The Office of Equity and Inclusion works within and beyond the Bates community to advance individual and collective understandings of the “transformative power of our differences.” We collaborate with students, staff, and faculty to create meaningful curricular and co-curricular opportunities and catalyze administrative and academic departments to foster an inclusive working and educational environment.

Our collaborators include

• Multifaith Chaplaincy
• Harward Center for Community Partnerships
• Purposeful Work
• Campus Safety
• Title IX & Civil Rights Compliance
• Liberal Arts Diversity Officers (LADO)
• Bates Alumni MOSAIC
• Admissions
• The Dean of Faculty
• Bates Athletics
• Open Affinity Groups – Bates employee open affinity groups are one way that staff and faculty at Bates foster community, connection and support around a shared experience. All groups are open to all employees. There are no formal expectations of anyone who joins the group, except to respect the space and engage as you feel comfortable.
  
  If you wish to join an affinity group, please submit an interest form and our group facilitators will reach out with more information. For those that opt to join, affinity groups maintain a listserv to announce meetings and events in compliance with our policy for moderated content. If you are interested in forming a new affinity group, please reach out to the Office of Equity and Inclusion.

  • OutCats – OutCats is a social group that celebrates the experiences of LGBTQ+ faculty and staff. The intention is to create community and networking opportunities across campus, and foster a greater sense of inclusion and belonging at Bates. The group mostly meets on campus, and there can be opportunities for off-campus social events. 

    
    C of C –  The C of C is a social group that meets to share, celebrate and support the experiences of colleagues of color across campus. We help colleagues seeking community and connection to find folks with shared experiences and foster a greater sense of inclusion and belonging.
• Learning Groups
  • Taking Responsibility Learning Group gathers together faculty and staff interested in the field of Indigenous Studies. Bates College is situated on the stolen homelands of the Amoscoggan peoples, whose descendants now live among the Wabanaki, including the Abenaki, Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Mi’kmaq peoples. In an effort to take responsibility for our impact in the occupation of stolen homelands, we meet regularly to learn about current and historical issues that impact indigenous people. We meet regularly to learn, discuss shared texts, and engage in purposeful reflection relevant to the Bates, Lewiston/Auburn, and wider Maine communities.