All SUNY schools are now subject to a new diversity policy that requires each school to hire a chief diversity officer.

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy will apply to each State University of New York campus — including State University of New York Environmental Science and Forestry — to employ a chief diversity officer, according to a press release from New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office.

SUNY-ESF already has an interim chief diversity officer, said Quentin Wheeler, the university’s president.

The policy also includes a data collection tool for SUNY colleges to collect information about sexual orientation and gender identity from students. These fields will only be voluntary, though, and not mandatory for students to fill out, according to the release.

“SUNY makes another clear statement that it is a welcoming place for members of the LGBTQ communities,” Richard Socarides, a member of the SUNY Board of Trustees, said in the release.

The goal of the policy, according to the release, is to have SUNY campuses mirror the population demographics of New York state.

“With this new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy, we are once again sending a strong message that the Empire State is a national leader and a beacon of inclusion for all students,” Cuomo said in the release.

For the 2014 academic year, 59.6 percent of students attending SUNY schools were white and 10.8 percent and 10.2 percent were Hispanic/Latino and black, respectively, according to a SUNY data brief. The statewide populations for Hispanics/Latinos and blacks are 16.4 percent and 14.6 percent, respectively, according to United States Census Bureau statistics.

“New York State’s communities and schools are becoming increasingly diverse and our colleges and universities are hosting more and more first-generation students,” SUNY Board Chairman H. Carl McCall said in the release. “SUNY is proud to implement this comprehensive diversity and inclusion policy on behalf of today’s students and those who will attend SUNY for years to come.”

The policy defines diversity to include, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expression, age, socioeconomic status, status as a veteran, status as a student with a disability, first-generation students and international students or those transferring between colleges, according to the release.

The policy was created in response to suggestions from the SUNY Diversity Task Force, which was created in January 2014 by SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, according to a September TimesUnion article.

Said Zimpher: “As the public university system serving one of the nation’s most diverse states, it is essential that SUNY adapt to the evolving needs of all students.”

Published on September 20, 2015 at 9:55 pm

Contact Rachel: rsandler@syr.edu