HSU participants were chosen through a nomination process and represent more than 20 departments across campus, including Academic & Career Advising Center, EOP/Student Support Services, Facilities, Housing, Human Resources, Learning Center, Native American Studies, University Advancement, and the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (ODEI).
Created with one-time funding of $1.2 million from the California State Legislature, the program is designed to raise awareness, apply key concepts for organizational change, learn tools and strategies, and practice interventions. Participants will explore everything from the science of bias to the impact of bias on a range of experiences and outcomes within university life.
“The MBB initiative is not meant to replace efforts on campus, but meant to complement the important anti-bias work that’s already being done,” says Nancy Olson, HSU’s MBB Campus Coordinator and Training Specialist in Human Resources.
ODEI is among several units on campus that have been addressing systemic racism through learning sessions, workshops, and other initiatives. Edelmira Reynoso, Interim Executive Director of ODEI, says this latest effort provides more opportunities to raise awareness of bias and provide tools to respond.
“I’m excited about the MBB program,” says Reynoso. “Now everyone can learn a common language of understanding so we can move forward together, using the strategies and tools to raise awareness and disrupt bias.”
About Moving Beyond Bias Program
The 2018 California Budget Act included a one-time appropriation of $1.2 million for a two-year pilot program “to provide anti-bias training for administrators, faculty, staff, and student leaders at campuses of the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU).” A joint UC-CSU workgroup of content experts was formed—including scholars and practitioners of anti-bias and implicit bias training—to define the scope and learning outcomes of an evidence-based program appropriate for different university populations.
This workgroup issued a Request for Proposals, inviting vendors to demonstrate their training modules and address questions. In June 2019, after a comprehensive review of all proposals, the UC-CSU workgroup selected Just Communities of Central Coast and Carmel Saad to deliver the pilot training program (see joint UC-CSU letter for more details). This training is modeled after Patricia Devine’s Breaking the Bias Habit framework, which approaches bias as a natural thought-habit that can be disrupted with awareness, concern, and practice.