By: Zoë Strickland Managing Editor
On April 26, members of the Oregon House of Representatives passed a cultural competency bill which seeks to promote cultural competency at public universities and community colleges. The bill passed in a 45-15 vote, and has moved on to be viewed by the Senate.
According to the most recent amended version of the bill, cultural competency refers to the “understanding of how institutions and individuals can respond respectfully and effectively to people from all cultures, economic statuses, language backgrounds, races, ethnic backgrounds, disabilities, religions, genders, gender identifications, sexual orientations, veteran statuses and other characteristics in a manner that recognizes, affirms and values the worth, and preserves the dignity, of individuals, families and communities.”
Should the bill pass, public universities and community colleges will be required to establish committees that oversee the promotion of inclusivity on campuses, as well as set goals to ensure that inclusivity standards are met.
“The University is monitoring HB 2864, the “cultural competency” bill, to see if it makes it out of the Oregon Senate and if so, what requirements it might contain. At this juncture, it does not require a committee, but a “process” for cultural competency standards. Legislation is certainly not required for WOU to uphold its core values, including diversity, inclusion and respect,” said Ryan Hagemann, Vice President and General Counsel for Western, in a statement.
One of the other ways that the bill attempts to promote inclusivity on college campuses is by requiring that faculty, staff and administration all receive cultural competency training. Though Western has inclusivity programs that faculty and staff can attend, such as Safe Zone Ally Training and classes put on by human resources, they aren’t mandatory.
In a news release from the Oregon House of Democrats posted by KTVZ, the chief co-sponsor of the bill, Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon, D-Woodburn, said that she is “hopeful that this bill will help our students feel safe, welcomed, and included in our schools.” The bill moved to the Senate on April 27.
Western’s campus is already home to a Diversity Committee, which seeks to emphasize “diversity as a matter of institutional priority and an integral component of academic success,” as well as multiple clubs such as Triangle Alliance, the Multicultural Student Union and MECHa, which help to promote inclusivity on campus. To learn more about diversity and inclusion on Western’s campus, visit wou.edu/diversity.
Contact the author at journalmanaging@wou.edu
