1F. Faculty Senate Inclusion Statement

The College of Western Idaho’s success in achieving its mission is dependent upon a strong foundation of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Faculty strive for instructional excellence through practicing and holding themselves accountable to these ideals. The goal of faculty is to foster a thriving instructional community where equity triumphs through efforts to understand, prioritize, and include diverse ideas and perspectives from the wealth of different voices within the learning community.    

In order to achieve this, it is necessary to share a common understanding of relevant terms. The following is taken from our accrediting body NWCCU’s “Ethics & DEI Statement”  

• Diversity refers to the traits and characteristics that make people unique, including the dimensions of race, ancestry, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies.  
• Inclusion and belonging refer to the behaviors and social norms that ensure people feel welcome and are appreciated and valued as members of their communities.  
• Social justice refers to affording everyone equal economic, political, and social rights and opportunities.  
• The words equity and equality are critically important components of diversity and inclusion. They are often used interchangeably, but there are important distinctions.  
• Equity is concerned with justice and fairness of policies and practices. Equality refers to the resources or opportunities afforded all people.