Diversity and Inclusion

We believe every person has the right to feel welcomed, respected and valued at Cal Poly.

Together with our campus partners, Student Affairs aims to create campus communities that reflects the diverse population of our state, and provide equity, access and opportunities for all students, faculty and staff.

As our work continues, we invite you to look at our current priorities, past achievements and let us know how we can make Cal Poly a more inclusive place for all.

Current Priorities

• Improve campus climate by building relationships of integrity and respect with students and helping them lift up their voices 
• Expand programming, services, gender-inclusive policies and education so that every member of the Cal Poly community is supported and respected 
• Enhance leadership training programs to foster greater awareness, knowledge and appreciation of cultural differences
• Increase professional development opportunities among Student Affairs staff to build greater knowledge of diversity, inclusion and social justice

AY 2021-2022 Highlights

"Seeing this center come to fruition and hearing the campus responses has been exciting and enthralling. The campus at large has welcomed NAICC with open arms."

— Cheryl Flores, 2022 Cal Poly Graduate and Coordinator for the Native American and Indigenous Cultural Center

Opening Community Spaces 

In Fall of 2021, Student Affairs opened the Native American and Indigenous Cultural Center (NAICC), holding its grand opening celebration on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Oct. 11.  The event featured a small intimate gathering of yak tityu tityu yak tilhini Northern Chumash Tribal elders, Cal Poly administration, faculty, staff, student assistants, the American Indian Student Association, and the American Indian Sciences & Engineering Society.

Students have enjoyed NAICC’s friendly space, which offers numerous opportunities for relaxation and engagement, while improving students’ academic, social, and cultural experiences.

Fostering Student Engagement

Cal Poly’s PolyCultural Weekend (PCW) returned to in-person operations during the 2021-22 academic year. This yearly community-building event invites prospective students of color to campus, who are then hosted by current Cal Poly students. 

The 2021-22 PCW event featured collaborations from across the university that allows prospective students to get an insight into Cal Poly campus life, cultural organizations, and other existing support resources on campus. All told, 262 prospective students of color participated in the weekend, which was further supported by 37 student cultural clubs and organizations and 133 current Cal Poly students who served as hosts.

Creating Access and Opportunity

Student Affairs, led by its Assistant Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and the Director of Student Diversity and Belonging (SDAB), conducted a series of learning sessions throughout the Fall of 2021 to affirm our understanding of current student needs and programmatic services that support historically underserved students utilizing university cultural resource centers.

The goal of this process was to develop a report to guide Student Affairs leadership about growth opportunities and potential structural changes for SDAB in the coming years and projections for the future.