Resolution of Commitment to Anti-Racism

The TWU Faculty Senate Declares a Resolution of Commitment to Anti-Racism

WHEREAS, systemic and institutionalized bias, racism, and white supremacy have existed in the United States and higher education; and

WHEREAS, Texas Woman’s University has benefitted from and shares in this collective history, as evidenced by the Quakertown legacy; and

WHEREAS, Texas Woman’s University is recognized as a Hispanic Serving Institution and one of the most diverse campuses in the country; and

WHEREAS, TWU students, faculty and staff of color experience racism including racist micro-aggressions on a daily basis as they pursue their education, their livelihood, and scholarship; and

WHEREAS, universities transmit ideologies through education; and

WHEREAS, TWU has strategic initiatives to create a climate where each person—student, faculty, and staff—feels a sense of valued place at the university; and

WHEREAS, it is the role of university leaders to examine policies and practices of hiring, tenure and promotion, annual performance reviews, and other business pertaining to the faculty through the lenses of anti-racism, and awareness of implicit biases, and a commitment to inclusion, equity, and equality; and

WHEREAS, the role of Senate per its Constitution is “... to act as a deliberative assembly in matters of general concern to the University and to serve as an organized voice for the faculty of Texas Woman’s University;” then

LET IT BE RESOLVED, the TWU Faculty Senate condemns police brutality; opposes the suppression of free speech; denounces the suppression of votes; stands against systemic racism; and stands in solidarity with colleagues, students, and people of color in the community and supports the free exercise of their constitutional rights.

LET IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED, the Faculty Senate abhors all forms of discrimination and dedicates itself to challenging and addressing systemic racism and other inequalities that exist in Texas Woman’s University’s policies, procedures, and infrastructure in the pursuit of a just, equitable, and inclusive environment; and

LET IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED, the TWU Faculty Senate vows to hold our leadership accountable to affirm our commitment to the students, faculty, and staff of color by working together in the struggle to dismantle systemic racism that exists in educational institutions, including TWU.

THE TWU Faculty Senate Resolves to Work Together Through Shared Governance to:

• Encourage a more diverse campus including where those who are historically marginalized will be heard, appreciated and respected.
• Form a standing Senate Committee on Equity, Inclusion and Anti- Racism that will Represent faculty concerns related to equity, inclusion and anti-racism by partnering with appropriate groups at TWU including campus affinity groups.
• Recommend the Provost form a standing University Committee on Institutional Accountability that will:
• Review policies: employment, promotion and tenure, curriculum.
• Advocate for regular review of campus police, security and risk management practices that impact student and faculty rights to free speech, bodily autonomy and justice.
• Promote research-based implicit bias training for administrators, faculty, and staff.
• Include representation of faculty of color for meaningful engagement with campus affinity groups and the Faculty Senate.

DECEMBER 4, 2020

Dr. DiAnna Hynds, Speaker — Faculty Senate

 

 

See the original document: Faculty Senate Resolution of Commitment to Anti-Racism

Page last updated 1:00 PM, January 14, 2021