Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at CAP


CAP JEDI Statement: Our Commitment

The College of Architecture and Planning (CAP) at the University of Colorado Denver affirms that its mission must actively adopt, celebrate, and promote justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) for all people in all places. This commitment requires inviting, supporting, and sustaining a multitude of people, perspectives, and experiences that accurately reflect our society and the community and places we serve.

CAP recognizes that the architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning professions as well as related disciplines have perpetuated actions, practices, and policies that are discriminatory and create unjust and inequitable outcomes for people and places.  We acknowledge our past and are committed to evolving our college by creating a culture of belonging through equitable participation and involvement among faculty, staff, and students. Additionally, we are committed to promoting positive and lasting change beyond CAP through engagement with our community and our professions.

We are committed to:

  • Enhancing diversity and representation in our student body, faculty, and staff
  • Applying JEDI principles to how we teach and learn
  • Supporting JEDI principles in allied professions
  • Regularly evaluating and communicating our progress and seeking ways to continuously improve

Engage in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at CAP

Who We Are

CAP established a team of JEDI Coordinators to ensure that the JEDI plan is maintained, reviewed, and implemented. This small team is made up of a group of faculty, staff, and administrators. 

Curious to learn more about the JEDI Admin Group? Contact Jody Beck.

2022-23 JEDI Coordinators:

Jody Beck
Leo Darnell
Jeana Delamarter
Jesse Kuroiwa
Carmen New
Laurraine Pollard
Jen Skidmore
Jenny Steffel Johnson

Our students, faculty, and staff are the drivers of our JEDI action. The input and feedback provided by this group are vital to shaping the present and future of CAP. 

It is of the utmost importance to us that our students, faculty, and staff feel safe and comfortable sharing their thoughts, opinions, and concerns. 

Our Executive Committee, led by CAP's Assistant Deans, Chairs, and Directors, serves as ambassadors for our JEDI efforts. Our Executive Committee brings together both internal and external communities to forge a more inclusive and equitable path forward.

There are many Movers taking action to make CAP a more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and justice-servicing college--our students, student organizations, the CAP Executive Advisory Board, alumni, friends of CAP, donors, and our professional community.

We want each community to be a part of planning engagement opportunities with CAP. Our strong partnerships with the profession and professional organizations enable us to have advisory boards, donors, and other supporters who believe in the work CAP is doing, especially around JEDI efforts

2022-23 JEDI Engagement Plan

The Coordinators
Send updated JEDI plan to IEC.

The Coordinators


Revisit the JEDI plan and finalize website updates to reflect the current goals and objectives and to evaluate actions that were previously taken and ongoing.

The Coordinators


Organize opportunities for engagement and share the engagement schedule on the JEDI webpage

The Drivers


Connect via 1:1 meetings, surveys, pop-ups, short polls, lunches, and via social media.

The Ambassadors


Meet with the executive team, incorporate elements from accreditation reports (as applicable), meet with each department leadership team, meet departmentally, and collect feedback. 

The Movers


Coordinators meet with student organization leaders to plan methods for engagement.

 

The Coordinators


Evaluate Feedback

Share draft plan to Sharepoint for community feedback, comments, and suggestions.

The Drivers


 

Add feedback to the Sharepoint site.

The Ambassadors


 

Add feedback to the Sharepoint site and meet with the executive team.

The Movers


 

Add feedback to the Sharepoint site.

 

The Coordinators


Evaluate feedback and revise the plan accordingly. 

Submit the revised plan to IEC.

The Coordinators
Prepare for College-Wide JEDI Discussion on Feb. 7, 2023

The Drivers


Lead college-wide JEDI discussion on Feb. 2, 2023, and define next steps and make suggestions for accountability.

The Ambassadors


Lead college-wide JEDI discussion on Feb. 2, 2023, and define next steps and make suggestions for accountability.

The Movers


Lead college-wide JEDI discussion on Feb. 2, 2023, and define next steps and make suggestions for accountability.

The Drivers


Create a report for future action items (2022/23 and 2023/23)

The Ambassadors


Create a report for future action items (2022/23 and 2023/23)

The Movers


Create a report for future action items (2022/23 and 2023/23)

The Coordinators
Release report on the progess made in 2022-23.

The Drivers


Opportunity for evaluation; Collect and provide feedback to inform the next iteration of the JEDI plan

The Ambassadors


 

Opportunity for evaluation; Collect and provide feedback to inform the next iteration of the JEDI plan

The Movers


Opportunity for evaluation; Collect and provide feedback to inform the next iteration of the JEDI plan

CAP JEDI Strategic Goals

Guided by the CAP JEDI Statement, the College of Architecture and Planning is undertaking action in the following ways.

Goal #1: Enhance representation in the student body

CAP will recruit students who reflect the racial, gender, cultural, and economic diversity of our larger community and retain them by fostering and sustaining a culture of inclusion and belonging.

Goal #2: Employ diverse faculty and staff

Recruitment and hiring practices and processes should be designed to attract candidates who reflect the diversity of our larger community and eliminate explicit and implicit biases inherent in traditional candidate evaluation strategies. Retention strategies will focus on cultivating and sustaining an inclusive work environment and culture that supports faculty and staff job satisfaction, professional development, and shared governance.

Goal #3: Incorporate the values and practices of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in what and how we teach

To fully incorporate JEDI values and practices, CAP must update what and how we teach by evaluating and revisioning curriculum, instruction, and pedagogical strategies. Course, studio, and research projects should be purposefully designed to advocate for and affect positive advancement toward JEDI goals as well as environmental and ecological sustainability, human comfort, beauty, and design innovation.

Goal #4: Actively engage with and support JEDI efforts with allied professions

CAP will engage more intentionally with allied practicing professionals and professional organizations through participation on CAP advisory boards, CAP participation on external advisory boards and committees, and other collaborative means and practices.

Goal #5: Ensure that our facilities and technology are accessible and supportive

We will ensure access and support to anyone who needs CAP's facilities, technology, and resources. Training may be required for some of our equipment, but we will make sure anyone who needs access has access.

Goal #6: Hold ourselves accountable for advancing JEDI

CAP will incorporate JEDI objectives into existing practices, processes, and policies, ensuring the work is impactful and continues to evolve. Ongoing engagement strategies will create a responsive feedback loop, transparency as recommendations are adopted and implemented, and accountability as strategies and action items are evaluated and modified.

Goal #7: Foster a climate that supports inclusive learning, teaching, and working environments that extend a sense of belonging and enable success for all

During the 2022-23 academic year, we hosted listening and feedback sessions with students, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders from the College of Architecture and Planning to ensure authenticity and accountability in assessing our JEDI goals. Each of the six goals in the initial CAP JEDI Action Plan developed in 2020 asserted the need to foster a climate in which the goal could be achieved. We added this new goal to our JEDI Plan in the Spring 2023 semester to guide us as we create an environment that supports a culture of belonging.

Resources

CU Denver

Greater Denver Area

Your Input

Our JEDI work is continuous and evolving. We have several opportunities for you to provide input to help us consider and address your needs, experiences, and ideas.  

The engagement opportunities below are for input around the JEDI plan and content on this page. Reports of harassment or discrimination made through the opportunities below cannot be kept confidential or anonymous due to mandatory reporting requirements and the safety and inclusion of all in our community. If you need support regarding an incident of harassment or discrimination you have experienced, we encourage you to start a report directly with the Office of Equity. Please be mindful of this as you consider what you share in these forms.

How you can provide input on CAP’s JEDI plan:

  • Please complete our survey regarding current priorities by Friday, November 4
  • Schedule a one-on-one conversation with Jesse Kuroiwa or Jen Skidmore, CAP JEDI Coordinators
  • Watch for pop-up opportunities to provide feedback
  • Provide feedback on the new draft plan in mid-November
  • Attend the all-college JEDI forum on Tuesday, November 29, 12:30-1:45 p.m.
  • Send us feedback any time by following the link to the webform below