advisor, Division of Community Engagement, Columbus City Council
Shannon Morrison, Manager, Curriculum & Assessment, Center for Aviation Studies
Christine O’Malley, Communications Consultant, Human Resources
Jasmine Roberts, Lecturer, School of Communication
Heena Santry, Associate Professor, Surgery
Zarine Shah, Associate Professor, Radiology
Nicole Thomas, Representative for Associate Vice President, ADVANCE
Feiqian Zong, Manager, Contract & Agreement, Engineering Research Operation
Andreá Williams, Interim Director, Associate Professor, The Women's Place, College of Arts and Sciences
Nita Willams, Director, Non-therapeutic Clinical Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center
Shannon Winnubst, Professor and Chair, College of Arts and Sciences