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Seattle Colleges Stands with Our Jewish, Muslim, and LGBTQIA+2 Communities

Our beloved students choose to attend Seattle Colleges with an expectation they will find an exemplary learning institution that transforms lives, and promotes equity, freedom, and security. They also expect an environment where they can grow as social justice activists, achieve educational and generational dreams, and explore and express their whole and best selves.

Our mission is to prepare each student for success in life and work, and to foster a diverse, engaged, and dynamic community. With that mission in mind, Seattle Colleges and the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Community must be very clear: We reject and condemn all acts of hate, bias, racism, and injustices against all our communities, and we stand, in particular, with our Jewish, Muslim, and LGBTQIA2+ community members.

This is especially important as many who identify as part of these communities—some of whom are our own students and employees—have experienced a continuing rise of harassment and discrimination throughout the United States, including many institutions of higher education, during these times of local, global, and national staggering and heartbreaking news. 

We share the sentiments of our board of trustees, who released a clear statement during their March meeting:

  • We stand against genocide.
  • We stand against murder.
  • We condemn Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.
  • We call for an end to all wars, including a ceasefire in Gaza.
  • We acknowledge the impact that these global conflicts have on members of our community of staff, faculty, and students.

In addition, the chancellor, college presidents, and EDIC team clearly state: 

  • We stand against and unequivocally condemn all acts of hate, bias, racism, and injustices against all our communities.
  • We stand against the threats upon the learning and safety of our LGBTQIA2+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or sometimes questioning, intersexual, asexual and two-spirited) Community.
  • We stand with The National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education in support of the nationwide Day of Action for Higher Education on April 17.
  • We stand with the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) Vision Statement “Leading with racial equity”.
  • We acknowledge and recognize that ensuring our systems and processes are equitable and accessible for our Black, Brown, Indigenous, People of Color and most venerable students and employees will take intentional action both immediately and over time.
  • We stand in solidarity with the resistance movement that is anti-apartheid, anti-racist, anti-genocide, anti-colonialist, anti-oppression, anti-ableist and antisexist. That results in pro-liberation and pro-equity solutions.

We remain committed and dedicated to our goal of becoming an antiracist and anti-bias institution that centers leading with racial equity at its core. This commitment holds space for our voices to support one another, articulate differences, and have an intellectual curiosity that seeks to understand in truth-telling without gaslighting and without hurting our community members that would actively undermine the educational environment with any acts that are in direct opposition to our core values.

Our journey requires the community to show care, respect, acts of kindness, and empathy to our community members as human beings from all backgrounds, cultures, traditions, viewpoints, faiths, races, gender, abilities, identities, ethnicities, and national origins coming together to learn and thrive.

We strongly encourage our community to join our advisory committees and taskforce. Working together we can provide more rapid, clear, concrete, and actionable steps to identify opportunities that enhance the campus environment and advance our commitment to an inclusive community.

A Seattle Colleges email address is required to sign up for Seattle Colleges' taskforce and committees.

For more information and details on meetings, dates, other advisory committees’ kick-offs, and opportunities to get involved, please email edi@seattlecolleges.edu. 
 

Additional Important Information and Resources

Seattle College District Procedure 282, Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying   
Policy and Procedure Details | Seattle Colleges  

Discrimination and Harassment Policies and Procedures   
Policy 282: Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying and Procedure 282: Discrimination and Harassment Claim Procedure.

FILING A CLAIM OF DISCRIMINATION OR HARASSMENT   
Any student, employee, applicant, or visitor can file a discrimination or harassment Claim. The Seattle District College encourages the timely reporting of allegations of discrimination or harassment either orally or by submitting a written claim through Seattle Colleges’ internal reporting system, Maxient. A formal Claim form is available online at Reporting/Claim Forms | Seattle Colleges. 
Hardcopies of the Claim form is also available at the following locations on campus or the district office:

Seattle District College Office   
1500 Harvard Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122   
2nd Floor Reception Desk  

North Seattle College 
9600 College Way North, Seattle, WA 98103     
Student Services Office: 3NC2449A   
HR Office: 3NC2261G  

Seattle Central College   
1701 Broadway, Seattle, WA 98122   
Student Services Office: Room BE4180     
HR Office: BE4180  

South Seattle College  
6000 16th Avenue S.W., Seattle, WA 98106   
Student Services Office: Room CC2354   
HR Office: Room CC2160A   
Georgetown Apprenticeship and Education Center 
Main Office: 4GT100  

All correspondence related to a claim and any resulting investigation will be sent to the employee’s or student’s Seattle Colleges email account. Correspondence may also be delivered by letter sent to an individual’s last known address, or by hand delivering a hard copy, as appropriate.   

Bias Incident Report Form—Seattle Central College 
Note: to be used only for Seattle Central College. This form is to be used to ensure a timely and effective response to bias-based incidents at any facility or venue owned, operated, or leased by Seattle Central College. A bias-based incident involves conduct—including words, slurs, graffiti, or actions (explicit, implied, or perceived) that violates Seattle Central College’s policy prohibiting discrimination. North, South and Siegel are currently establishing and developing a Bias Incident Reporting process to align with Central to be officially up and running by Fall Quarter 2024. Seattle Central College Bias Incident Report Form (maxient.com).