The UNC System Racial Equity Task Force has submitted its final report recommending changes across North Carolina's public universities.
The UNC System's former President Bill Roper and Board of Governors Chairman Randy Ramsey created the task force days after a police officer in Minneapolis killed George Floyd, sparking a national reckoning on racism.
The group's six central recommendations encompass:
- diversity and equity staffing
- hiring and retention practices
- data and accountability
- diversity and inclusion education
- programming in support of racial equity
- campus policing
The report lays out 28 action steps that range from new hiring practices, to improved mental health services and financial aid counseling for students of color, to policing practices that reduce student arrests. The report does not lay out a timeline for implementation.
The task force also called for a new executive position at the UNC System office to ensure that the report is acted on.
Earlier this month the UNC System took that recommendation by hiring Darryl Bass as its first associate vice president of Equity, Engagement and Employee Relations. Bass comes from the North Carolina Department of Transportation, where he was the executive sponsor of the agency’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Advisory Group.
“I’ve tried to hire Darryl for years,” said UNC System President Peter Hans, who previously served as president of North Carolina’s Community College System. “He is top notch in this field.”
Bass will help lead the implementation of the recommendations across the UNC System.
