Representation

REPRESENTATION, INCLUSION, OPPORTUNITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

The chiefs of the University Police Department and Gainesville Police Department have committed, with city and university leadership, to review use of force policies, report their findings to the community, institute needed reforms and engage the community by including a diverse range of input and experiences.

Lead: Business Affairs

Assessment of potential consultants qualified to perform a review of the University Police Department’s policies is in progress and is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2022.

The university’s leadership is charged with, acting within state and federal laws, to intensify our efforts in recruiting, supporting and retaining our students, faculty and employees of color, particularly Black students, faculty and staff.

The charge, in full, said: The university’s leadership is charged with, acting within state and federal laws, to intensify our efforts in recruiting, supporting and retaining our students, faculty and employees of color, particularly Black students, faculty and staff. To promote transparency and accountability, we will publish, by department and college, the race, ethnicity and gender trends for faculty, staff and students.

Lead: Institutional Planning & Research, Office of the Chief Diversity Officer

Institutional Planning & Research has created a diversity dashboard that tracks race/ethnicity and gender for students, faculty and staff within each college. The dashboard is available at Diversity – Institutional Planning and Research. Each college and business unit also reports its diversity-related efforts, which can be found at this link.

UF will redouble efforts to support local small businesses and vendor diversity.

Lead: UF Small Business & Supplier Diversity 

In 2021, the Small Business & Supplier Diversity office created a small business supplier database; created an opportunity portal; established a tiered program model; adopted accountability measures for contractors; and relaunched the university’s mentor protégé program.

A full report detailing UF’s efforts and progress with small and diverse businesses is anticipated to be completed by mid- to late FY 2023.

UF will work with East Gainesville community leaders and residents to develop specific and sustainable programs and activities that will contribute to improving the community’s educational and economic well-being.

Leads: Government and Community Relations, Division of Student Life

The university has developed several initiatives to provide greater interaction and collaboration with the Gainesville community. These include:

• Creation of an information hub — gatorsvolunteer.ufl.edu — that provides details on how faculty, staff and students can volunteer in the community, Alachua County and beyond. The website allows nonprofit organizations to share opportunities, both in-person and virtual service, with potential volunteers. Each April, a postcard is mailed to campus community members to make them aware of the ongoing Gators Volunteer campaign.
  
  
• Service and learning opportunities are also available throughout the state through the IFAS Extension offices.
  
  
• The Brown Center for Leadership & Service provides leadership development programming for students, staff and faculty. It also has developed community partnerships throughout Gainesville and continues to host Servant Leadership events.
  
  
• In March 2022, UF Student Government leaders organized "The Big Event," a citywide service day during which students performed three- to four-hour service projects across Gainesville.
  
  
• Community leaders serve on UF’s Days of Service and Learning committees to ensure broad engagement in the community.
  
  
• The Division of Student Life collaborated with a number of local and national organizations dedicated to advancing the educational experiences of East Gainesville youth. These organizations include. but are not limited to,: Children's Trust of Alachua County, I Gotcha Back Education, Alachua County's Sheriff's Office and The Rajon Rondo Assisting Youth Foundation.
  
  
• The Division of Student Life, in collaboration with local organizations such as Girl's Place, Community Impact and others, has hosted UF field trip days on campus. These field trips share the dynamic collegiate experience with K-12 youth. Attendees receive campus tours, participate with faculty and administrators across campus and engage with current students to learn more about university life.
  
  
• The Division of Student Life has connected with a number of local elementary, middle and high schools to create or support programmatic experiences throughout the school year. These include literacy programs, STEM nights and access to university resources to generate students’ interest in higher education.