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HSS Committee Against Anti-Black Racism Student Resources

HSS Anti-Racism Advocates

The HSS Anti-Racism Advocates are a group that was formed in Fall 2020 by the faculty subcommittee of the HSS Anti-Racism Task Force to “be responsible for supporting anti-racist efforts in departments (in terms of hiring, curriculum, and climate) and holding others accountable for racist behaviors (e.g., assisting in reporting related to TCNJ’s Policy Prohibiting Discrimination in the Workplace/Educational Environment).”  The group has committed itself to speak up publicly against racism at TCNJ, to advocate for policies, procedures, and practices that challenge racism at the College, to support BIPoC faculty, students, and staff at TCNJ, to ground their efforts in ongoing self-education about racism, white supremacy, and their own complicity, and to offer assistance and support to those who experience a racist incident on campus or beyond.

The following faculty have participated in this group:

Patricia Becker, Janet Gray, Lisa Grimm, Joanna Herres, Isabel Kentengian, Margaret Martinetti, Glenn Steinberg, Ann Warner Ault, Shaun Wiley

These faculty have been trained on the bias reporting process and are available as a resource to students.   Please reach out to anyone on this list if you need support.  They are here to support students and can submit the bias reporting form for students who do not wish to personally submit the form described below.

Reporting Bias or Discrimination

Bias reporting is managed by the Bias Education & Support Team (BEST).  As stated on their website:

BEST is not an investigatory or disciplinary body. The Office of Student Conduct and Dispute Resolution, Title IX, and the Office of Human Resources are responsible for investigations and disciplinary proceedings. BEST may discuss with the reporter how to file a complaint if it appears that there may have been a violation of TCNJ’s Student Code of Conduct or breach of College policy.

Please click this link to report a Bias incident: Bias Reporting Form

BEST supports those affected by bias and will discuss the related policies and processes for bringing a formal complaint, but does not investigate bias incidents.

The Office of Anti-Violence Initiatives, also provides support for members of the campus community, “At AVI, we’re dedicated to the prevention of power-based personal violence in our community. Power-based personal violence is an umbrella term we use for sexual assault, domestic/dating violence, and stalking. We work to prevent violence through a collaborative team of professional staff and student interns and peer educators.”  This office follows processes outlined in the TCNJ policy manual.

Sexual harassment, which includes Sexual Assault, Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, and Stalking, is covered under Title IX and the Interim Sexual Harassment, Misconduct, & Discrimination Policy can be reported directly to the Title IX office using the Reporting form for Title IX or Sexual Misconduct Incidents.

Discrimination and Harassment Reporting

As explained on the Office of General Counsel’s website, TCNJ policies and procedures prohibit any discrimination or harassment for any of the following protected categories:

Age
Affectional/Sexual Orientation
Ancestry
Atypical Hereditary Cellular or Blood Trait
Color
Creed
Disability
Domestic Partnership Status
Familial Status
Gender Identity or Expression
Genetic Information
Liability for Military Service
Marital /Civil Union Status
Nationality
National Origin
Race
Religion
Sex/Gender (including pregnancy)
Sexual Harassment
Retaliation (for having filed a discrimination complaint, participating in a complaint investigation, or for opposing a discriminatory practice)

Outside of the bias or discrimination processes, TCNJ also has processes in place to handle other student concerns, such as:

Grade Appeals

General Student Complaints (not covered by other policies)

Curriculum

End-of-semester Feedback.  All faculty in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences have access to custom questions, which can be added to the end-of-course evaluations.  These questions are intended to address the racial and cultural climate in the classroom.

Overload. Did you know that students can take 5 classes a semester if they meet eligibility criteria? Common reasons for applying for an overload are needing to fulfill major or minor requirements, wanting to take a course that is not offered regularly, to take an intensive-language, or to complete an independent course (study, research, thesis, or internship). The normal course load for HSS majors is 4 units but students may take up to 4.5 units without permission. Students who have earned 8 units at the college and maintain a 3.3 cumulative TCNJ GPA may request an overload for a maximum of 5 course units in any one semester. There is no maximum limit to the number of overload semesters. Please see the advising website for the new process that directs students to complete an interest form as the first step in the process.  Students do not approach Department Chairs first for signatures.

Scholarships

Global Study: 

For current TCNJ students, the Mary Roebling International Travel Award provides funding for HSS students to travel outside the United States to conduct advanced undergraduate work under the auspices of the College.   More specifically, the fund supports international travel for research, scholarship, creative work, service, and/or internship related to the student’s academic program.  The fund was created in honor of the late Mary Roebling by Gale Wayman ’70 (English education).  For nearly half a century Roebling distinguished herself as one of the nation’s top banking executives and as one of Trenton’s most passionate philanthropists.

Many other funds for study away are available through the Center for Global Engagement.

For graduating seniors, there are grants from the U.S. Government to support global experiences after you graduate.  For example, The Fulbright: U.S. Student Program is open to graduating seniors, recent graduates, along with graduate students and early career individuals.  You can apply to complete independent research abroad or to participate in an English Teaching Assistantship where you help to teach English and U.S. culture abroad.  The financial award covers airfare, provides a monthly stipend, and can even pay tuition, support dependents, and provide for disability-related accommodations, depending on your specific grant and host country.

**Please note that the Fulbright application process starts your junior year (in April).  TCNJ provides application support and forms a committee for each student to help provide feedback on application drafts.  These meetings occur in September of your senior year with the Fulbright application deadline in early to mid-October.  Please email fellowships@tcnj.edu to express interest and schedule an appointment.

Post-Graduate Competitive Fellowships:  Fulbright is not your only option to consider when you are thinking about you post-graduate experience!  Please see this website from Academic Affairs that discusses many options: https://competitive.tcnj.edu/fellowships/.  One of the fellowships listed on this page will even pay for your senior year at TCNJ in addition to years in graduate school. Please review the website and then email fellowships@tcnj.edu to get started; you can request an appointment to learn more about any of these fellowship opportunities.

Social Justice Unpaid Internship Scholarship.  Students with financial need who undertake an unpaid mentored internship at a site focused on public service and social justice, and register for academic credit in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences are eligible to apply for a scholarship.  Please click here for more information: Unpaid Social Justice Internship Scholarship.

TCNJ Journal of Student Scholarship Hoffman Prize.  This is a $1,500 prize for the best essay that appears in the TCNJ Journal of Student Scholarship (https://joss.tcnj.edu/).  Please go to the journal website to learn about how you submit essays to the journal.  Submission deadlines are usually in late November.

Campus Resources

We highly recommend reviewing the list of inclusive student organizations curated by the Division of Inclusive Excellence:

Inclusive Student Organizations

The Division of Inclusive Excellence has many wonderful other resources for students and sponsors events on campus. Please view the website: https://diversity.tcnj.edu/

There are also academic support services for students.  Please find resources for The Accessibility Resource Center, The Career Center, The Center for Global Engagement, the Center for Student Success, and The Tutoring Center on the academic resources for students page: Academic Resources.

Outside of the academic space, the Dean of Students’ Office provides many important services for students.  From their website (https://deanofstudents.tcnj.edu/), you can request financial assistance from the Student Emergency Fund or find information about The SHOP (the TCNJ Food Pantry).  You can also learn about Title IX  and submit a Title IX report, or submit a CARE Referral for a member of our community.

Here is their website where they list contact information for important contacts here and off-campus:  https://tcnjcares.tcnj.edu/resources/

Counseling and Psychology Services information can be found on their website (https://caps.tcnj.edu/), where you can find anti-violence initiatives, drug and alcohol prevention programs, and mental health resources, including a general resources page for students (https://caps.tcnj.edu/resources/) that includes self-care resources for discrimination, racism and hate.

Contact

School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Social Sciences Building, Room 302
The College of New Jersey
P.O. Box 7718
2000 Pennington Rd.
Ewing, NJ 08628

609.771.3434
hss@tcnj.edu

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