10 Practical Ways the Registrar’s Office Can Support Campus DEI Efforts

Diversity, equity, and inclusion is an essential and growing concern for higher education. Research indicates that when students feel like they belong, they have better outcomes. However, more than half of all college students today feel excluded based on an aspect of their identity. While students engage with their schools in a variety of different ways, they are all engaging with the curriculum, making it essential to incorporate DEI in this area.

Here are 10 practical tips that every Registrar’s office can implement to support and even boost DEI efforts on campus!

1. Engage with Campus DEI Resources
If you have existing DEI resources on campus (perhaps a director, dean, or other position), consider inviting them to participate in your work. Here are some ways you can engage with your campus DEI colleagues:

• Invite them to be included on your curriculum review committee(s).
• Request training from them for your staff and committee members. Consider training areas such as inclusive language, implicit bias, inclusive teaching practices, or diversity in syllabi. 
• Include them in workflow to review catalog content and/or courses for exclusionary and biased language.

2. Use Images in your Campus Catalog to Represent the Diversity and Values of your School
Catalogs have evolved to be an online experience. Where the use of images was impractical in print books, images can easily be added to your online catalogs. Take some time to review the images in your online catalog to make sure they showcase campus diversity and help students feel like they belong while they browse the catalog. If your catalog doesn’t currently include images, consider adding them. Most catalog software products, like CourseLeaf CAT, offer an easy interface to add images and videos, creating a more engaging and inclusive catalog for students.

3. Highlight Majors and Programs with DEI Content in Your Campus Catalog 
Catalog filters can make it easy for students to find programs that align with their experiences and interests. Filters can also be used to highlight programs with DEI content. If your catalog doesn’t include filters, consider adding that functionality.

4. Add Career Data and Pathway Information to Your Campus Catalog 
Many students enter college without a clear understanding of what career opportunities exist with certain majors or programs. Students may not know how to ask questions about this or know who to ask. By adding career data and pathway information to your catalog, this information is easily available to students when they are considering majors or programs, helping them make information decisions. If your current catalog software doesn’t offer an integration option for career data, consider moving to a new solution. CourseLeaf CAT offers an easy integration with free labor data resources or via Lightcast (formerly EMSI and Burning Glass).

5. Highlight and Leverage Campus DEI Resources in Your Campus Catalog 
Utilize the sidebars and footers in your catalog to publish information and resources that are important to students. This could include DEI statements, links to student support and services office, mental health resources, Title IX resources, and more!

6. Develop an Inclusive Language Style Guide 
Language matters. Developing an Inclusive Language Style Guide can help your campus choose language that includes rather than excludes; acknowledges, accepts and celebrates differences; and is welcoming to everyone. If you are using CourseLeaf CAT, our Inclusive Curriculum Tool can make it easy to quickly identify course titles and descriptions with exclusionary language using custom rules based on institutional standards and in alignment with your Inclusive Language Style Guide. This feature also allows you to publish your guide anywhere within your catalog.

7. Add DEI Questions to Your Curriculum Course and Program Proposal Forms
Your Course and Program Proposal Forms offer a great opportunity to collect DEI information from faculty. Questions do not have to be required, but they can prompt faculty to think about diversity, equity, and inclusion and their courses. Consider questions like:

• How have you incorporated diversity into your reading list?
• How do you plan to create an inclusive classroom environment?
• How are your learning objectives supporting inclusion? 

8. Ensure Section Offerings Meet Student Needs During Scheduling
Do your course offering times match the diversity of your student population? Consider the schedules that working students, students who are parents or caretakers, and commuter students may need to access their classes. Scheduling software may provide functionality that makes it easier to seek compliance around scheduling rules. For example, CourseLeaf CLSS has a rules engine that can ensure sections are offered at the times students can attend classes.

9. Remember, Accessibility is an Inclusion Matter 
Accessibility is an important part of DEI work that is sometimes overlooked. Accessible content is as important as accessible applications! Ensure catalog editors and contributors are trained in and knowledgeable of accessibility standards of web content. Modern catalog software vendors should provide support and training opportunities on accessible content topics for your team.

10. Track and Report DEI Content 
Research indicates that students who feel a sense of belonging have better outcomes. The ability to track courses and programs with DEI content and measure student success is important to further this research. Consider tracking courses and programs with DEI content with tags or attributes, so that the information can easily be published and reported. This can also be helpful for writing annual reports or providing information to accreditation agencies.

Leveraging the important work you do from the Registrar's Office to support DEI efforts and boost a sense of belonging for all students can help your campus achieve their student engagement, retention, and on-time completion goals. If you have comments or questions about this topic, or would like to schedule a demo of our CourseLeaf software, connect with our CourseLeaf team!