Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Antiracism, and Accessibility (DEIAA) Committee
Co-Chair: Scott Thayer
Co-Chair Contact: sthayer@cypresscollege.edu
Co-Chair: Anne-Marie Beck
Co-Chair Contact: ambeck@cypresscollege.edu
Meeting Dates: 2nd Wednesday of every month
Meeting Time: 3–4:30 p.m.
Meeting Location: CCCPLX-404 & Zoom
A.S. Representatives: Hayden Le and Kyle Phan
Purpose
The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Antiracism and Accessibility Committee (DEIAA) serves as the principal advisor to the President of the College on issues of DEIAA. The purpose is to support and advance the institutional Core Values
of Inclusiveness and Equity. To fulfill its mission, the DEIAA Committee will:
A. Engage faculty, staff, and students to support and promote DEIAA goals across the College and District
- Promote understanding and appreciation throughout the College for all aspects of DEIAA
- Serve as the principal liaison to the District Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Committee.
- Sponsor activities and events at the College that celebrate diversity and bring about staff and student awareness.
- Support, coordinate, or implement programs, seminars and workshops district-wide that explore DEIAA issues for faculty, staff, and students
- Continue to support and encourage the recognition of issues of DEIAA as key components of our educational programs
- Participate and collaborate with the District Diversity Committee in promoting its mission
- Support and advocate for an environment that facilitates recruitment and retention of diverse faculty, staff, and management
- Promote the communication and awareness of issues of
- DEIAA at the College and throughout the District
- Recognize outstanding efforts at the College in support of DEIAA activities
B. Serve as a College committee to collaborate and make recommendations to the Student Equity and Achievement Committee (SEA) and District Diversity Committee on issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, antiracism and accessibility in a proactive and constructive manner
- Create awareness of current DEIAA issues on campus
- Create and update the College’s diversity, equity, inclusion antiracism and accessibility strategies to ensure campus and District resource and planning alignment on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Provide a forum for discussion of issues of diversity and equity, including issues identified in various College reports, including the Student Equity Plan, IRP data, campus climate surveys, and student satisfaction surveys and participate in the development of action plans in response.
- Ensure integration and collaboration with District on initiatives focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion
Reporting Relationships
The DEIAA Committee is an autonomous committee but makes recommendations and collaborates with the campus SEA Committee and the District Diversity Committee.
Membership Composition
- College President: co-chair
- Director of Student Equity and Success: co-chair
- Recording Secretary (Non-voting)
- Six Faculty (6): Appointed by the Academic Senate
- Classified (2): Two appointed by CSEA
- Students (3): Appointed by Associated Students, to include an AS Officer or Senator
- Management (3): DSS Coordinator, Presidential appointee, DMA appointee
- NOCE Representative (1): Selected by the President of NOCE or designee
- Senate IDEAA Liaison (1) (non-voting member)
- Professional Development Representative (non-voting member)
*Recognizing the intersectionality of our members, all attempts will be made to appoint representatives from our campus affinity groups, ensuring all perspectives are respectfully represented
Current Membership
- College President: co-chair – Scott Thayer
- Director of Student Equity and Success, co-chair – Anne-Marie Beck
- Recording Secretary (Non-voting) – Mercedes Milner
- Faculty (6)
- Deborah Bundy (Fall 2024–Spring 2027)
- Annette Letcher (Fall 2024–Spring 2027)
- Felicia Hall (Fall 2026-Spring 2029)
- Benjamin Mendez (Fall 2026-Spring 2029)
- Emiko Okamura (Fall 2026-Spring 2029)
- Bridget Steiner (Fall 2026-Spring 2029)
- Classified (3)
- CSEA Representative: Lynette Young (Fall 2025-Spring 2027)
- CSEA Representative: TBD (Fall 2026-Spring 2028)
- Classified Senate Representative: Julie Vorathavorn (Fall 2026-Spring 2029)
- Students (3)
- Hayden Le (Fall 2026-Spring 2027)
- Kyle Phan (Fall 2026-Spring 2027)
- Vacant (Fall 2026-Spring 2027)
- Management (3)
- Matthew Dawood (Fall 2024–Spring 2027)
- Kellori Dower (Fall 2026–Spring 2029)
- David Mosely Booze (Fall 2026–Spring 2027)
- NOCE Representative (1): Adam Gottdank (Fall 2026-Spring 2029)
- Senate IDEAA Representative (non-voting member) – Michael Brydges (Fall 2026-Spring 2027)
- Professional Development Representative (non-voting member) – Jacqueline Aguet (Fall 2026-Spring 2029)
Terms of Membership
All appointees will serve staggered three-year terms unless representing a specific position, and all appointees may be reappointed to additional three-year terms.
The Cypress College Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee is a shared governance committee chaired by the president of the college to fulfill our mission.
Mission Statement
Cypress College enriches students’ lives by providing high quality education for transfer to four-year institutions, associate degrees, career technical education, and certificate coursework, as well as basic skills and opportunities for lifelong learning. The college is committed to promoting student learning and success, embracing diversity, and contributing to both the economic and social development of the surrounding community.
Heritage Months and Cultural Holidays Calendar 2026-27
| Month | Activity |
|---|---|
| September 2026 | HERITAGE MONTH • Hispanic Heritage (Sep 15 to Oct 15) CULTURAL HOLIDAYS • Yom Kippur (Sep 20-21, 2026) |
| October 2026 | HERITAGE MONTH • Disability Awareness • Filipino American History • LGBTQIA+ History CULTURAL HOLIDAYS |
| November 2026 | HERITAGE MONTH • Native American History CULTURAL HOLIDAYS • Dia de los Muertos (Nov 1 & 2, 2026) • International Education Week |
| December 2026 | HERITAGE MONTH CULTURAL HOLIDAYS • Hanukkah (Dec 4–12, 2026) • Christmas (Dec 25, 2026) • Kwanzaa (Dec 26, 2026 – Jan 1, 2027) |
| January 2027 | HERITAGE MONTH CULTURAL HOLIDAYS |
| February 2027 | HERITAGE MONTH • Black History CULTURAL HOLIDAYS • Lunar New Year (Feb 6-20, 2027) • Ramadan (Feb 8 – Mar 8, 2027) |
| March 2027 | HERITAGE MONTH • Women’s History and Recognition CULTURAL HOLIDAYS • Eid al-Fitr (Mar 9, 2027) |
| April 2027 | HERITAGE MONTH • Sexual Assault Awareness • National Celebrate Diversity • Second Chance • Arab American Heritage CULTURAL HOLIDAYS • Passover (Apr 21–29, 2027) |
| May 2027 | HERITAGE MONTH • Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month • Jewish Heritage Month CULTURAL HOLIDAYS • Eid al-Adha (May 16, 2027) |
| June 2027 | HERITAGE MONTH • Pride CULTURAL HOLIDAYS • Juneteenth (Jun 19, 2027) |
| July 2027 | HERITAGE MONTH • Disability Pride Month CULTURAL HOLIDAYS |
Resources
Campus Resources
- Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Resource Center
- Disability Support Services
- EOPS
- International Students Program
- Legacy Program, promotes academic success and transfer through collaborative activities drawn from the Black Experience.
- Pride Center, for LGBTQ+ students and their allies.
- Puente Program, gives you the skills and information you need to succeed, while also exploring the rich Latino culture.
- Students from Diverse Religions
- Veterans Resource Center
District Resources
Equity Alliance Resources
Click on the links below for resources on previous Equity Alliance E-convenings.
Engaging in Productive Conversations About Race
Presenter: Shaun R. Harper, Ph.D.
Fostering and Sustaining Inclusive Classrooms for Students of Color
Presenter: Shaun R. Harper, Ph.D.
Understanding and Addressing Implicit Bias
Presenter: Julie R. Posselt, Ph.D.
Understanding and Confronting Anti-Black Racism
Presenter: Frank Harris III, Ed.D.
Meaningfully Integrating Race Across the Curriculum
Presenter: Shaun R. Harper, Ph.D.
Recruiting and Hiring Faculty of Color
Presenter: Shaun R. Harper, Ph.D.
NOCCCD Land & Labor Acknowledgement: A Call to Action
Cypress College is located on the unceded ancestral lands shared by the Gabrielino-Tongva Nation and the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians/Acjachemen Nation, who have been the traditional caretakers since time immemorial. Tongva and Acjachemen peoples maintain a strong presence in North Orange County and throughout Southern California, protecting their homelands, knowledge systems, and cultures for the next seven generations. We acknowledge the ingenuity, survival, resilience, and strength of their descendants and relatives––past, present, and emerging. We also acknowledge the labor of those who work on and care for these lands, both in the past and today, and all those who act in solidarity with Indigenous struggles.
This land acknowledgement was developed by the Native America Faculty and Staff Alliance and the Fullerton College Ethnic Studies Department and we honor their work on our behalf.
Cypress College Anti-Racism Statement
Cypress College affirms its core values of Excellence, Integrity, Collegiality, and Inclusiveness, with Equity at the center of all our values. As an anti-racist institution, we commit to purposely examining the conscious or unconscious biases that results in racism within our institution and working to correct the racial inequities that have negatively impacted our students and employees.
WE RESOLVE TO:
- Acknowledge that institutional racism, discrimination, and biases exist and that our goal is to eradicate these practices from our system
- Intentionally practice acceptance, anti-racism, and respect towards one another and understand that racism, discrimination, and prejudices create and promote privileges for some while sustaining disadvantages for others.
- Take decisive action to eliminate barriers to equity and that we act deliberately to create a safe, inclusive, and anti-racist environment where individual and group differences are valued and leveraged for our growth and understanding as an educational community.
- Cultivate and maintain a climate where equity, anti-racism, and mutual respect are both intrinsic and explicit by valuing individuals and groups from all backgrounds, demographics, and experiences.
- Strengthen our commitment to recruit, hire, and retain our Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) employees, while creating a more supportive and welcoming environment for our students of color.
- Invest resources to develop, organize, and support campus initiatives that foster anti-racism.
- Ensure all communities, specifically those communities impacted by institutional and systemic discrimination, have the ability to disagree, speak out, and share their views without fear of oppression or harm, while promoting respectful discourse.
We recognize that confronting and combating racism requires deep commitment, a willingness for honest reflection, and will evolve as we confront life-long inequities professionally and inter-personally. As an institution of higher learning, we must critically reflect on all aspects of how we teach, learn, listen, and take courageous action to advance change. We acknowledge we are all harmed by the racism, discrimination, and other forms of prejudice and social injustice that seeks to separate us from one another. We pledge to make our campus more inclusive, welcoming, safer, and an environment where every member of our community, regardless of race, religion, gender, or socio-economic status, feels included and can thrive.
To request copies of archived agendas and minutes, please contact the committee chair.