Council on Racial Equity and Justice (COREJ)
Council on Racial Equity and Justice (COREJ)
The mission of the Council on Racial Equity and Justice (pronounced COURAGE) is to elevate research and amplify faculty, staff and student voices on matters of structural and systemic racism, white supremacy, anti-Blackness and the intersecting issues of oppression and power within the College of Education. Members serve as advisors, liaisons and data gatherers to provide the dean with recommendations on how to move forward with racial equity and justice initiatives, policies, and practices. Central to the mission of COREJ is having representation from all departments, faculty, staff and student populations. The college's values of impact, excellence, diversity, inclusion, innovation, social justice, collaboration and community will undergird the work of the council.
Council Member Responsibilities
- Operate from a set of principles that are derived collaboratively with other council members
- Develop an assessment (e.g. equity audit) to research what is being done in each department around racial equity and justice
- Design a comprehensive plan for the college in addressing inequities, clearly identifying markers of progress, and accountability
- Draft a vision for the college to advance racial equity and justice efforts based on data gathered
- Partner with the college's senate, faculty of color, APT Committees, and other groups to advance racial equity, and justice goals
Contact & Collaboration Information
- Mary Taylor-Lewis, TerrapinSTRONG partner, mktlewis@umd.edu
Racial Equity Audits require unit reflection on the question, 鈥淲here are we building bridges and where are we creating barriers to increasing racial equity for College of Education students, staff and faculty?鈥
Our Racial Equity Audit is designed to uncover and address structural bias in policies and practices. Members of COREJ will be leading/facilitating the racial equity audit process but everyone in our college will be involved as a participant in data collection, briefing and feedback sessions. Parts of the process, involving implementing action steps recommended as a result of the audit will be operationalized by the dean, department chairs, and other leaders throughout the college.
COREJ Racial Equity Audit
The semester prior to the scheduled racial equity audit review, the COREJ Chair will identify individuals from COREJ to lead different aspects of the racial equity audit team. These individuals will work through the racial equity audit process over the course of an academic semester. At the close of the semester, the team will submit a brief report along with goals, action steps, and timelines to the COREJ Chair. Reports will be collated, summarized, and shared with the COE Dean and then posted on the COE Diversity website. Progress toward the goals of eradicating structural bias will be monitored by the Dean鈥檚 Office, faculty, staff and student groups (e.g. Faculty of Color, Staff Affairs Committee, Senate).
- COREJ Spring 2022 Report
- COREJ Spring 2022 Report, Executive Summary
- COREJ 2022 Students of Color Study Experience Summary
For questions or comments about any of these documents, contact Mary Taylor-Lewis at mktlewis@umd.edu.
Below is a list of reading resources on building equity in higher education:
- An Equity-Minded Approach to Faculty Development in a Community of Practice
- Bensimon Five Principles for Enacting Equity by Design
- Combining Critical Race Theory and Quantitative Methods
- Culver et al Design for Equity in Higher Education
- Equity Tank: A Model for Critical Inquiry and Change
- Investigating Society鈥檚 Educational Debts Using Quantitative CRT