Apply for a New Affinity Group
POLICY
Affinity Groups are University approved employees-led groups whose members are aligned across common identity and/or interests. The approved affinity groups operate within the context of the university’s mission, values, and goals. Affinity Groups provide support and engagement for community and also serve as a resource to Administration in addressing DEIJ challenges.
PURPOSE
Affinity groups can have a great impact on the building of community and engagement of associates. Affinity groups can offer opportunities for personal and professional development as well as bring education and awareness to the campus around specific topics which they feel are important to their group. Affinity groups also work to support diverse students on campus and volunteer in the local community to support DEIJ-related organizations and causes. We encourage the Affinity Groups to focus on one or more of the 3 Cs:
- Community – building community within CLU or supporting an outside community organization.
- Culture – cultivating the inclusive culture on campus.
- Career – supporting the development of students, staff, or faculty through mentorship, and networking events.
DEFINITIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES
Membership – faculty and staff employees of the University, a minimum of five members is required to establish a group to participate and support the mission of the group There must be at least 5 members.
Executive Sponsor – A member of the senior leadership team. Affinity groups can request Deans, AVPs, or VPs to be their Executive Sponsor. Cabinet will need to approve their request. Executive Sponsor will provide support, updates, mentoring, and guidance on university protocols to the group.
Officers – full-time faculty and staff members:
Chairs and/or Co-chairs – Acts as the Leader(s) for the Affinity Group.
Treasurer – Manages the allocated budget and handles receipts for the group.
Communications /Membership Chair – Maintains the membership roster and keeps them informed of group’s events and meetings.
SCOPE
All Affinity groups are approved by the University for regular employees. All staff and faculty may participate in an Affinity Group without conflict with assigned duties. Officers of an Affinity Group must be full-time faculty or staff members. This policy does not apply to Student Groups or Student Employees.
PROCEDURE
Application
All applications for the creation of a new Affinity Group should be submitted to The Director of HSI & DEIJ Programs. The application must contain:
- Name of the Affinity Group
- Mission of the Affinity Group
- Membership – Identified membership of at least 5 regular staff or faculty.
The Director of HSI & DEIJ programs will work with the applicants to discuss the application and goals for the Affinity Group. After that meeting, the Director of HSI & DEIJ programs will forward the application to the Vice President of Talent, Culture, & Diversity (TCD) for review and approval. The Vice President of TCD will review the application with the DEIJ Core Team for input and recommendation. The Vice President will forward the application to the Cabinet for review and final approval. Within the application, the Affinity Group is to identify their requested Executive Sponsor.
Upon Cabinet’s approval of the Affinity Group application, the Director of HSI & DEIJ programs will notify the applicants and list the Affinity Group on the DEIJ Affinity Group website.
Operation
- Affinity Groups can operate during the academic year or calendar
- Officers are to be selected by a majority vote of members. The terms of the officers shall be determined by the Affinity Group but not longer than 2 years.
- The chair(s) shall establish regular meetings.
- All Affinity Group meetings and events are required to take place on-campus if they are conducted during traditional operational hours (8 am -5 pm, Monday – Friday). Activities hosted outside of the regular hour are at the group’s discretion.
- The Director of HSI & DEIJ Programs will be responsible for leading and supporting Affinity groups. The Director of HSI & DEIJ programs will coordinate meetings for all Affinity Group Officers to provide guidance, and general updates and brainstorm new ideas for DEIJ events or programs
- Chair(s) and/or Co-chair(s) – Acts as the Leader for the Affinity Group. The Chair(s) schedules, organizes and presides over meetings. Chair(s) keeps the Executive Sponsor informed and works closely with Executive Sponsor for events.
- Executive Sponsor - officially represents Affinity Group within the CLU community and ensures that all committees and members abide by relevant CLU policies and guidelines. Any all-campus-wide communications need to be approved by the Executive Sponsor and Director of HSI and DEIJ programs.
- Treasurer – Manages the budget and processes the receipts for the group. Affinity groups may receive funds from the University budget to cover annual operating expenses, including work and events. Treasurer manages these funds in collaboration with the chair(s).
- Communications/Membership Chair – Keeps the members informed of events/meetings. Responsible for recording the names of all members, and keeping all members informed of events and pertinent notices.
- Affinity Group members will receive up to a collective 20 hours per calendar year of approved paid leave to meet, plan and attend events. If an employee participates in multiple affinity groups a collective maximum of 20 hours per year will be authorized. All participation time must have supervisory approval in advance.
- The Office of Talent, Culture and Diversity (TCD) will provide a budget for the Affinity Groups. The budget can be used for operating expenses, such as meetings, events, and speakers. Affinity groups will receive $500 per calendar year.
All questions or concerns about this policy should be addressed to the Director of HSI & DEIJ Programs