Terms of Equity and Inclusion

The following is a reference guide; a glossary of terms and language often referenced in equity, diversity and inclusion discussions and efforts. This is an expansive list of terms from across various sources and it should not be considered exhaustive or comprehensive.

Please note: Much like other disciplines and areas of work, the language, terminology, and concepts used across equity, diversity, and inclusion discussions change over time. What is considered appropriate, acceptable, and/or outdated is continually evolving to be reflective of the growth in understanding of EDI matters. The language, terminology, and concepts may vary depending on the context in which the terms are being used. Furthermore, they may have differing meaning and significance across the contexts of any given community, organization, functional area, and/or population.

Improper Use

Use of this guide in place of continuing education, intercultural experiences, or other opportunities for formalized and systematic education on the use of equity and inclusion terminology and concepts.

Items identified by the community for review, revisions, deletion, or addition to the Terms of Equity and Inclusion may be submitted at any time throughout the year. 

Annually in the early spring, a team identified by the Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion will review the Terms of Equity and Inclusion, including any suggested items submitted by the community. 

  • The team will consider each suggestion as well as changes in meanings or usage over the prior year and decide whether to recommend revisions to the Terms of Equity and Inclusion.
  • Where possible, definitions for terms shall be externally sourced and referenced within the Terms of Equity and Inclusion.

Recommendations for revisions will be submitted to the Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion by April 1 each year.

  • The Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion may, but is not required to, circulate recommended revisions to other groups within Minnesota State for comment or feedback.
  • The Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion will approve or deny revisions by August 1 each year.
We understand that we must continually research, listen, collaborate, and study these important topics. We strive to continually update the guide with relevant resources as they develop. Should you have any questions, feedback, or concerns, please contact the Minnesota State Office of Equity and Inclusion OEI@minnstate.edu.

Terms of Equity and Inclusion

Terms of Equity and Inclusion
Term Definition
1.5 generation (immigrant) Refers to individuals who immigrated to a new country before or during their early teens. These individuals tend to carry with them or maintain characteristics of their home country, while also engaging in assimilation and socialization with their new country (Rojas, 2011).
AAPI Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The acronym is widely used by people within these communities but is not as well known outside of them. Spell out the full term; use AAPI only in direct quotations and explain the term (Associated Press, 2020).
Abolition (Abolitionism) Commonly used to refer to the movement to end slavery. Related to fugitivity, but “represents a direct protest against the structures that demand fugitivity...Abolitionism is aboveground resistance” (Lozenski, 2022, pp. 26-27).
Accountability Refers to the ways in which individuals, communities, leaders, systems and institutions hold themselves to their attributed goals, responsibilities and actions. To be accountable, one must be visible, with a transparent agenda and process. Invisibility defies examination; it is, in fact, employed in order to avoid detection and examination. Accountability demands commitment. It might be defined as “what kicks in when convenience runs out.” Accountability requires some sense of urgency and becoming a true stakeholder in the outcome. Accountability can be externally imposed (legal or organizational requirements), or internally applied (moral, relational, faith-based, or recognized as some combination of the two) on a continuum from the institutional and organizational level to the individual level. From a relational point of view, accountability is not always doing it right. Sometimes it’s really about what happens after its done wrong (Berman et al., 2010).
Ableism The discrimination and prejudice against, and exclusion of, people with disabilities. Ableism “places value on people’s bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normality, intelligence, excellence, desirability, and productivity” (Lewis, 2021).
Accessibility The practice of making information, activities, and/or environments sensible, meaningful, and usable for all people.
Accommodation Are reasonable adjustments provided for a person with a disability, designed to give them equal access to education. Accommodations are protected by legislation and in the United States, an accommodation is not required if it places an undue burden, meaning a significant difficulty or expense, on the organization being asked to provide it, or if an alteration or modification is so significant that it alters the essential nature of the service.
Accommodationist Is often referred to as the political tendencies of someone who accepts the status quo and defends the prevailing social order.
Achievement gap Quantitative data that reveals that minoritized students experience disparate student success outcome measurements. Achievement gap data should be contexualized within more nuanced analysis to avoid perpetuating theories that associate academic achievement with individual effort, motivation, and drive, rather than systemic inequities (Bensimon, 2020, p. 8; Kendi, 2019, p. 101). Equity-practitioners opt to not use this term as it reifies student-deficit assumptions. Equity gap, opportunity gap and the recognition of institutional educational debt (Ladson-Billings, 2006) are preferable notions.
ADOS American descendants of slavery. Used by Black Americans who attempt to make an appeal to the U.S. government to receive reparations only for those who can exclusively prove that they are Black Americans who are descendants of those who were enslaved in the U.S.
AI/AN/I Indicates American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Indigenous. These series of terms are commonly used in the United States to further specify “native” or “Indigenous” people. Canada distinguishes First Nations as a term to indicate sovereignty and prior claims to land dwelling.
Advocate A person who actively works to end intolerance, educate others, and support social equity for a marginalized group; to actively support or plea in favor of a particular cause; the action of working to end intolerance or educate others (The Safe Zone Project).
Adverse impact A substantially different rate of selection in hiring, promotion, transfer, training, or other employment-related decisions for any race, sex, gender, or ethnic group in comparison with other groups.
AFAB/AMAB Assigned female at birth / assigned male at birth.
Affirmative action A set of policies and practices designed to eliminate unlawful discrimination among applicants, remedy the results of such prior discrimination, and prevent such discrimination in the future.
Affirmative action plan Affirmative Action Plans are workforce planning tools to demonstrate a college/university or the system office’s good faith efforts to ensure that all positions in the executive branch of civil service is accessible to all qualified persons. Chancellor, College/University Presidents, HR Directors/Designees, Affirmative Action Officers/ Designees, ADA Title I and II Coordinators, Recruitment Coordinator, Senior Management, and college/university practices enforce equal opportunity at the college/university level. Affirmative Action Plans are created biannually to meet requirements found in Minnesota Statutes, section 43A.191 Agency Affirmative Action Programs.
Affirmative consent Consent is informed, freely given, and mutually understood willingness to participate in sexual activity that is expressed by clear, unambiguous, and affirmative words or actions. It is the responsibility of the person who wants to engage in sexual activity to ensure that the other person has consented to engage in the sexual activity. Consent must be present throughout the entire sexual activity and can be revoked at any time. If coercion, intimidation, threats, and/or physical force are used, there is no consent. If the complainant is mentally or physically incapacitated or impaired so that the complainant cannot understand the fact, nature, or extent of the sexual situation, there is no consent; this includes conditions due to alcohol or drug consumption, or being asleep or unconscious. A lack of protest, absence of resistance, or silence alone does not constitute consent, and past consent to sexual activities does not imply ongoing future consent. The existence of a dating relationship between the people involved or the existence of a past sexual relationship does not prove the presence of, or otherwise provide the basis for, an assumption of consent. Whether the respondent has taken advantage of a position of influence over the complainant may be a factor in determining consent.
Agender A person with no (or very little) connection to the traditional system of gender, no personal alignment with the concepts of either man or woman, and/or someone who sees themselves as existing without gender (The Safe Zone Project).
Ally Being in a position in which "in order to undermine whatever social privileges (based on ethnicity, race, class, gender, sexual identity, etc.) you benefit from, you must give up your role as a primary actor and become an ally to those who are being oppressed” by listening to, being in solidarity with, and supportive of marginalized groups and communities (Milstein, 2015, p. 66).
American Indian or Alaska Native A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) who maintains cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community attachment (U.S. Department of Education, 1997).
Asian A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian Subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam (U.S. Department of Education, 1997).
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Enacted in 1990, the ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. The ADA is divided into five titles (or sections) that relate to different areas of public life – employment, state, and local government, public accommodations, telecommunications and miscellaneous provisions (Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Public Law 101-226., 1990).
Androgyny An appearance that is both or neither traditionally masculine and feminine.
Anti-Black The Council for Democratizing Education defines anti-Blackness as being a two-part formation that both voids Blackness of value, while systematically marginalizing Black people and their issues. The first form of anti-Blackness is overt racism. Beneath this anti-Black racism is the covert structural and systemic racism which categorically predetermines the socioeconomic status of Blacks in this country. The structure is held in place by anti-Black policies, institutions, and ideologies (Portland Means Progress, n.d.).
Anti-racist “Being an anti-racist begins with understanding the institutional nature of racial matters and accepting that all actors in a racialized society are affected materially (receive benefits or disadvantages) and ideologically by the racial structure. This stand implies taking responsibility for your unwilling participation in these practices and beginning a new life committed to the goal of achieving real racial equality” (Bonilla-Silva, 2014, p. 15).
Anti-racist advocate One who is supporting an anti-racist policy through their actions or expressing an antiracist idea (Kendi, 2019, pp. 13).
Anti-racist pedagogy Anti-racist pedagogy “focuses on how race and racism are baked into our system,” and “recognizes intersectionality, but strategically and intentionally focuses on race and racism” (Kishimoto, 2020, p. 12). The approach pairs faculty and students to examine their roles and responsibilities to acknowledge and challenge a racist society.
Anti-racist policies Any measure that produces and sustains racial equity between groups (Kendi, 2019, p. 18). Policies may include unspoken rules that govern higher education routines and decision making, such as admissions, faculty hiring, and evaluation, as well as the criteria that guide judgments about quality, excellence, and merit (Bensimon, 2020, p. 10). Bensimon offers the following as possible examples: affirmative action in admissions and hiring; California’s elimination of remedial education in community colleges and in the state college system with a requirement that students be placed in college-level courses and provided with academic support to succeed (Bensimon, 2020, p. 9).
Anti-Semitism / antisemitism Antisemitism is prejudice against or hatred of people of the Jewish faith. Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, 2021; U.S. Department of State, 2021). The Associated Press Stylebook removed the hyphen and with no capital in April 2021 (Associated Press, 2021).
Asexual Refers to a person who does not experience sexual attraction or has little interest in sexual activity.
Asset-based approach An asset-based approach focuses on strengths. It views diversity in thought, culture, and traits as positive assets. Teachers and students alike are valued for what they bring to the classroom rather than being characterized by what they may need to work on or lack (NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, 2018).
Assimilation A gradual or rapid process by which a person or group belonging to one culture adopts the cultural and ideological beliefs, behaviors, or practices of a group that has power/is oppressive in a particular place/space. Assimilation can be voluntary or forced.
Assimilationist One who is expressing the racist idea that a racial group is culturally or behaviorally inferior and is supporting cultural or behavioral enrichment programs to develop that racial group (Kendi, 2019, p. 24). On campuses, an assimilationist expects students to have the same attitudes, behaviors, and emotions as the dominant racial group and if students do not conform, they are “invited to leave” academic spaces.
Asylum seeker Someone who “has left their country and is seeking protection from persecution and serious human rights violations in another country, but who hasn't yet been legally recognized as a refugee and is waiting to receive a decision on their asylum claim” (Amnesty International, 2023).
Bias A disproportionate weight in favor of or against an idea of thing, usually in a way that is closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individual, a group, or a belief (Psychology Today).
Implicit bias Also known as unconscious or hidden bias, implicit biases are negative associations that people unknowingly hold. They are expressed automatically, without conscious awareness.
Bias incident An act of bigotry, harassment, or intimidation that is motivated in whole or in part by bias based on an individual’s or group’s actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, or sexual orientation.
Bicurious A curiosity toward experiencing attraction to people of the same gender/sex (similar to questioning) (The Safe Zone Project).
Black or African American According to the U.S. government, it is an American resident having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa (U.S. Department of Education, 1997). ”Black” when referenced to a people is influenced by particular historical and cultural processes, and should be viewed as a political construction of identity that needs to be situated within specific social and discursive contexts (Back & Solomos, 2000). As an acknowledgment of the effects of colonization, the European Slave Trade, and imperialism many dispersed Africans choose to claim they are a part of the African diaspora, instead of the claim to being an African American.
BIPOC Acronym for Black, Indigenous, or person of color. Introduce full terminology before using the acronym in text.
Bisexual A person who experiences attraction to some men and women or identifies as experiencing an attraction to people of varying genders.
Black Lives Matter, #BlackLivesMatter A global movement launched after the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin with a goal to eradicate systemic racism and white supremacy and to oppose violence committed against Black people. Using either Black Lives Matter as a noun or the Black Lives Matter movement is acceptable. BLM is acceptable on second reference. Although there are many groups that use "Black Lives Matter" or "BLM" in their names, only 16 are considered affiliates of the Black Lives Matter Global Network. The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, which provides organizational infrastructure and funding to the affiliate chapters, was founded in 2014 after what is known as the Ferguson uprising over the August 2014 police shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. The BLM network is acceptable on second reference.
Campus Diversity Officer A CDO serves in an integrative role that coordinates, leads, enhances, and in some instances supervises formal diversity capabilities of the institution in an effort to create an environment that is inclusive and excellent for all.
Capitalism Refers to “a system in which market forces dictate economic decisions and most property is privately owned” (Delgado & Stefancic, 2001). Commercial capitalism of the 18th century was founded on slavery and monopoly capital, which, in turn, had led to the emergence of industrial capitalism. Additionally, “African slavery produced the initial start-up capital for what ultimately would become the basis for capitalism in the United States” (Lui, Robles, Leondar-Wright, Brewer, and Adamson, 2006, p. 74).
Caucasian The term was “developed in the late eighteenth century by a German anthropologist, Johnann Blumenbach. He developed a racial classification scheme that put people from the Russia Caucasus at the top of the racial hierarchy because he thought "Caucasians" were beautiful and sophisticated people; darker people were put on the bottom of the list: Asians, Africans, Polynesians, and Native Americans” (Andersen and Collins, 2004, p. 84). Avoid as a synonym for white, unless in a quotation (Associated Press, 2020).
Chicana / Chicano People of Mexican descent; Chicano refers to men and Chicana to women. The terms were originally considered derogatory. However, the Chicano movement during the 1960s adopted these names in response to discrimination against Mexican Americans working under unfair labor and social conditions. These terms announce pride in indigenous ancestry, which was a significant ideological element of the Chicano movement (Kanigel, Chicana, Chicano, n.d.).
Cisgender A gender description for when someone's sex assigned at birth and gender identity correspond (e.g. someone who was assigned male at birth and identifies as a man). A simple way to think about it is if a person is not transgender, they are cisgender. The word cisgender can also be shortened to "cis" (The Safe Zone Project).
Civil Rights Act of 1964 One in a series of monumental acts of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement that outlawed segregation and employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin (The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Pub. L. 88-352)).
Classism Any attitude or institutional practice which subordinates people due to income, occupation, education and/or their economic condition.
Collusion When people act to perpetuate oppression or prevent others from working to eliminate oppression.
Critical Race Theory (CRT) A theoretical framework that “embraces a movement of left scholars, most of them scholars of color, situated in law schools, whose work challenges the ways in which race and racial power are constructed and represented in American legal culture and, more generally, in American society as a whole.... Although Critical Race scholarship differs in object, argument, accent, and emphasis, it is nevertheless unified by two common interests. The first is to understand how a regime of white supremacy and its subordination of people of color have been created and maintained in America, and, in particular, to examine the relationship between that social structure and professed ideals such as “the rule of law” and “equal protection.” The second is a desire not merely to understand the vexed bond between law and racial power but to change it” (Bell, Crenshaw, Gotanda, Peller, and Thomas, 1995, p. xii).
Culture Cultivated behavior; that is the totality of a person's learned, accumulated experience. Scholars emphasize that “Culture is a complex constellation of values, mores, norms, customs, ways of being, ways of knowing and traditions that provides a general design for living, is passed from generation to generation, and serves as a pattern for interpreting reality” (Howard, 2010, p. 51).
Cultural appropriation Theft of cultural elements for one’s own use, commodification, or profit — including symbols, art, language, customs, etc. — often without understanding, acknowledgment or respect for its value in the original culture.
Cultural competency The ability to use critical thinking skills to interpret how values and belief influence conscious and unconscious behavior; the understanding of how inequity can be and has been perpetuated through socialized behaviors; and the knowledge and determined disposition to disrupt inequitable practices to achieve greater personal and professional success.
Cultural fluency The ability to understand norms and perspectives of diverse cultures, recognize the context and cues, and respond in ways to achieve shared meaning.
Cultural humility A process of reflection and lifelong inquiry involving self-awareness of personal and societal biases as well as awareness of aspects of identity that are most important to others we encounter leading to continuous learning in an accepting and thoughtful manner.
Culturally responsive pedagogy Culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) is a pedagogical approach that 1) improves the learning capacity of diverse students who have been marginalized educationally, 2) centers around affective and cognitive aspects of teaching and learning, and 3) builds resilience and academic mindset by pushing back on dominant narratives about people of color (Hammond, 2015). Furthermore, "Culturally responsive pedagogy is situated in a framework that recognizes the rich and varied cultural wealth, knowledge, and skills that students from diverse groups bring to schools, and seeks to develop dynamic teaching practices, multicultural content, multiple means of assessment, and a philosophical view of teaching that is dedicated to nurturing student academic, social, emotional, cultural, psychological, and physiological well-being” (Howard, 2010, p. 67-68).
Data, close-to-practice Data that is personalized and networked in living systems, representing human needs in real time (Dowd, et al., 2018, p. 5). The data is disaggregated small enough to be actionable and the possibilities of a positive outcome are clear (Dowd, et al., 2018, p. 10). An ethic of care guides savvy data use and data become actionable when faculty and staff receive time and space to unpack accountability data and administrative data.
Data democratization Data democratization means that everybody has access to data and there are no gatekeepers that create a bottleneck at the gateway to the data. It requires that we accompany the access with an easy way for people to understand the data so that they can use it to expedite decision-making and uncover opportunities for an organization. The goal is to have anybody use data at any time to make decisions with no barriers to access or understanding (Marr, 2017).
Data disaggregation Data that has been divided into sub-categories to elucidate any disparity patterns between groups. Example, disaggregation of Students of Color by breaking out data by race/ethnic group, age, gender, (dis)ability status, etc.
Dating, intimate partner, and relationship violence Violence including physical harm or abuse, and threats of physical harm or abuse, arising out of a personal intimate relationship. This violence also may be called domestic abuse or spousal/partner abuse and may be subject to criminal prosecution under Minnesota law.
Decolonization Refers to a framework that “allows for a systematic critique of the traumatic history of colonialism on Native and Third World peoples and, subsequently, healing from colonial trauma, which includes having learned to see oneself as academically incapable. Decolonization, however, should not be mistaken as only an academic exercise; the aim of decolonization is to move toward self-determination, the claiming of an intellectual identity, and active participation in the transformation of material conditions” (Cuauhtin, Zavala, Sleeter, & Au, 2019).
Denial Refusal to acknowledge the societal privileges that are granted or denied based on an individual's ethnicity or other grouping.
Deficit-minded Thinking that construes outcomes as originating from student characteristics. (Bensimon E. M., 2007, p. 446) A form of blaming that views the alleged deficiencies of poor and minoritized group students and their families as predominantly responsible for these students' institutional problems and academic failure, while frequently holding structural inequality blameless. Deficit thinking is entrenched in the popular "at-risk" construct and underlies both conservative and liberal approaches to educational reform (Valencia, 1997). Deficit mindedness pathologizes the lifestyles of minoritized students who appear at the bottom end of the “achievement gap” in order to justify the educational system’s failures (Ladson-Billings, 2006, p. 5).
Diaspora The dispersal or spreading of a large group of people from their homeland to other lands/regions.
Disability (ADA) A person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity. This includes people who have a record of such an impairment, even if they do not currently have a disability. It also includes individuals who do not have a disability but are regarded as having a disability. The ADA makes it unlawful to discriminate against a person based on that person's association with a person with a disability (Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Public Law 101-226., 1990).
Discrimination Behavior that treats people unequally because of their group memberships. Discriminatory behavior, ranging from slights to hate crimes, often begins with negative stereotypes and prejudices. Discrimination refers to “action(s) based on prejudice toward social others. How we think about groups of people determines how we act toward them; discrimination occurs when we act on our prejudices” (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 2012, p. 32).
Discriminatory harassment Unwelcome conduct or communication that is based on actual or perceived membership in a protected class, including stereotypes of protected classes, that has a negative effect or is likely to have a negative effect on the complainant or the workplace or educational environment.
Disparity Indicates that an equity gap exists between a given group and the reference/comparison group.
Diversity Refers to the group differences amongst individuals, such as by race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies.
DREAMers Undocumented youth are often referred to as DREAMers. This moniker came out of the DREAM Act movement, legislation first introduced in 2001 as The Development Relief and Education Act of Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. There have many iterations of the bill, but all of them would give temporary legal status with a 6-year pathway to permanent legal residency to young undocumented immigrants, as long as the individuals were brought to the United States at a young age, were attending or attended college or served in the military and passed criminal background checks and reviews.
Dysconsciousness An uncritical habit of mind (including perceptions, attitudes, assumptions, and beliefs) that justifies inequity and exploitation by accepting the existing order of things as given (King, 1991, p. 135).
Education accommodations Any supports or services that help a student access the curriculum and demonstrate their learning.
Education Debt The sum of all previously incurred deficits or opportunity gaps in education for American Indian communities and communities of color. The education debt includes four aspects: 1) the historical lack of access to formal public education for certain groups of people (historic debt); 2) historical and contemporary inequities in school funding, income disparities related to different levels of education, and general wealth disparity (economic debt); 3) the disenfranchisement of people of color at local and national levels (sociopolitical debt); and 4) the disparity between what we know is right and what we actually do (moral debt) (Ladson-Billings, 2006).
Equality Provision of the same opportunities and resources to all groups, regardless of their “starting point”, to reach a common goal or outcome.
Equally Effective Alternative Access Plan (EEAAP) Plan that identifies barriers to accessing information, services and technology resources, and subsequently outlines how alternate access will be provided to individuals with disabilities.
Equity Considered to be distinct from equality, the term acknowledges that addressing unequal outcomes for different groups in society may require a re-distribution of inputs/resources, to addresses the impact of historical and systemic oppression.
Equity 2030 Equity 2030 aims to close the educational equity gaps across race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and geographic location by the end of the decade at every Minnesota State college and university. Approved by the Minnesota State Board of Trustees in 2019, Equity 2030 emerged out of a year-long exploration to re-imagine the future of higher education, setting a clear direction for the 26 colleges and 7 state universities of Minnesota State.
Equity by Design (EbD) Equity by Design is a methodology to understand and address disparities and move towards meaningful institution (system) wide multifaceted equity-minded practices. The methodology is influenced by the research and literature of Dr. Estela Bensimon at the Center for Urban Education, University of Southern California.
Equity gap (education) The educational equity gap is a disparity in a metric, such as graduation completion, term-to-term persistence, etc., along racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, geographical or other major demographic grouping. Educational equity gaps can be measured in many areas. The Equity 2030 goal has a focus on the credential completion rate of students of color, Indigenous students, low-income students, and first-generation students when compared to majority students. The difference in completion rates for each of these groups of students, compared to those students who have experienced historical access to and success in higher education, is what constitutes the educational equity gap.
Equity-minded Individuals or processes cognizant of exclusionary practices, institutional racism, and power asymmetries that impact opportunities and outcomes for students of interest, often Black, Latine, and Indigenous/Native students (Bensimon, Dowd, & Witham, 2016; Bensimon, 2007; Bensimon, 2005; Essed, 1991; Gray, 2020).
Equity-minded lens (academic) An applied academic equity minded lens examines academic artifacts, processes, and practices. Such a lens includes the features of being equity minded (see definition “equity minded”) and includes an anti-racist framing, inclusive perception, and is student-asset focused. An equity minded lens is informed by disaggregated actionable data which directs practitioners and institutions to assume responsibility for the elimination of equity gaps.
Equity scorecard An instrumental tool for creating greater awareness of, and accountability for, equity gaps across key facets of our institutions and system which are relevant to impacting equity, diversity, and inclusion. The approach includes a holistic view focus on measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which together aim to help campus leaders foster institutional change through data-informed decision making.
Ethnicity A group identity historically derived from institutionalized ideas and practices that (1) allow people to identify or to be identified with groupings of people on the basis of presumed (and usually claimed) commonalities including language, history, nation or region of origin, customs, ways of being, religion, names, physical appearance and/or genealogy or ancestry; (2) can be a source of meaning, action and identity; and (3) confer a sense of belonging, pride and motivation.
Ethnic Studies Ethnic Studies is an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the histories, worldviews, and current realities of ethnic groups and indigenous peoples around the world, and specifically those who have experienced the brunt of European colonization. Ethnic Studies centers those who have been historically erased from mainstream curricula due to persistent racism, patriarchy, xenophobia, and linguistic imperialism (Cuauhtin, Zavala, Sleeter, & Au, 2019).
Ethnocentrism Evaluating other peoples’ cultures and customs according to the standards of one’s own culture—which often leads to the assumption that one is more superior or inferior to the other.
First-generation (college student) (federal) An individual, neither of whose parents completed a baccalaureate degree.
First-generation (college student) (Minnesota) An individual, neither of whose parents attended a post-secondary institution.
First-generation equity practitioner Education employees—may be from racially majority and minoritized groups—who are developing their racial literacy regarding the complexities and variances of academic racial experiences, their deep histories, and present structural inequalities as they affect targeted and minoritized students. These practitioners learn to analyze racial inequity as a symptom of institutional and practitioner malperformance. (Bensimon & Gray, 2020).
First Nations “First Nations (or sometimes First Peoples) refers to the various groups of Indigenous peoples first present during the colonization of the North American continent. Examples of First Nation communities include the Blackfoot Nation (primarily in parts of Montana and Alberta), the Cherokee Nation (primarily in the southern United States), and Ojibwe Nation (north and south of the Great Lakes region). The term “First Nations” refers to these groups collectively” (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 2012, p. 184).
Fluid(ity) (adj.) Generally with another term attached, such as gender-fluid or fluidsexuality, fluid(ity) describes an identity that may change or shift over time between or within the mix of the options available (e.g. man and woman, bi and straight) (The Safe Zone Project).
FTM / F2M Abbreviation for a female-to-male transgender person (The Safe Zone Project).
Gay The adjective used to describe people whose enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attractions are to people of the same sex (e.g., gay man, gay people). Sometimes lesbian (n. or adj.) is the preferred term for women. Avoid identifying gay people as "homosexuals," an outdated term considered derogatory and offensive to many lesbian and gay people (GLAAD, 2016).
Gender Refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for boys, men, girls and women. While aspects of biological sex are similar across different cultures, aspects of gender may differ.
Gender diversity Refers to the extent to which a person's gender identity, role or expression differs from the cultural norms prescribed for people of a particular sex.
Gender expression External manifestations of gender, expressed through a person's name, pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, and/or body characteristics. Society identifies these cues as masculine and feminine, although what is considered masculine or feminine changes over time and varies by culture.
Gender fluid A person whose gender identification and presentation shifts, whether within or outside of societal, gender-based expectations.
Gender identity Refers to a person's internal, deeply held sense of their gender. Most people have a gender identity of man or woman (or boy or girl). For some people, their gender identity does not fit into one of those two choices (see non-binary below). Unlike gender expression (see above), gender identity is not always visible to others.
Gender-neutral / gender-inclusive Inclusive language to describe relationships (spouse and partner instead of husband/boyfriend and wife/girlfriend), spaces (gender-neutral/inclusive restrooms are for use by all genders), and pronouns (they and ze are gender neutral/inclusive pronouns) among other things, without specifying a particular gender.
Gender non-conforming An adjective and umbrella term to describe individuals whose gender expression, gender identity or gender role differ from gender norms associated with their assigned birth sex.
Gender normative A person who by nature or by choice conforms to gender-based expectations of society. Also referred to as gender straight.
Gender role Refers to a pattern of appearance, personality and behavior that, in a given culture, is associated with being a boy/man/male or being a girl/woman/female.
Glass ceiling Barriers, either real or perceived, that interfere with or prevent the promotion or hiring of protected group members.
Heteronormativity The societal assumption and norm that all people are heterosexual. Also indicates the basic civil rights and social privileges that a heterosexual person automatically receives that are systematically denied to gay, lesbian or bisexual persons, simply because of their sexual orientation.
Heterosexism The belief or assumption that everyone is, or should be, heterosexual; the idea that being heterosexual is normal, natural and healthy, and all other people are somehow unnatural, abnormal and unhealthy.
Heterosexual A male whose sexual orientation is toward females or a female whose sexual orientation is toward males. Also referred to as straight.
Hispanic or Latino According to the U.S. Census, a person who is Hispanic can be of any race, therefore the Census asks for race identification as well as identification as Hispanic or Latino. Generally, this group includes people of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Central American, and South American heritage, and/or of other Spanish culture. Hispanic is not a preferred term for critical scholars because its roots are colonialist (“of Spain”) and thereby merge diverse communities of people through the language of the colonizers. Latino/a can also be problematic because it merges many diverse countries together. Chicano/a is a self-applied political term for Mexican Americans who want to acknowledge that they live on lands stolen from Mexico by the United States (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 2012). The term Afro-Latino/a is used “to refer to people of African descent in Latin America and the Caribbean as a whole, even as nation- and region-specific terminology continues to hold sway” (Román & Flores, 2010, p. 2).
Homosexual A male whose sexual orientation is toward other men or a female whose sexual orientation is toward females. Homosexual males typically prefer the term gay and homosexual females typically prefer the term lesbian.
Identity sphere The idea that gender identities and expressions do not fit on a linear scale but rather on a sphere that allows room for all expression without weighting one expression as better than another.
Immigrant The action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country.
Inclusion Authentically bringing traditionally excluded individuals and/or groups into processes, activities and decision/policy making in a way that shares power.
Inclusion (campus context) Defined as the active, intentional and ongoing engagement with diversity - in the curriculum, in the co-curriculum and in communities (intellectual, social, cultural, geographical) with which individuals might connect - in ways that increase awareness, content knowledge, cognitive sophistication and empathic understanding of the complex ways individuals interact within systems and institutions.
Inclusive excellence The recognition that a community or institution's success is dependent on how well it values, engages and includes the rich diversity of students, staff, faculty, administrators, and alumni constituents.
Inclusive institutions Inclusion is broadly a state of being where everyone can partake and actualize fully in the process of society. Inclusive institutions aspire toward a context in which all individuals, irrespective of lived experiences and histories and backgrounds, may partake and actualize fully in the processes of higher education. A diversity of lived experiences, upon which the bodies, languages, and practices of people and institutional recognition and engagement with those diversities, advance academic scholarship.
Institutional racism Institutional racism refers to the policies and practices within and across institutions that, intentionally or not, produce outcomes that chronically favor, or put a racial group at a disadvantage. Poignant examples of institutional racism can be found in school disciplinary policies in which students of color are punished at much higher rates that their white counterparts, in the criminal justice system, and within many employment sectors in which day-to-day operations, as well as hiring and firing practices can significantly disadvantage workers of color (The Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change). Furthermore, "Institutional racism...is less overt, far more subtle, less identifiable in terms of specific individuals committing the acts. But it is no less destructive of human life. [It] originates in the operation of established and respected forces in society, and thus receives far less public condemnation" (Carmichael & Hamilton, 1967, p. 112).
Indigenous Considering the diversity of indigenous peoples, an official definition of “Indigenous” has not been universally agreed upon. Among the Indigenous peoples are those of the Americas (for example, the Lakota in the USA, the Mayas in Guatemala or the Aymaras in Bolivia), the Inuit and Aleutians of the circumpolar region, the Saami of northern Europe, the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders of Australia and the Maori of New Zealand. These and most other Indigenous peoples have retained distinct characteristics which are clearly different from those of other segments of the national populations.
Intersectionality A feminist sociological theory, intersectionality is the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.
Intersex An umbrella term describing people born with reproductive or sexual anatomy and/or a chromosome pattern that can't be classified as typically male or female. Those variations are also sometimes referred to as Differences of Sex Development (DSD.) Avoid the outdated and derogatory term "hermaphrodite." While some people can have an intersex condition and also identify as transgender, the two are separate and should not be conflated (GLAAD, 2016).
Invisible minority A group whose minority status is not always immediately visible, such as people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ people.
Islamaphobia Refers to, “A fear, prejudice and hatred of Muslims or non-Muslim individuals that leads to provocation, hostility and intolerance by means of threatening, harassment, abuse, incitement and intimidation of Muslims and non-Muslims, both in the online and offline world. Motivated by institutional, ideological, political and religious hostility that transcends into structural and cultural racism which targets the symbols and markers of a being a Muslim” (Awan & Zempi, 2020).
-ism's A way of describing any attitude, action or institutional structure that subordinates (oppresses) a person or group because of their identity, color (racism), gender (sexism), economic status (classism), older age (ageism), religion (e.g., antisemitism), sexual orientation (heterosexism), language/immigrant status (xenophobia), etc.
Justice Refers to fairness and impartiality in the application of decisions, processes, structures, policies and laws. Justice must be intimately connected with terms such as equity and equality, for those terms to have meaningful emphasis. Justice is often achieved through unequal means. “A non-distributive notion of justice in education is, arguably, an unattainable goal within an education system that promotes justice as existing when students are given equal access to education within an already stratified system” (Boyles, Carusi, & Attick, 2009, p. 40).
Justice-involved A person who has personally been involved with the criminal justice system, or who’s family, particularly a parent or legal guardian while the person was a minor, has been involved with the criminal justice system.
Latino / a /@ Umbrella terms referring to people with Latin American ancestry. Latina is the feminine form of Latino and refers to a woman or girl. Federal policy defines “Latino” not as a race, but as an ethnicity; it notes that Latinos can be of any race. The U.S. Census Bureau uses terms such as “Hispanic or Latino” and “non-Hispanic or Latino” in its survey questions on ethnicity.
Latine Gender neutral term, used in Spanish-speaking countries, in line with Spanish grammar structures, and is increasingly used to replace Latinx.
Latinx Pronounced “La-teen-ex.” A gender-neutral word, to refer to people of Latin American ancestry, culture or ethnic identity. The -x suffix replaces the standard o/-a ending of nouns and adjectives, used to signify grammatical gender in Spanish. Its plural is Latinxs. Can also be used as an alternative to Latino or Latina for people who don’t necessarily identify as female or male. This could include people who identify as agender, nonbinary, gender non-conforming, genderqueer and gender fluid.
Lesbian A woman whose enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction is to other women. Some lesbians may prefer to identify as gay (adj.) or as gay women. Avoid identifying lesbians as "homosexuals," a derogatory term (GLAAD, 2016).
LGBT, LGBTQ, LGBTQIAA+ Acronyms referring to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, agender, and asexual.
Liberation / liberatory approach Liberation is often viewed as freedom. Therefore, a liberatory approach strives to attain freedom. Furthermore, “the ongoing and permanent task of liberation takes place in the actions of humans to transform existing structures that impede the pursuit of social change, global justice, and humanization” (del Carmen Salazar, 2013, p. 136).
Marginalized / marginalization The process by which minoritized groups/cultures are excluded, ignored or relegated to the outer edge of a group/society/community. A tactic used to devalue people, sometimes to the point of denigrating them as deviant and regressive.
MENA (Middle Eastern or North African) Abbreviation for the region known as the Middle East and North Africa. Often for political usage, people of MENA descent can mark “white, including Middle Eastern” or “some other race” on Census forms. Use Middle Eastern or North African descent on first reference. If you use the MENA abbreviation, explain it.
Microaggression Verbal, behavioral and environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory or negative racial, gender, sexual orientation and religious slights and insults to a target person or group.
Mixed status (immigrant families) A mixed status family is one in which at least one member is residing legally in the United States and at least one member is undocumented (Rodriguez, 2018).
Minoritized group Refers to “a social group that is devalued in society and given less access to resources. This devaluing encompasses how the group is represented, what degree of access to resources it is granted, and how the unequal access is rationalized. Traditionally, a group in this position has been referred to as the minority group. However, this language has been replaced with the term minoritized in order to capture the active dynamics that create the lower status in society, and also to signal that a group’s status is not necessarily related to how many or few of them there are in the population at large” (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 2012, p. 5).
Minority A term used to describe racial, ethnic, religious, or linguistic groups that are nondominant in the society or culture in which they reside. The United Nations notes that: "The promotion and protection of the rights of minorities require particular attention to be paid to issues such as the recognition of minorities’ existence; efforts to guarantee their rights to non-discrimination and equality; the promotion of multicultural and intercultural education, nationally and locally; the promotion of their participation in all aspects of public life; the inclusion of their concerns in development and poverty-reduction processes; disparities in social indicators such as employment, health and housing; the situation of women and the special concerns of children belonging to minorities" (United Nations, 2010).
MTF / M2F Abbreviation for male-to-female transgender person (The Safe Zone Project).
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands (U.S. Department of Education, 1997).
Non-apparent disability According to the Invisible Disability Project, the term refers to any “physical, mental, or emotional impairment that goes largely unnoticed, and can include, but is not limited to: cognitive impairment and brain injury; the autism spectrum; chronic illnesses like multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, and fibromyalgia; d/Deaf and/or hard of hearing; blindness and/or low vision; anxiety, depression, PTSD, and many more. We understand the body as always changing, so disability and chronic illness may be unstable or periodic throughout one’s life.” This term should be used in place of “hidden disability” or “invisible disability”.
Non-binary and/or genderqueer Terms used by some people who experience their gender identity and/or gender expression as falling outside the categories of man and woman. They may define their gender as falling somewhere in between man and woman, or they may define it as wholly different from these terms. The term is not a synonym for transgender and should only be used if someone self-identifies as non-binary and/or genderqueer (U.S. Department of Education, 1997).
Opportunity gap Opportunity gap refers to the fact that the circumstances in which people are born—such as their race, ethnicity, ZIP code, and socioeconomic status—determine their opportunities in life, rather than all people having the chance to achieve to the best of their potential. Opportunity gap draws attention to the conditions and obstacles that young students face throughout their educational careers. It therefore accurately places responsibility on an inequitable system that is not providing the opportunities for all students to thrive and succeed (Mooney, 2018).
Oppression (institutionalized) Refers to the systematic mistreatment of people within a social identity group, supported and enforced by society and its institutions, solely based on the person's membership in the social identity group. Furthermore, “oppression occurs at the group or macro level, and goes well beyond individuals. Sexism, racism, classism, ableism, and heterosexism are forms of oppression” (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 2012, p. 186).
Oppression (internalized) The manner in which members of an oppressed group come to internalize the oppressive attitudes of others toward themselves and those like them.
Pansexual A term most commonly used outside of academia as a sexual identity (and sexual orientation) term, similar to bisexuality, but more inclusive of trans people. It also shows an awareness of the implied gender binary in the term, bisexual.
Parity Indicates there is no equity gap between a given group and the reference/comparison group.
Patriarchy Social systems and relations of power in which the power, privilege and authority of men is perpetuated over those of women; patriarchy has implications for inequities relating to distributions of power, gender, socioeconomic status, race as well as sexual orientation and identities.
Pell-eligible A student who applied for a federal Pell Grant, awarded to undergraduates who display exceptional financial need and who have not earned a bachelor’s, graduate, or professional degree, and was determined to be eligible (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.).
People-/person-first language A way of describing disability that involves putting the word person or people before the word disability or the name of a disability, rather than placing the disability first and using it as an adjective. Some examples of people-first language might include saying "person with a disability," "woman with cerebral palsy" and "man with an intellectual disability." The purpose of people-first language is to promote the idea that someone's disability label is just a disability label-not the defining characteristic of the entire individual.
People of color / students of color The term people of color is acceptable when necessary in broad references to multiple races other than white. However, be thoughtful in its usage. It is an umbrella term for anyone who is non-White, which implicitly centers white people as the “norm.” Many people of various races object to the term people of color for various reasons, including that it lumps together into one monolithic group anyone who is not white. Do not capitalize the word “people” in people of color, as the term does not designate an ethnicity. It is not a proper noun.
Permanent resident Any person not a citizen of the United States who is residing in the U.S. under legally recognized and lawfully recorded permanent residency as an immigrant. Also known as permanent resident alien, resident alien permit holder and green card holder.
Pluralism A situation in which people of different social classes, religions, races, etc., are together in a society but continue to be able to keep their different traditions and interests.
POCI People of Color and Indigenous. Used by the Minnesota state legislature as the name of a caucus.
Prejudice An opinion, prejudgment or attitude about a group or its individual members. Prejudices are often accompanied by ignorance, fear or hatred. Prejudices are formed by a complex psychological process that begins with attachment to a close circle of acquaintances or an in-group such as a family. Prejudice is often aimed at out-groups.
Privilege A special right, advantage or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group of people, to the detriment of others outside of the group. For example, heterosexual privilege, white privilege, male privilege, etc. Privilege should also consider intersectionality, for example heterosexual white male privilege.
Pronouns A pronoun is a word that refers to someone or something that is being talked about (like she, it, them, and this), including gender pronouns (like he and hers). You cannot always know what pronoun (she/her, he/him, they/them) someone uses by looking at them. Asking and correctly using someone’s personal pronoun is one way to show your respect for their gender identity.
Protected class Minnesota State prohibits discrimination and harassment against persons in the terms and conditions of employment, personnel practices, or access to and participation in educational programs, services, and activities on the basis of membership or perceived membership in any of the following protected classes: race, sex (including pregnancy, child birth, and related medical conditions), color, creed, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, familial status, and membership or activity in a local human rights commission. Protected classes also includes genetic information for employees.
Queer An umbrella term that individuals may use to describe a sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression that does not conform to dominant societal norms.
Questioning An identity label for a person who is exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Race A dynamic set of historically derived and institutionalized ideas and practices that (1) sorts people into ethnic groups according to perceived physical and behavioral human characteristics; (2) associates differential value, power and privilege with these characteristics and establishes a social status ranking among the different groups; (3) emerges (a) when groups are perceived to pose a threat (political, economic or cultural) to each other's world view or way of life; and/or (b) to justify the denigration, unequal treatment, and exploitation (past, current or future) of, and prejudice toward other groups; (4) race is a very real political grouping of human beings and has actual consequences for people’s health, wealth, social status, reputation, and opportunities in life; (5) race is a political classification that supports racism; and (6) race is the product of racism; racism is not the product of race (Roberts, 2011). Furthermore, it is also “an organizing principle that divides across class, gender, and other imaginable social identities. This condition does not come about through an innocent process, let alone the innocence of whiteness” (Leonardo, 2009, p. 78).
Race and ethnicity Categories developed in 1997 by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that are used to describe groups to which individuals belong, identify with, or belong in the eyes of the community. The categories do not denote scientific definitions of anthropological origins. The designations are used to categorize U.S. citizens, residents, and other eligible non-citizens. Individuals are asked to first designate ethnicity as Hispanic or Latino or Not Hispanic or Latino. Second, individuals are asked to indicate one or more races that apply among the following: American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Black or African American; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; White (U.S. Department of Education, 1997).
Race consciousness Explicit acknowledgment of the workings of race and racism in social contexts or in one’s personal life.
Race-conscious inquiry An inquiry approach that changes the question from “are my practices working” to “for whom are my practices working?” The approach asks who/what is valued; what attitudes, behaviors, and emotions are students being asked to adopt; and are there racialized patterns? Race-conscious practitioners notice, name, and question patterns of inequitable outcomes.
Racial formation Refers to the process by which social, economic, and political forces determine the content and importance of racial categories, and by which they are in turn shaped by racial meanings. Crucial to this formulation is the treatment of race as a central axis of social relations which cannot be subsumed under or reduced to some broader category or conception (Omi & Winant, 2014).
Racial and/or ethnic identity An individual's awareness and experience of being a member of a racial and/or ethnic group; the racial and ethnic categories that an individual chooses to describe him or herself based on such factors as biological heritage, physical appearance, cultural affiliation, early socialization and personal experience.
Racial equity / racial justice A commitment that resources are distributed based on need, recognizing that “equal” treatment, opportunities, and resources are not enough within a context of historical and structural racism and discrimination that continue to manifest in the economic, sociopolitical, and moral decisions and policies that characterize our society.
Racism (cultural) Refers to representations, messages and stories conveying the idea that behaviors and values associated with white people or whiteness are automatically better or more normal than those associated with other racially defined groups.
Racism (institutional) Refers specifically to the ways in which institutional policies and practices create different outcomes for different racial groups. The institutional policies may never mention any racial group, but their effect is to create advantages for whites and oppression and disadvantage for people from groups classified as people of color.
Racism (structural) The normalization and legitimization of an array of dynamics—historical, cultural, institutional and interpersonal—that routinely advantage whites while producing cumulative and chronic adverse outcomes for people of color.
Racist policy Any measure that produces or sustains racial inequity between or among racial groups. Policies are written and unwritten laws, rules, procedures, processes, regulations and guidelines that govern people.
Refugee A person who has been forcibly displaced, across international borders, due to persecution, war, violence and natural disasters.
Safe space A place where anyone can relax and be fully self-expressed, without fear of being made to feel uncomfortable, unwelcome or unsafe on account of biological sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, cultural background, age or physical or mental ability; a place where the rules guard each person's self-respect and dignity and strongly encourage everyone to respect others.
Segregation The separation of people by race. For example, “de jure segregation” is when government policies and laws are intended and enforced to keep different racial groups separated or using separate facilities; “de facto segregation” is when different racial groups are separated due to policies, practices or individual preferences that result in racial groups being separated regardless of whether or not the policies, practices, or preferences intend for people to be separated racially.
Segregationist One who is expressing the racist idea that a perceived permanently inferior racial group can never be developed and is supporting policy that segregates away that racial group (Kendi, 2019, p. 24).
Service member A member of the uniformed services, as defined in section 101(a)(5) of title 10, United States Code.
Sex The classification of a person as male or female. At birth, infants are assigned a sex, usually based on the appearance of their external anatomy- this is what is written on the birth certificate. A person's sex, however, is actually a combination of bodily characteristics including: chromosomes, hormones, internal and external reproductive organs, and secondary sex characteristics (GLAAD, 2016).
Sex assignment The initial categorization of an infant as male or female.
Sexism A system of beliefs or attitudes which relegates women and girls to limited roles and/or options because of their sex.
Sexual assault An actual, attempted, or threatened sexual act with another person without that person’s affirmative consent. Sexual assault is often a criminal act that can be prosecuted under Minnesota law, as well as form the basis for discipline under Minnesota State student codes of conduct and employee disciplinary standards. Sexual assault includes but is not limited to: 1) Involvement without consent in any sexual act in which there is force, expressed or implied, or use of duress or deception upon the victim. Forced sexual intercourse is included in this definition, as are the acts commonly referred to as date rape or acquaintance rape. This definition also includes the coercing, forcing, or attempting to coerce or force sexual intercourse or a sexual act on another. 2) Involvement in any sexual act when the victim is unable to give consent. 3) Intentional and unwelcome touching of a person’s intimate parts (defined as primary genital area, groin, inner thigh, buttocks, or breast); or coercing, forcing, or attempting to coerce or force another to touch a person’s intimate parts. 4) Offensive sexual behavior directed at another, such as indecent exposure or voyeurism.
Sexual harassment Minnesota State further defines sexual harassment as a form of sex discrimination and discriminatory harassment. Sexual harassment is conduct or communication of a sexual nature that is unwelcome, that has a negative effect or is likely to have a negative effect on the complainant or the workplace or educational environment.
Sexual violence A continuum of conduct that includes sexual assault, non-forcible sex acts, dating and relationship violence, stalking, as well as aiding acts of sexual violence.
Sexual partner preference / sexual orientation Describes a person's enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction to another person. Gender identity and sexual orientation are not the same. Transgender people may be straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer.
Sizeism The mistreatment of or discrimination against people based upon their perceived (or self-perceived) body size or shape.
Social justice Social justice includes a vision of society in which the distribution of resources is equitable and all members are physically and psychologically safe and secure. Social justice involves social actors who have a sense of their own agency as well as a sense of social responsibility toward and with others and the society as a whole.
Social stratification Refers to “the concept that social groups are relationally positioned and ranked into hierarchy of unequal value (e.g. people without disabilities are seen as more valuable than people with disabilities). This ranking is often used to justify the unequal distribution of resources among social groups” (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 2012, p. 4).
Stalking Conduct directed at a specific person that is unwanted, unwelcome, or unreciprocated and that would cause reasonable people to fear for their safety or the safety of others or to suffer substantial emotional distress.
Stereotype An exaggerated belief, image or distorted truth about a person or group – a generalization that allows for little or no individual differences or social variation. Stereotypes are based on images in mass media or reputations passed on by parents, peers and other members of society. Stereotypes can be positive or negative.
Stop AAPI Hate A movement that was launched in March 2020 in response to a rise in anti-Asian bias and racism stemming from the coronavirus pandemic that originated in China. The Asian Pacific Planning and Policy Council, Chinese for Affirmative Action and the Asian American Studies Department of San Francisco State University created a reporting center under the name Stop AAPI Hate to track and respond to cases of hate, violence, harassment and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States (Associated Press, 2020).
Structural racism A system in which public policies, institutional practices, cultural representations, and other norms work in various, often reinforcing ways to perpetuate racial group inequity. It identifies dimensions of our history and culture that have allowed privileges associated with “whiteness” and disadvantages associated with “color” to endure and adapt over time. Structural racism is not something that a few people or institutions choose to practice. Instead it has been a feature of the social, economic and political systems in which we all exist.
Title IX Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 (commonly referred to as Title IX) is a federal law that protects people from discrimination based on sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, and pregnancy and related conditions) in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance, which includes all Minnesota State colleges and universities (34 C.F.R Part 106).
Transgender An umbrella term for persons whose gender identity, gender expression or behavior does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth. Trans is sometimes used as a shorthand for transgender. Not everyone whose appearance or behavior is gender-nonconforming will identify as a transgender person.
Transition A complicated, multi-step process that can take years as transgender people align their anatomy with their sex identity and/or their gender expression with their gender identity (Lee, 2003).
Two-spirit An umbrella term traditionally within Native American communities to recognize individuals who possess qualities or fulfill roles of both genders (The Safe Zone Project).
Under-utilization The condition of having fewer protected group members in a particular job classification than would be reasonably expected by their availability in the labor force.
Undocumented immigrant Refers to immigrants who do not have a legal immigration status. Term should be used in place of “illegal immigrant”.
Unisex Clothing, behaviors, thoughts, feelings, relationships, etc., which are socially considered appropriate for members of any gender/sex.
Universal design Designed to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation. Ensuring equitable use, flexibility in use, simple and intuitive use, perceptible information, and including tolerance for errors. Striving for comfortable personalization with cultural appropriateness to allow social integration and participation for personal wellness and opportunities for additional awareness and understanding.
U.S. Nonresident According to IPEDS, "a person who is not a citizen or national of the United States and who is in this country on a visa or temporary basis and does not have the right to remain indefinitely. Do not include DACA, undocumented, or other eligible noncitizens in this category.” To be used in place of the outdated category of “Nonresident alien”.
U.S. Resident According to IPEDS, “A person who is not a citizen or national of the United States but who has been admitted as a legal immigrant for the purpose of obtaining permanent resident status (and who holds either a registration card (Form I-551 or I-151), a Temporary Resident Card (Form I-688), or an Arrival-Departure Record (Form I-94) with a notation that conveys legal immigrant status such as Section 207 Refugee, Section 208 Asylee, Conditional Entrant Parolee or Cuban-Haitian).” To be used in place of the outdated category of “Resident alien”.
Veteran A person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable (38 U.S.C. § 101(2)). A Reservist or member of the National Guard called to Federal active duty or disabled from a disease or injury incurred or aggravated in line of duty or while in training status also qualify as a veteran (13 CFR § 125.11). Best practices indicate that people should be asked if they have served, as opposed to if they are a veteran.
White The US census defines this racial category as "a person having origins in Europe, the Middle East or North Africa". However, it is also important to consider that “while race has no biological foundation, it has developed as a social idea with very real consequences. In the late 1600s the term White first appeared in colonial law....To gain citizenship and other rights, one had to be classified as White. Individuals seeking these rights began to challenge their classifications and petitioned the courts in the position to decide who was White and who was not” (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 2012, pp. 98-99). In consideration of race as a social construction, “white people had to be created, not born” (Leonardo, 2009, p. 128). Historically, “for example, early Irish, Italian, and Jewish immigrants were not considered White, but they “became” White as they assimilated into the dominant culture” (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 2012, p. 99).
White privilege Refers to privilege/advantage given to white people over those belonging to other racial groups, and results from the premise that white is the ideal or standard. Understanding white privilege should also entail examining white supremacy (see definition of white supremacy below), to identify the political, economic and cultural systems that perpetuate white privilege.
White supremacy Refers to a political, economic, and cultural system in which white people overwhelmingly control power and material resources, conscious and unconscious ideas of white superiority and entitlement are widespread, and relations of white dominance and non-white subordination are daily enacted across a broad array of institutions and social settings (Ansley, 1997). It can also refer to “a political system, a particular power structure of formal or informal rule, socioeconomic privilege, and norms for the differential distribution of material wealth and opportunities, benefits and burdens, rights, and duties” (Mills, 1997, p. 3).
Whiteness In the United States, “whiteness is associated with colonization, takeover, and denial” (Leonardo, 2009, p. 118). Furthermore, “the ideology of Whiteness also serves as “a form of social amnesia” that allows white people to forget or ignore how [those who identify as white people] are implicated in the maintenance of systems of privilege and oppression. Some of the characteristics of Whiteness include the ignoring of race and racism, the embracing and rationalizing of meritocracy, the denying of institutional oppression, and the protecting of and investing in privilege” (Castagno, 2008, p. 320). Whiteness emerged as a relevant category in [U.S.] life largely because of realities created by slavery and segregation, by immigration restriction and Indian policy, by conquest and colonialism (Lipsitz, 1995, p. 370).
Xenophobia It has often been associated with the hostile reception given to those who immigrate into societies and communities. It could result from genuine fear of strangers or it could be based on things such as competition for jobs, or ethnic, racial, or religious prejudice.
Ze Gender neutral pronouns that can be used instead of he/she (The Safe Zone Project).
Zir Gender neutral pronouns that can be used instead of his/her (The Safe Zone Project).