Diversity and Equity

Diversity and Equity

 

Cuyamaca College Grossmont College

The Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District (GCCCD) is committed to providing learning and working environments that ensure and promote diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.  People of diverse backgrounds, perspectives, socioeconomic levels, cultures, and abilities are valued, welcomed, and included in all aspects of our organization.  GCCCD strives to provide an educational environment that fosters cultural awareness, mutual understanding, and respect that ultimately also benefits the global community.

GCCCD BP 7100

For more detailed information on GCCCD Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policies and procedures, or employee and applicant demographics, please see the  Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) site.  For student demographics please see the Research, Planning & Institutional Effectiveness website, Key Performance Indicators, Student Demographics.

Commitment to Equal Opportunity and Inclusive Excellence at GCCCD

At Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District (GCCCD), we are committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible, and equitable learning and working environment. Our District serves a diverse student body and workforce, ensuring that every individual is treated with fairness, dignity, and respect in accordance with federal and state civil rights laws.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights recently issued a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) on February 15, 2025, and a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document on March 2, 2025, reaffirming that institutions receiving federal funding must adhere to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin. The guidance clarifies that while institutions may continue to promote diversity and inclusion, policies and programs must remain race-neutral and free from unlawful discrimination.

GCCCD remains steadfast in upholding these legal obligations by ensuring that all educational and employment opportunities—including admissions, hiring, scholarships, academic programs, and student services—are available to all individuals without unlawful race-based decision-making.

We recognize that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) contribute to a dynamic and supportive educational environment. Our approach is designed to remove barriers, expand access, and promote student and employee success through legally compliant, inclusive strategies that do not involve race-based preferences or classifications.

Our Commitment

  • Ensuring compliance with federal civil rights laws, as clarified in the recent DCL and FAQ, while advancing equitable educational access and opportunity for all.
  • Providing programs and initiatives that support students and employees from all backgrounds in an inclusive manner that does not exclude or disadvantage any group.
  • Promoting diversity through race-neutral, inclusive strategies that enhance participation and engagement in academic and professional opportunities.

GCCCD is dedicated to maintaining an educational and workplace environment free from discrimination, where all individuals have the opportunity to thrive based on their abilities, aspirations, and contributions.

For more information about our diversity initiatives or to report concerns regarding equal opportunity, please contact the Title IX/EEO/Diversity Office. 

Diversity "Snapshots" 

Full-Time Workforce Combined Race/Ethnicity/Gender Demographic Snapshot

Full-Time Workforce Disability/Veteran Status Demographic Snapshot

Full Time Workforce Disability Veterans Status

  • 12 employees identified as a Veteran and 32 employees identified as having a disability

Full-Time Workforce Age Demographic Snapshot

Full Time Workforce Age

  • 57% of our employees are between the ages of 40–59 years old
  • 6% of employees are under age 30
  • 2% are 70 years or older

Classified Non-Management Employees Race/Ethnicity Breakdown Snapshot

Classified Non Management Employees Race Ethnicity

  • Employees identifying as White make up 46.8% of the classified non-management workforce
  • 28.6% of employees in this classification identify as Hispanic/ Latinx
  • American Indian/ Native Alaskan and Pacific Islander are the least represented at 1.4% and 1.7% respectively

Comparisons between District Workforce, Students and Regional Workforce Availabilities 

test 4

  • While the District’s full-time workforce predominantly identifies as White, it is on par with the District’s overall boundary demographics
  • Workers identifying as Hispanic/Latinx continue to grow in representation but still remain below the student population causing a gap between the District’s workforce and student demographics
  • Generally, the best practice is to compare our workforce to the qualified labor pool to align with legal standards, using accurate benchmarks, and setting realistic equity goals.

Equity at GCCCD

What Is Equity?
At GCCCD, equity means removing barriers rooted in systemic disparities. Equity ensures that all individuals—regardless of their background, identity, or ZIP code—have access to the opportunities and resources they need to succeed and thrive. Achieving equity requires intentionality, collaboration, and a commitment to disrupting inequities wherever they exist. To be equity-centered is to be actively engaged in identifying and eliminating injustice.


Understanding Equity Factors 

At the core of equity work is the recognition of systemic disparities—from education and employment to health care and housing. At GCCCD, we acknowledge that these disparities have had generational impacts, particularly on various communities which include but not limimted to Black/African American, Native American, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Latino populations.

Predictable inequities often show up in the form of: Limited economic mobility and wealth accumulation; Unequal access to housing, health care, and quality education; Disparities in public safety and environmental conditions; Overrepresentation in criminal justice systems

Equity Factors serve as strategic tools to guide GCCCD’s equity efforts and apply an intentional lens to operations and decisions. These factors inform how we evaluate and address disparities and are being integrated into planning, policy development, and service design. Equity is not a standalone initiative—it must be embedded into all that we do.


Key Equity Areas of Focus

Equity in Access: Ensuring all students, employees, and community members can equitably access programs, services, and opportunities—regardless of background or location.

Equity in Infrastructure: Addressing disparities in physical and institutional infrastructure, including technology access, facilities, and resource allocation.

Equity in Communities of Concern: Prioritizing historically under-resourced communities within and served by the District to promote long-term inclusion.

Equity in Processes: Embedding equity into planning, and policymaking through inclusive and transparent processes.


Equity vs. Equality

As we build toward systemic transformation, it's important to distinguish between equality and equity:

Equality gives everyone the same resources and opportunities, assuming everyone starts from the same place.

Equity acknowledges that people may have different starting points and seeks to correct imbalances by distributing resources based on need, not sameness.

At GCCCD, we are committed to equity because achieving equal outcomes across our campuses and communities requires more than equal treatment—it demands an equitable response to systemic challenges.


Our Commitment

Through an equity-centered lense, GCCCD is creating the conditions for transformation. By grounding our work in Equity Factors and strategic planning, we are advancing meaningful change to ensure that all members of our community feel seen, valued, and supported.

 

Professional Development Learning Resources

These Professional Development learning resources are some that have been recommended by colleagues to help understand these complex issues.

Grossmont College Diversity Initiatives

Cuyamaca College Diversity and Inclusion

June 2020 Governing Board Resolution in Denunciation of Violence Against Black Americans and Commitment to Anti-Racism

Articles and Videos

Settler Colonialism as Structure: A Framework for Comparative Studies of U.S. Race and Gender Formation 

When Xenophobia Spreads Like a Virus

How Racism Harms White Americans – a lecture by Historian John Bracey

The Man Card – A film about white male identity politics from Nixon to Trump

Racial Battle Fatigue: What Is It and What Are the Symptoms?

11 Terms You Should Know to Better Understand Structural Racism

Bystander Intervention Training

How To Be An Ally  

To Be an Asian Woman in America

I Am Not Your Asian Stereotype

Recommended Books

White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson 

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo

Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.  

Yellow Peril: An Archive of Anti-Asian Fear  by John Kuo Wei Tchen and Dylan Yeats

America for Americans: A History of Xenophobia in the United States by Erika Lee

The Making of Asian America: A History by Erika Lee

Good White People: The Problem with Middle-Class White Anti-Racism by Shannon Sullivan

Revealing Whiteness: The Unconscious Habits of Racial Privilege by Shannon Sullivan

Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans  by Ronald Takaki

From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement
by Paula Yoo