DEI ‘action plan’ at GWU recommends school hire more DEI staff, create ‘all-person restrooms’

George Washington University, located in Washington, D.C., recently released its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) “action plan.” 

The action plan summarizes “recommended actions put forth by the Diversity Program Review Team following a comprehensive review of the university’s DEI efforts.”

The plan claims that while some community members think the school’s DEI efforts have been successful, many “feel the university’s commitment to diversity is not strong enough.”

The document recommends that the school spend more money on DEI initiatives and staff. It also suggests “[i]mprovement in the physical facilities to better serve diverse community members” and “[i]mprovement of policies and procedures to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

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More specific recommendations include increasing funding for the Multicultural Student Services Center and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Community Engagement, creating “all-person restrooms” in important school buildings in order to be more “inclusive,” and more training for “students, staff, and faculty about diversity issues.”

Some of the Center’s annual “Signature Events” include “Latin Leader Awards,” “National Coming Out Day,” and an identity-based graduation event for “students who have identified with and/or are allies of the Black, Asian and Pacific Islander, South Asian, Latin, Native American, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual communities.” 

In June, the Center sponsored a program called “Queer Magic, Histories, and Protection For The Body And Soul.” Students who attended the event learned “ways to set intentions for self-protection using spiritual practices rooted in queer cultures from around the world, learn about ways to keep yourself physically healthy.”

One DEI action plan recommendation, in particular, urges the university to “[c]onsider cluster hiring in areas such as the study of racism and social justice as well as greater transparency in the hiring and retention of faculty to improve faculty diversity.”

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GWU’s Provost Christopher Alan Bracey believes the plan indicates the school is moving in the right direction. 

“The DEI action plan reveals that GW is well on the right track to address some of the issues of concern identified by our community and the Diversity Program Review Team,” he said. “I am grateful to the team and the community for driving the work, sharing their perspectives and contributing to the enhancement of our academic community, and I look forward to continuing to implement DEI efforts outlined in the action plan.”

Campus Reform contacted George Washington University for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.