President's Commissions

The Presidential Commissions at Slippery Rock University lead and engage the campus community with a vision to create a culture of respect, acceptance and celebration of our differences and be challenged to be active practitioners of change.

Appointed by the President, students, staff, faculty and administrators volunteer their time and talents to collaborate with all campus constituents in promoting an inclusive and diverse campus community.

Commission for Disability Issues

Disability logo

The President's Commission for Disability Issues seeks to create a campus environment and climate that is free of barriers and discrimination and to empower people with disabilities to be full participants in all facets of university life. The Commission works toward an understanding and appreciation of disability within and among our administration, faculty, staff and students.

Documents

PCDI RFP: This document will explain eligibility requirements, as well as, additional requirements and information for submitting a funding request to the PCDI.

Scoring Rubric for PCDI Funding Requests: This document will be used by the PCDI to assess funding request submissions.

PresComm Funding Request: Persons interested in submitting a funding request to the PCDI should complete and submit this document.

A Slippery Rock University President's Commissions Event/Program Funding Request form must be completed and submitted via email prior to the initiative taking place.

For information regarding advocacy, participation, and engagement contact:

Kevin McCarthy, co-chair
Jessica Hall-Wirth, co-chair

PCDI@sru.edu

Commission for Racial and Ethnic Diversity

PCRED Logo

The President’s Commission for Race and Ethnic Diversity seeks to promote a climate of acceptance, inclusion, safety, and equity to all Slippery Rock University students, faculty, and staff. The integral focus of the Commission is to provide support and advocacy for ethnically and racially marginalized groups. The Commission strives to nurture a campus climate that is free from discrimination, intolerance, and bigotry and works toward an understanding and appreciation of cultural differences in our students, faculty, and staff.

PCRED's Charge from President Behre

GOALS

Support and advise Human Resources and Admissions in identifying ways to eliminate bias in the hiring and admission processes;
Assess campus and community climate in order to identify issues as they pertain to racial and ethnic diversity and make recommendations to promote inclusion;
Collaborate with the President to work to alleviate barriers and obstacles regarding racial and ethnic diversity and inclusion, including reviewing and making recommendation regarding campus policies;
Serve as advocates for, and leaders of, institutional changes required for Slippery Rock University to become and diverse and inclusive campus community respectful of all people;
Develop programs to educate allies to help understand how systems of oppression, privilege, and power are maintained;
Recommend training programs to enable faculty and staff to function in a diverse society;
Recommend curriculum changes to enable students to function in a diverse society;
Promote activities that demonstrate the university’s commitment to racial and ethnic diversity and inclusion;
Facilitate communication between students, faculty, and staff in regards to concerns of racially and ethnically marginalized groups;
Participate in efforts to support and mentor new and continuing students, faculty, and staff in racially and ethnically marginalized groups.

FUNDING REQUESTS

PCRED fulfills funding requests for race and ethnic diversity-related events and/or projects that directly relate to the PCRED Mission Statement and would benefit the SRU campus climate. Please see the documents below for an in-depth description of funding opportunities, application documents, and funding processes.

PCRED Request For Proposals (RFP): This document will explain eligibility requirements, as well as additional requirements and information for submitting a funding request to PCRED.

Scoring Rubric for PCRED Funding Requests: This document will be used by PCRED to assess funding request submissions. Please use this rubric to guide your requests by conducting a self-evaluation of your funding requests.

President’s Commissions Funding Request: Persons interested in submitting a funding request to PCRED should complete and submit this document. This Funding Request form must be completed and submitted via email prior to the initiative taking place.

CAMPUS PARTNERS ON RACE AND ETHNICITY

While PCRED partners with many departments and offices across campus, the list below provides departments and programs directly focused on race and ethnic diversity at SRU. View their webpages to learn more.

For information regarding advocacy, participation, and engagement, contact:

Monique Alexander, co-chair
Emily McClaine, co-chair

pcred@sru.edu

Twitter: @SRU_PCRED

Commission on Women

Womans logo

The Slippery Rock University President's Commission on Women supports all efforts to develop a University community that provides a high quality academic experience in an environment that is not only open, caring, nurturing, and personal, but also fair and respectful to women.

Mission Statement

The President's Commission on Women leads as well as supports women's leadership and gender equity as cornerstones of the collegiate experience at Slippery Rock University.

Goals

Demonstrate a strong commitment to understanding and addressing the concerns of women students, faculty, staff, and administrators.
Promote a supportive campus climate for women.
Support and promote an institutional commitment to Women's Studies and The Women's Center.
Support a university planning process that addresses at each stage the question of impact on women's leadership and gender equity.
Initiate a campus values inventory to examine value issues that continue to prevent the inclusion of women in certain areas of university life as needed.
Recommend policies, procedures, and programs that support children and families in the broadest sense.
Promote activities that demonstrate the value of diversity to the campus life.
Promote and foster women's leadership development.
Provide leadership in fostering an environment that encourages the discussion of and attention to gender equity issues.
Reaffirm the commitment to a Commission on Women.

Women of Distinction

This annual award celebrates those that have made a significant contribution to the women's community at SRU. Recipients represent four main categories: Administration, Faculty, Staff, and Student. Click here [link to file wod.pdf] to view the past recipients of the women of distinction award.

For information regarding advocacy, participation, and engagement, contact:

Amber Hamilton, co-chair
Brittany Fleming, co-chair

pcw@sru.edu

Commission for Gender Identity & Expression and Sexual Orientation

The mission of the President's Commission for Gender Identity & Expression and Sexual Orientation (GIESO) is to address lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and intersex issues and to move Slippery Rock University towards a more inclusive and supportive campus climate that is free of discrimination, intolerance and bigotry. We work to understand and appreciate differences in our diverse faculty, staff, and students. For more information about gender identity & expression and sexual orientation, click here.

Goals

The President's Commission on Gender Identity & Expression and Sexual Orientation will:

Assess campus climate as it pertains to LGBTQI persons and make recommendations for improvement;
Address heterosexism, homophobia, and anti-gay abuse or violence should such incidents occur;
Advise the President regarding LGBTQI issues and inclusion as well as work to alleviate barriers and obstacles;
Recommend changes that may become part of the university curriculum or training programs to enable students, faculty, and staff to function in a diverse society;
Serve as advocates for, and leaders of, the institutional changes required for Slippery Rock University to become a multicultural campus community respectful of all people;
Promote activities that demonstrate the university's commitment to diversity;
Review campus policies for their effect on LGBTQI persons addressing issues of adverse impact; and,
Provide a vehicle for communication between LGBTQI students, faculty and staff and university administration.

For information regarding advocacy, participation, and engagement, contact:

Vanessa Vought, co-chair
James Eng, co-chair

giso@sru.edu

Commission on Wellness

Wellness logo

The mission of the commission is to facilitate initiatives that promote awareness of wellness and empower individuals to make choices and enact behaviors that positively influence their wellness. The commission takes a "learning reconsidered" approach which seeks to develop individuals by using a synergistic blend of academic and non-academic University resources.

Physical Wellness

Physical wellness is the synergy of each individual's daily behavior. The dimensions include physical fitness, activity levels, nutrition, and sleep. Proactive choices include safety and prevention measures, health screenings, and disease management behaviors.

Emotional Wellness

Emotional wellness emphasizes an awareness and acceptance of one's feelings. The dimensions include the cultivation of positive and hopeful feelings about oneself and life, the capacity to manage one's feelings and related behaviors and the development of meaningful connections and engagement with the world.

Spiritual Wellness

Spiritual wellness refers to the integration of beliefs in relationship with others, the external world and/or a sense of the Divine. Dimensions of spiritual wellness include growth in awareness and understanding of one's meaning and purpose in life, experiences of inner and relational peace, expression of truth and values, and practice of faith and morals.

Social Wellness

Social wellness focuses on contributing to the overall welfare of the human community. The dimensions include good communication skills, interdependence with others, the pursuit of harmony in the community, and the development of support systems.
Intellectual Wellness: Intellectual wellness encompasses the development of knowledge and the desire for lifelong learning and self-improvement through mental challenge. The dimensions include curiosity, creativity, problem solving.

Environmental Wellness

Environmental wellness is maintaining a way of life that exists in harmony with the Earth through active engagement with your surroundings. The dimensions include protecting ourselves from environmental hazards, using the gifts of nature wisely, and making positive impacts on the quality of our environment.

Occupational wellness

Occupational wellness is achieving personal satisfaction in one's work/leisure balance. The dimensions include contributing your unique gifts, skills and talents to vocation(s) that are meaningful and rewarding.

DOCUMENTS

Scoring Rubric for PCW Funding Requests

For information regarding advocacy, participation, and engagement, contact:

Shawn Davis, co-chair
Amy Rickman, co-chair

pcwellness@sru.edu

Commission on Sustainability

sustanability logo

Slippery Rock University is committed to being at the forefront of preparing the next generation of thinkers, innovators and entrepreneurs to help the world meet its profound environmental challenges. We are also focused on meeting the sustainability goals set forth in our Climate Action Plan that is our road map to achieving carbon neutrality by the year 2037, in keeping with the President's Climate Commitment and our Strategic Plan, Trend Five: "The world is reaching a point of diminishing returns regarding resource utilization".

The President's Commission on Sustainability includes a cross section of representatives of all Slippery Rock University and community stakeholders, and advises the President on recommended sustainability initiatives, strategies and policies for the University.

The Commission provides leadership for:

Advancing sustainability through education, operations and community engagement;
Promoting individual and community responsibility for effective resource management;
Monitoring progress toward our sustainability goals through assessment and benchmarking activities;
Reviewing and recommending to the President specific sustainability initiatives and policies advanced by the SRU Office of Sustainability, Energy Conservation Committee, and similar organizations; and
Ensuring that Slippery Rock University meets or exceeds the requirements of the Presidents' Climate Commitment.
Resources

Please visit the SRU Office of Sustainability website, www.sru.edu/sustainability for links to all resources, reports, and organizations supporting the promotion of sustainability in the Slippery Rock region.

For information regarding advocacy, participation, and engagement, contact:

John Golden, co-chair
Paul Scanlon, co-chair

sustainability@sru.edu

Commission for Veterans and Military Affairs

The President’s Commission for Veteran and Military Affairs (VMA) advocates for and advises on issues affecting current active-duty, discharged, or retired military personnel, National Guardsmen, their dependents, and members of the ROTC, in order to facilitate a more supportive and responsive appreciation of the unique needs of and demands placed upon these individuals.

The VMA will advocate on behalf of military-affiliated individuals in all aspects of University life, from recognizing their service to involving them as engaged participants of the campus community. The PCVMA works toward making veteran students feel they are part of the community and develop programs that matter to them.

The President’s Commission for Veteran and Military Affairs (VMA) shall:

Identify and advise on university policies and procedures which may have an adverse effect on the students affiliated with the military (e.g.: attendance, tuition payments dates, counseling services, etc.)
Recommend changes that may become part of the training programs to enable students, faculty, and staff to better understand and appreciate the unique challenges affecting military-affiliated students.
Facilitates communication between military-affiliated students, faculty, staff, and university administration;
Serve as advocates for, and leaders of, the institutional changes required for SRU to become a campus community more responsive to issues affecting military-affiliated students;
Promote activities that demonstrate the university’s commitment to veterans and the military.

Upcoming Events

Register for the upcoming March or April Green Zone training, indicated in the professional development brochure, which can be found here:
https://rockpride.sru.edu/rockmag/misc/springcatalog2020/

To register for workshops, please click on the link below.
https://www.sru.edu/offices/leadership-development

For information regarding advocacy, participation, and engagement, contact:

Ryan Stryffeler, co-chair

Matt Lobaugh, co-chair

Commission for Mental Health

In order to improve students' ability to learn and strengthen their overall success, both academically and socially, the President’s Commission for Mental Health (PCMH) advocates for and advises on issues pertaining to student mental health. Good mental health forms the foundation of personal, academic, and career success and the campus community should strive to enhance students' ongoing development. The PCMH will focus on student services and outreach as well as training opportunities for the campus community. In particular, the PMHC will explore ways to strengthen collaboration and cooperation between all members of the University community to provide a coordinated, systemic, approach to enhancing student mental health and the well-being of the community.

The President’s Commission on Mental Health is a recommending body and will review current university policies, procedures, and response plans related to the health and welfare of students in order to:
- Recommend policy, practices and procedures that positively influence the overall student experience as well as the experience for students with mental health concerns.
- Recommend training programs to enable students, faculty, and staff to better understand and appreciate the unique challenges affecting students with mental health concerns.
- Develop recommendations to strengthen the coordination and delivery of mental health services for Slippery Rock University students.
- Suggest practices to improve collaboration between offices providing mental health related services to students.
- Suggest options to expand prevention programming on campus.
- Suggest options to help increase students’ use of current services.
- Facilitate communication between students, faculty, staff, and university administration.
- Advocate for the institutional changes required for SRU to become a campus community more responsive to students’ mental health needs and concerns.
- Promote activities that demonstrate the university’s commitment to mental health.
The President's Commission for Mental Health supports funding requests to sponsor or co-sponsor mental health-related events and/or projects that directly relate to the PCMH purpose statement and would benefit the SRU campus community. One goal of the PCMH is to support and promote high-quality University-wide mental health-related advocacy and education initiatives.
- Link to President’s Commission Funding Request form
Contact information
- Jane Hale, co-chair
- Karla Fonner, co-chair

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