Diversity and Equity
Diversity and Equity
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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.
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.
Demographic "Snapshots"
Full-Time Workforce Disability/Veteran Status Snapshot
12 employees identified as a Veteran
32 employees identified as having a disability
Full-Time Workforce Age Snapshot
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
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
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.
Anti-Semitic and Anti-Islamic Harassment Policy Guidance for Grossmont Cuyamaca Community College District
Grossmont Cuyamaca Community College District (GCCCD) is committed to protecting all students and employees from discrimination and harassment based on identity, including the protected classes of religion, race, color, national origin, and ancestry. This protection extends to individuals of all religious backgrounds, including but not limited to Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh faiths. Anti-Semitism, defined as a certain perception of Jewish people that may be expressed as hatred, and Islamophobia, similarly directed toward Muslim people, are unacceptable at GCCCD.
Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia can target Jewish, Muslim, and other individuals, their property, and community institutions and religious facilities. Such behavior constitutes discrimination or harassment based on protected classes of religion, race, color, national origin, and/or ancestry.
Discriminatory behavior includes, but is not limited to:
- Slurs or stereotypes
- Harassment based on physical appearance, including skin color, hair style, or attire reflecting ethnic and religious traditions
- Harassment based on speech, including names associated with shared ancestry, speaking a language other than English, or speaking with an accent
These behaviors contradict the values of GCCCD and will be addressed. When such actions are so severe or pervasive that they limit a student’s or employee’s ability to participate in or benefit from the educational or work environment, they violate our campus nondiscrimination policies and will be handled by the appropriate GCCCD authority.
In cases where the behavior is constitutionally protected speech that does not violate our policies but is still harmful, we encourage the community to engage in respectful dialogue to raise awareness about the impact of their words. GCCCD values and protects both the right to be free from protected class discrimination and harassment and the right to express constitutionally protected ideas.
To report identity-based discrimination or harassment and to access support services, please contact the GCCCD Equity Offices. We encourage every member of our community to support one another and uphold our values to ensure an inclusive learning and working environment.
If you have questions, please contact:
Michael Z. Salvador
Director of Title IX, Equal Employment Opportunity, and Diversity
Phone: 619-644-7039
Email: michael.salvador@gcccd.edu
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
Articles and Videos
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
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