The newly formed West Virginia University Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is focusing on maintaining a professional and accessible environment for the WVU community.
One of the first steps for the division moving forward is consolidating and relocating offices to the Suncrest Plaza adjacent to the Evansdale and Medical campuses.
The new office will be located off Van Voorhis Road beside Applebee’s and across from the Mountaineer Station transportation center. This will offer faculty, staff and students a more centralized and accessible place to meet with division officials. Parking spaces will be easily accessible and all services within the division, from the former President’s Office for Social Justice and the Office of Accessibility Services, will be located in one place.
The employees who work on diversity issues will be moving to the new space June 27 with the Office of Accessibility Services to move June 28. An open house and ribbon cutting will be scheduled after all staff have relocated to the new space.
David M. Fryson, WVU’s chief diversity officer, said the move is “part of this administration’s commitment to the issues of diversity as outlined in the WVU 2020 Strategic Plan.”
“We’re excited about the new office space because we believe it gives us an opportunity to offer a more professional environment reflecting diversity as a central function of the university,” Fryson said.
His office works to recruit diverse faculty, staff and students, measure the campus’ climate in terms of diversity as well as celebrate the many cultures and experiences currently part of the WVU community.
“In this new division, we will be doing diversity initiatives to attract a more diverse population that includes faculty, staff and students, and to make sure we have an environment here that is welcoming and inclusive,” he said.
The division is charged with imbuing the principles of social justice throughout the WVU community through promoting opportunity, equality, civility and respect for all people.
The division includes various offices responsible for encouraging diversity and maintaining compliance with laws and regulations, including the Office of Accessibility Services; the Chancellor’s Scholars program, which recruits outstanding minority doctoral candidates; mediation services; and compliance management for Title IX, affirmative action, equal opportunity and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Office of Accessibility Services provides interpretation and transcription for the deaf or hard of hearing; the Mountaineer Academic Program, which offers support and retention assistance for students with disabilities; information and textbooks in alternative formats; resources for accessible housing and transportation; and processes for granting accommodations and filing grievances related to ADA compliance.
