Making Emerson IDEAS and New Bias Reporting Form

Good Morning Students, Faculty, and Staff,

Please see the below announcements regarding two new programs in support of community equity at Emerson: the Making Emerson IDEAS Initiative and a new Bias Incident Reporting Program.

Emerson Launches the Making Emerson IDEAS Initiative

As the college continues to grow in knowledge and empathy about the ways in which the power dynamics of systemic oppression are embedded in the culture at Emerson as an institution, we want to reaffirm our commitment to make meaningful change in the daily experiences of BIPOC students, students with disabilities, first generation college students, and students with other marginalized identities. In support of this, we are pleased to announce a new initiative: Making Emerson IDEAS (Inclusive, Diverse, Equitable, Accessible, Sustainable & Socially Just).

Making Emerson IDEAS is an interdepartmental initiative charged with coordinating efforts across the College to improve learning, satisfaction, retention, and a sense of belonging for BIPOC students, students with disabilities, first generation college students, and students with other marginalized identities. 

This initiative will be implemented by the Making Emerson IDEAS Team, a group of Emerson staff who have knowledge, skills, and experience creating teaching and learning environments that optimally serve all students. The Team members (see below) are staff from Academic Affairs, Campus Life, Enrollment Management, the Social Justice Center, Kasteel Well, and Emerson Los Angeles who represent key areas of work related to diversity, equity, social justice, belonging, and student enrollment and support. 

The Team will convene on a regular schedule throughout the academic year and will communicate frequently with student groups. Representatives from Student Accessibility Services, Counseling & Psychological Services, and other departments may be asked to consult with the group on an as-needed basis. The Team will also develop evidence-based recommendations to vice presidents that support the College’s commitment to interrogate and address policies and practices that reinforce structural oppression, or exclude, diminish, and alienate members of our community and society.

Questions related to this new initiative should be directed to Dr. Anthony Pinder (anthony_pinder@emerson.edu), Vice Provost, Internationalization & Equity; Sharon Duffy (sharon_duffy@emerson.edu), Assistant Vice President for Student Success, Enrollment Management; or Chris Daly (chris_daly@emerson.edu), Assistant Dean for Campus Life.

Making Emerson IDEAS Team

Academic Affairs

Dr. Anthony L. Pinder, Vice Provost, Internationalization & Equity 

Tuesda Roberts, PhD, Director for Faculty Development and Diversity

Campus Life and Student Affairs

Chris Daly, Assistant Dean for Campus Life

tamia rashima jordan, Director of Intercultural Student Affairs

Emerson Los Angeles

Timothy Chang, Associate Vice President and Chief Operations Officer

Enrollment Management

Sharon Duffy, Assistant Vice President for Student Success

Christopher Grant, Director, Access, Belonging and Student Success

Kasteel Well

Tikesha R. Morgan, Assistant Dean, Global & Equity Education 

Social Justice Center

Samantha M. Ivery, Director of Diversity & Equity Initiatives

Jae Williams, Director of Special Projects

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New Bias Reporting Form

Emerson College is committed to a living, learning, and working environment where all community members can thrive without fear of hate or bias. To increase transparency and accountability in response to reports of bias, the College has launched a new Bias Incident Reporting Form. The Emerson Bias Reporting Form provides students, staff, and faculty with a centralized reporting tool if they experience or witness an incident of bias on any Emerson campus.

The purpose of the Emerson Bias Reporting Form is to address incidents that violate the College’s values of respect and equity and to identify patterns of individual and structural behavior for institutional response. Staff in the Social Justice Center will continue to be available to all community members who wish to seek support, advocacy, or information regarding identity-based harm. 

The Bias Reporting Form can be completed anonymously or contact information can be provided if you would like a member of the Bias Response Team to reach out to you. Reports are triaged to the appropriate member of the Bias Response Team based on the role of the person named in the report.

Responses to reports of bias may range from informal resolution to formal disciplinary action, depending on the specifics of each incident. Please email bias@emerson.edu with any questions or concerns.

Emerson Bias Response Team:
Julie Rothhaar-Sanders, Director, Community Standards (Students)
Brooke Knight, Assistant Provost for Faculty Affairs (Faculty)
Cathy Carney, Director of Human Resources (Staff)