Inclusive Excellence Definitions

Bias
Conscious or unconscious weight in favor of or against something, such as a belief, idea, group or individual. Biases can be innate, learned or conditioned. Biases affect our emotions, judgements and decision making.

Community
The interrelatedness of all individuals and groups on campus including faculty, staff, students, parents, donors, alumni, volunteers, and visitors. In a community, what happens to an individual or group, impacts the community as a whole.

Discrimination 
Adverse action taken against a student, an employee or a third party by the CSU, a CSU employee, or another student because of a protected status.

Diversity
Individual and group differences including but not limited to personality; physical, cognitive, and mental abilities and disabilities; perspective of thought; learning style; life experiences; group characteristics or associations such as age, race, color, ethnicity, language, socio-economic status or class, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, immigration status, cultural, political, religious, and other ideologies and affiliations.

Equality
Providing each person with identical resources and opportunities regardless of their needs and/or circumstances.

Equity
The proportional distribution of resources, and opportunities to create desirable outcomes. In an equitable environment, an individual or group would have access to the resources they need to be successful. Sometimes confused with equality, equity refers to outcomes while equality connotes equal treatment. Where individuals or groups are dissimilarly situated, equal treatment may be insufficient for, or even detrimental to, equitable outcomes.

Federal and CA State Protected Status
Age, Disability, Gender, Gender Identity, Gender Expression, Genetic Information, Marital Status, Medical Condition, Nationality, Race, Color, Ethnicity, Religion or Religious Creed, Sexual Orientation, Veteran or Military Status.

Harassment
Unwelcome conduct, based on the Complainant’s Protected Status, that is sufficiently severe, persistent or pervasive that its effect, whether or not intended, could be considered by a reasonable person in the shoes of the Complainant, and is in fact considered by the Complainant, as limiting her/his ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities or opportunities offered by the University.

Inclusion
The appreciation that the richness of diversity within each person contributes to the overall community and is therefore recognized, respected, valued and upheld. Inclusion is the act of moving beyond tolerance and acceptance to celebrating and valuing individual uniqueness and authenticity. Inclusive actions include ensuring that all members of the community, particularly those traditionally excluded individuals and groups, are brought into campus processes, activities, discussions and decision/policymaking.

Microaggressions
Intentional and unintentional verbal, non-verbal, behavioral or environmental derogatory slights, indignities and hostilities.

Sense of Belonging
Having a meaningful voice and the opportunity to participate in, and contribute to, the design of social and cultural structures.

Social Justice
Social justice is a concept of fair and just relations between the individual and society which includes social responsibility.

United
Unified in a set of shared values and commitment to inclusion, diversity, and equity.

Unity
Building connections within, across and between sub-communities, thereby creating and nurturing a holistically mosaic of the overall community.