What is CDSJ?
CDSJ is an acronym for Community, Diversity and Social Justice and often used as shorthand to refer to the CDSJ Initiative. The specific terms are defined as follows:
Community
An overarching sense of connectedness, pride and responsibility which links the many smaller communities which populate the UMass Amherst campus based on an institutional culture of inclusion.
Diversity
Differences between individuals and groups including:
Social Diversity, which refers to membership in social-defined groups (such as racial or ethnic group, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ability, and so on); and
Role Diversity, which refers to membership in different employee groups (faculty, exempt (from overtime), non-exempt and/or student groups (graduate, undergraduate) on the campus.
Social Justice
A commitment to equity and fairness in treatment and access to opportunities and resources. This commitment to fairness began with the 1964 Civil Rights Act, focusing on issues of race and gender, evolving over time to include other categories such as religion, ability and sexual orientation.
The Social Justice commitment is codified in large part by federal and state civil rights laws which prohibit discriminatory treatment in several categories (race, gender, age, national ancestry, religion, ability, sexual orientation, marital status, etc.).
|
