This fall is the first full semester for Pitt’s new Office of Institutional Engagement and Well-Being.
This summer, the University of Pittsburgh integrated its new Office of Institutional Engagement and Well-Being, which replaced the previous Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Since the OIEW’s launch, the University reported that many of the office’s responsibilities are similar to the former OEDI.
University spokesperson Jared Stonesifer said the OIEW office will support students in several “key areas.”
The OIEW page features drop-down menus for Civil Rights & Title IX, Disability Access and Prevention at Pitt. The website also features a data link, which takes users to a page with demographic and statistical data on student, faculty and staff demographics and more.
“The new office will embed engagement and well-being into the fabric of all University life,” Stonesifer said. “In addition to compliance, it will focus on proactive education, institutional accountability and fostering a positive and welcoming campus climate.”
The former website for the OEDI contained resources for diverse racial, cultural, and identity-specific groups, as well as resources for accessibility, sexual misconduct, civil rights, events, engagement and education.
The office’s website currently lacks an “about” page or a visible mission statement. However, Stonesifer confirmed that the office provides several resources to enable success for all communities on campus.
“Our office provides leadership and resources and partners with units and campuses to create welcoming environments that enable everyone to succeed,” Stonesifer said.
The former OEDI’s mission statement was listed on its website, which said that the office strived to “embed diversity as a transformational force in academic excellence and professional growth.”
The University kept to a previous statement it had made, saying that it retained all 25 employees from the previous office staff. Stonesifer said the new office will continue its dedication to continuously review and align employee roles and office programs, “according to its mission.”
In September, some Pitt community members created an open petition calling for the reinstatement of the OEDI. The petition cites the removal of front-facing resources for diverse racial, cultural and identity-specific groups as something that has “compromised [the University’s] academic mission and capitulated to government pressure.”
Stonesifer shared how the new OIEW office plans to adjust to student needs. Over the past few years, the University has conducted multiple Pitt community surveys to “understand their concerns and their needs,” Stonesifer said.
“With our new office, Pitt Well-being is working to move forward and act on that feedback in a couple of ways — first, to make sure that all of our OIEW services work well together, and second, to make sure they are closely partnered with other University services and units,” Stonesifer said.