Wednesday 5 February 2025
The purpose of the Campus Climate Initiative (CCI) is to improve the university’s preparation for and consistency in addressing major events and incidents while maintaining our campuses as safe, respectful and inclusive spaces.
The Initiative delivers a systemwide framework that reflects common standards for enforcing institutional policies and federal and state laws and individual campus climate action plans that reflect efforts to ensure consistent enforcement.
The CCI has three components:
The framework takes the form of a self-assessment tool that allows campuses to assess their current compliance with institutional policies and state and federal law and to identify those who are responsible for implementing campus actions and fostering positive campus climate. Campuses will receive feedback from national experts on their assessments in the form of reports, and will then work to design campus plans, including roles/responsibilities, that reflect the standards of the systemwide framework.
For the 2024-25 academic year, UCOP has partnered with the Center for Strategic Diversity Initiatives and Social Innovation to develop the framework, provide feedback, support and coaching to campuses, and help campuses implement their plans. Beyond 2024-25, UCOP will ask campuses to report annually on the effectiveness of their plans in managing major events and incidents and fostering positive campus climate.
The Initiative responds to SB 108, which requires UC to “develop a systemwide framework to provide for consistency with campus implementation and enforcement…and to report on any and all efforts to ensure consistent enforcement of institutional policies, and state and federal law, that protect safety and access to educational opportunities and campus spaces and buildings.” The deliverables of the Campus Climate Initiative – a systemwide framework and campus climate action plans – respond to these requirements of SB 108.
The benefits of the CCI are:
The UC-Hillel partnership is an important one for raising awareness of the experiences of our Jewish students and implementing new campus actions that address antisemitism and ensure that Jewish students thrive on UC campuses.
The Campus Climate Initiative takes a comprehensive look at campus climate for our entire university community, including our Jewish students, and establishes a common framework and set of actions for enforcing our policies and their respective consequences.
It helps campuses plan and prepare for campus disruptions that extend beyond the fall and spring events to include the US presidential election and ongoing identity-based attacks, among other possible disruptions.
Campus plans will not be made available publicly in order to preserve the university’s ability to respond strategically to campus disruptions. The University will make available publicly its notifications to the university community regarding the rights and responsibilities of free expression. These notifications include our conduct and nondiscrimination policies, time/place and manner requirements, complaint filing and resolution processes, consequences for policy violations, and the support and educational resources available for free expression and for their mental and physical wellbeing.
UCOP is responsible for reporting its progress to develop a framework of common standards and on the efforts underway on the campuses to ensure consistency with that framework (campus climate action plans). A UCOP team of subject matter experts will review the campus plans and, as appropriate, recommend them for inclusion in the 2024 legislative reporting to President Drake. UCOP is also the liaison with our partner, the Center for Strategic Diversity Initiatives and Social Innovation, for implementing the Initiative. In subsequent years, UCOP will ask campuses to report annually on the effectiveness of their plans for managing major events and incidents and fostering positive campus climate.
As a component of their plans, campuses will identify the roles responsible for implementation, as they have done with similar plans, e.g., their Robinson-Edley implementation plans. Campuses are asked to identify a responsible officer for reporting to UCOP when they submit their plans.
As part of the Initiative, campuses will be asked to provide updates at the end of each academic year to the Office of the President on the effectiveness of their plans for the that year. UCOP will provide a reporting template to the responsible officer.
UCOP, in partnership with the Center for Strategy Diversity Initiatives and Social Innovation, will create a systemwide framework. Campuses are asked to use the framework to assess their current campus climate; the campus deliverable is a campus plan that aligns to the framework. Ongoing campus deliverables include annual reporting to UCOP on the effectiveness of the plans to managing major events and incidents and fostering positive campus climate.
President Drake provided $7M for the university to improve campus climate by addressing bias and bigotry, improving education and training, and supporting mental health needs. A portion of that funding is being used for this initiative.
Campuses may choose to consult with student groups in the development of their plans.
Questions about the Campus Climate Initiative? Contact ucmcampusclimate@ucmerced.edu
