BTC is committed to promoting and providing a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students. BTC appreciates and honors diversity, equity and inclusion.
Values: Create a supportive and inclusive community that results in a high level of student competence, professionalism, and success.
Goals: Create and maintain a welcoming campus that supports diversity, promotes a sense of community, provides an effective work and learning environment, and encourages respect for individuals.
A serenity space has been temporarily made available starting Wednesday, March 22 through the spring quarter. All BTC community members in need of quiet place to meditate, pray or to find calm may use the space, with respect for others and leaving the space clean. For more information and location, please contact diversity@btc.edu.
BTC and community partners honored Women’s History Month with the Women’s Equity in 2023 Panel & Luncheon on Monday, March 6, from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in Settlemyer Hall.
Students, employees and community members enjoyed lunch by Yeah Baby Boards, and hearing from phenomincal panelists from diverse backgrounds, identities and industries who shared their leadership journeys, equity challenges they’ve experienced, strategies that have helped, and how joy, community and self determination help them move forward.
Our panelists included:
Learn more about other Women's History Month events at wwu.edu/whm
BTC collaborated with partners in our community, in higher education and PK-12 to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a “day on” starting with a full breakfast and community building around the theme, “Now is the Time.” We heard from local social justice advocates alongside keynote speaker, LaTosha Brown, an award-winning organizer, philanthropic consultant, political strategist, jazz singer and co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund.
Please visit Western Washington University's webpage where a recording of the event will be made available.
On October 10, 2022 400 members of our community commemorated Indigenous Peoples' Day by sharing a traditional Coast Salish dinner while listening to Kendra Mylnechuk Potter share her journey as she and producer Brooke Pepion Swaney presented a screening of Daughter of a Lost Bird.
The video of the event can be viewed on our community partner Western Washington University's webpage for Indigenous Peoples' Day.
Please email hsimonetti@btc.edu for more information about the below opportunities.
DEI Training Certificate: Module 2
For official college functions, following is a suggested tribal lands acknowledgement, tailored by location, to use on printed materials and in all opening remarks at public events.
"Before we begin, I would like to acknowledge that we are here today within the usual and accustomed lands of the Lummi Nation and of the Nooksack Tribe of the Coast Salish peoples, and the original territory of the Samish Indian Tribe. Please join us in respect and for our indigenous neighbors, whose care and protection of the land and water continues to this day."
Bellingham Technical College would like to acknowledge that our service area today is within the usual and accustomed lands of the Lhaq’temish or Xwlemi (Lummi) Nation, and of the Noxws’a’?aq (Nooksack) Tribe of the Coast Salish peoples, as well as the original territory of the sʔémǝš (Samish) Indian Tribe. Our respect and gratitude go to our indigenous neighbors, whose care and protection of the land and water continues to this day.
We acknowledge land to recognize the Indigenous stewards of the lands we reside on. Land acknowledgements are an important act of honoring Indigenous people who have been living and caring for these lands since time immemorial. It is vital that we know the history of the land and the Indigenous communities around us as the BTC community moves toward a more equitable future.
Bellingham: Lummi Nation and the Nooksack Tribe
Anacortes: Samish Indian Nation and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community
Everett: Tulalip Tribes, the Snohomish, the Stillaguamish Tribe and the Sauk-Suiattle Tribe
Kitsap Peninsula: Suquamish Tribe and the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe
Olympic Peninsula: The Hoh Tribe, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, Makah Indian Tribe, Quileute Tribe, Quinault Indian Nation, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe and the Skokomish Tribe.
Seattle: Duwamish, Suquamish, Nisqually, Snoqualmie and Muckleshoot tribes
"What About Those Promises?" A performance about the Treaty of Point Elliott 1855, Lummi Nation.
Ferndale Schools Lummi Land Acknowledgement Produced by Ferndale School District, Children of the Setting Sun, and the Lhaqtemish Foundation.
BTC seeks to create an educational experience that prepares all students to live as critical thinkers and engaged members of a global world. Our graduates will be prepared to enter their careers as leaders who honor the importance of diverse communities. BTC is dedicated to the ongoing training and education of our students and employees around topics of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
BTC is engaged in reducing institutional barriers and harm that students of historically underrepresented groups are experiencing daily. BTC is committed to supporting our Black, Indigenous and People of Color community (BIPOC) members and working to define, identify, and dismantle inequitable structures of power, privilege and oppression that have and continue to hinder the education of historically underrepresented peoples.
Bellingham Technical College (“the College”) is committed to maintaining a welcoming, safe, and accessible campus environment by strengthening the diversity, equity, and inclusivity of its campus community. The College recognizes this commitment as essential to a healthy educational climate.
The College considers bias incidents to be incompatible with a healthy educational climate. The College will respond in a timely manner to bias incidents involving individuals affiliated with Bellingham Technical College.
The College defines a bias incident as any act, behavior, conduct, or communication, regardless of intent, reasonably understood to be an act that, in whole or in part, demeans, intimidates, degrades, threatens, or harasses an individual, members of a group, and/or community, based on an actual or perceived characteristic, including but not limited to any race, color, creed, religion, sex, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability, or national origin, citizenship or immigration status, or genetic information under any of its programs, activities and services.
Bias incidents may be reported using the Bias Incident Form.
In Spring 2022, in alignment with Washington State Senate Bill 5227 , Bellingham Technical College surveyed students and employees with the goal of developing a baseline understanding of perceptions, experiences, and perspectives related to diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus.
These reports show survey results segmented by respondent groups, including faculty, staff and students, as well as by demographic characteristics such as race/ethnicity and gender identity. By studying these results, we are able to see where BTC’s strengths lie as well as opportunities for growth.
We invite employees and students to join us to learn more about the DEI Campus Climate Survey, its results and next steps at campus forums.
Campus Climate Survey BTC Community Forums (Students and Employees should check their email for more details)
Tuesday, March 21, from 11-12 p.m. - In-person forum
Wednesday, March 22, from 3 p.m.-4 p.m. – Zoom
In spring quarter, we plan to host listening sessions with stakeholders throughout campus as we form our next steps for how we will use these results to build a stronger and more supportive campus climate. Once dates are set for those listening sessions, we will share them with campus, as well as other opportunities to engage in work around DEI and our campus climate.
Campus Climate Survey and other Resorces Links:
Campus Climate Survey Executive Summary
The equitable bathroom project will provide needed updates to bathrooms across campus increasing visibility, adding accessible signage, providing bathroom amenities, and creating all-gender bathrooms. As of Spring 2022, single-stall bathrooms throughout campus were converted to all-gender bathrooms. Phase 2 is currently in process and involves converting selected multi-stall bathrooms to all-gender with new, consistent signage, communication and accessibility for all bathrooms across campus.
Our goal is to provide multiple options for safe, comfortable access to facilities for all students, employees and visitors. In alignment with Washington state legislation, all-gender bathrooms provide access to facilities by individuals that are consistent with that individual's gender expression or gender identity. All-gender bathrooms also provide access for people with disabilities who have an attendant or a caregiver of a different gender who want or need to accompany someone to the bathroom.
Providing all-gender bathrooms at BTC has been a collaboration with the DEI Committee, DEI Office, Facilities Planning Committee, Facilities, and Marketing department.
Building | Room | Single Stall | Accessible |
Campus Center (CC) | CC136 | Y | Y |
Campus Center (CC) | CC137 | Y | Y |
Campus Center (CC) | CC228C | Y | Y |
H-Building (H) | H23D | Y | Y |
J-Building (J) | J8B | Y | Y |
K-Building (K) | K1D | Y | Y |
Morse Center (MC) | MC113 | Y | Y |
Morse Center (MC) | MC114 | Y | Y |
Perry Center (PC) | PC102 | Y | Y |
Perry Center (PC) | PC103 | Y | Y |
Perry Center (PC) | PC201 | Y | Y |
Perry Center (PC) | PC202 | Y | Y |
Of the 34 WA State Community and Technical Colleges…
WA State Laws that address issues involved in All-Gender Restrooms:
Often there is a concern that all-gender restrooms or bathroom nondiscrimination laws for Trans individuals create a safety issue for women by giving access to predators. The linked Times article addresses this concern as a “red herring,” stating “the nation’s leading organizations dedicated to stopping violence against women signed a letter saying that this argument is a myth.”
The following statistics show a need to increase bathroom safety for Trans people; all-gender bathrooms are a step toward addressing this safety concern. According to the U.S. Transgender Survey (USTS), the largest survey of Transgender people (27,715 respondents):
Inclusive Bathroom Signage Recommendations by Rainbow Alliance Inclusion Network (RAIN), State Human Resources Office of Financial Managment, and the Washington State employee LGBTQ+ Business Resource Group
More Than Just Bathrooms Inside Higher Ed.
FAQ: Answers to Some Common Questions about Equal Access to Public Restrooms by Lambda Legal
Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Organizations Debunk 'Bathroom Predator Myth' by ABC News
Trans Teens Face Higher Sexual Assault Risk When Schools Restrict Bathrooms, Study Finds by NBC News
Bellingham Technical College utilizes definitions for DEI work based on the DEI- Glossary of Equity that was created by Washington State Department of Enterprise Services in an effort to keep BTC aligned with larger state agencies and work around DEI initiatives.
Gender Identity
A person’s innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. A person’s gender identity can be the same or different from their biological sex.
Agender - Without gender. When a person feels they have no gender at all and have no connection to any gender.
Cisgender - Describes a person whose gender identity and gender expression matches the gender typically associated with their biological sex. Often abbreviated to “Cis”.
Gender Non-Binary - A term of self-identification for people who do not identify within the limited and binary terms that have described gender identity: male or man, female or woman.
Genderfluid - Individuals whose gender varies over time. A gender fluid person may at any time identify as male, female, agender, any other non-binary identity, or some combination of identities.
Genderqueer - Describes a person who identifies outside of the binary of male/man and female/woman. It is also used as an umbrella term for many gender non-conforming or non binary identities (i.e. agender, bi-gender, genderfluid).
Transgender - An umbrella term used to describe a person whose gender identity and sex assigned at birth do not correspond.
Gender-Expansive
An umbrella term used for individuals that broaden their own culture’s commonly held definitions of gender, including expectations for its expression, identities, roles, and/or other perceived gender norms. Gender-expansive individuals include those with transgender and non-binary identities, as well as those whose gender in some way is seen to be stretching society’s notions of gender. See Gender Identity and Gender Expression.
Gender Expression
External appearance of one's gender, usually expressed through behavior, clothing, haircut or intonation, and which may or may not conform to societal expectations of a person’s sex assigned at birth or their gender identity.
Gender Non-Conforming - A way to describe a person whose gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. It is not used as a personal identifier.
Bellingham Technical College utilizes definitions for DEI work based on the DEI-Glossary of Equity-Related Terms that was created by Washington State Department of Enterprise Services in an effort to keep BTC aligned with larger state agencies and work around DEI initiatives.
Diversity
Describes the presence of differences within a given setting, collective, or group. An individual is not diverse – a person is unique. Diversity is about a collective or a group and exists in relationship to others. A team, an organization, a family, a neighborhood, and a community can be diverse. A person can bring diversity of thought, experience, and trait, (seen and unseen) to a team — and the person is still an individual.
Equity
The act of developing, strengthening, and supporting procedural and outcome fairness in systems, procedures, and resource distribution mechanisms to create equitable (not equal) opportunity for all people. Equity is distinct from equality which refers to everyone having the same treatment without accounting for differing needs or circumstances. Equity has a focus on eliminating barriers that have prevented the full participation of historically and currently oppressed groups.
Inclusion
Intentionally designed, active, and ongoing engagement with people that ensures opportunities and pathways for participation in all aspects of group, organization, or community, including decision making processes. Inclusion is not a natural consequence of diversity. There must be intentional and consistent efforts to create and sustain a participative environment. Inclusion refers to how groups show that people are valued as respected members of the group, team, organization, or community. Inclusion is often created through progressive, consistent, actions to expand, include, and share.
Culturally Appropriate
Not to be confused with cultural appropriation, in the educational context, culturally appropriate describes school practices that foster congruence between the home cultures of historically marginalized students and the dominant culture of the schools they attend. In a broad sense, such practices, also described as culturally congruent, relevant, or responsive, are designed to ensure that teachers and other school staff understand the cultures of the students they serve and draw upon students’ cultural strengths to enhance their learning and empowerment (Gay, 2000; Ladson-Billings, 1994; Yosso, 2005). (Definition from the following website https://www.olympic.edu/about/administration/diversity-equity-inclusion/equity-inclusion-toolkit/glossary-common-terms)
Cultural Appropriation
Theft, exploitation, or mimicry of cultural elements for one’s own personal use or profit – including symbols, dress, art, music, dance, language, land, customs, medicine, etc. – often without understanding, acknowledgment, or respect for its value in the original culture. In the United States, it results from the assumption of a white dominant culture’s right to take other cultural elements.
Cultural Competence
An ability to interact effectively with people of all cultures and understand many cultural frameworks, values, and norms. Cultural competence comprises four components:
Cultural Humility
Approach to respectfully engaging others with cultural identities different from your own and recognizing that no cultural perspective is superior to another. Cultural humility may look different for different people or groups. For example, in a white dominant culture the practice of cultural humility for white people includes acknowledging systems of oppression and involves critical self-reflection, lifelong learning and growth, a commitment to recognizing and sharing power, and a desire to work toward institutional accountability. The practice of cultural humility for people of color includes accepting that the dominant culture does exist, that institutional racism is in place, to recognize one’s own response to the oppression within it, to work toward dismantling it through the balanced process of calling it out and taking care of one’s self.
Community Organizations
Community organizations, or community-based organizations, refers to nonprofit or grassroots organizations that operate in and for the benefit of a specific community. (Definition from the following website https://www.olympic.edu/about-olympic-college/equity-olympic-college/equity-inclusion-toolkit/glossary-common-terms-higher#_A)
Low Income communities
A student or community member who is eligible for need-based financial aid. (As defined by BTC Data & Research Office)
Marginalization
The social process of relegating a particular person, groups or groups of people to an unimportant or powerless position. This use of power prevents a particular person, group, or groups of people from participating fully in decisions affecting their lived experiences, rendering them insignificant or peripheral. Some individuals identify with multiple groups that have been marginalized. People may experience further marginalization because of their intersecting identities. (historical marginalization is based on the historical context of marginalization as defined above).
People of Color or Communities of Color
Collective term for referring to non-white racial groups.
Certificate requirements must be completed between Fall – Summer Quarter. Completion requires Module 1-3 and attendance to two other optional DEI hosted/approved events, for a total of five trainings. Once completed you will fill out a certificate request stating the dates of your trainings and events, and answer assessment questions. Utilize the DEI training tracking card to help participants keep track their work and apply for the certificate when they have completed requirements.
Training Outline
Learning outcomes:
Module 2 will build on Module 1 by asking participants to take what they learned about socialization and applying it to anti-bias work and how we move into the Cycle of Liberation. This training asks participants to delve into intent, impact, and consequence. Participants will consider what macro and micro aggressions are and how they impact the education and work environment. Participants will consider how language is an integral part of DEI work.
Learning Outcomes:
Module 3 will build on both unlearning and relearning practices to move toward developing concepts of allyship and solidarity. This session will develop an understanding of how to enact allyship and solidarity with an emphasis on continued learning.
Learning outcomes:
(Student DEI Certificate Training Program will be forthcoming)
What is the Bellingham Technical College (BTC) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Fund?
The BTC DEI Fund has been created to provide funding access to the campus-wide community to advance, support, and/or create engaged community around DEI work. Examples of items that the BTC DEI Fund could support include speaker fees, student/employee participation in training/professional development, student program development, and affinity group materials.
Please note that this is not a scholarship program for individual student tuition or basic needs. Those who need assistance financially for items such as rent, food, or books can find more information by visiting the Student Financial Resources page.
How do I apply for funding?
Apply using the DEI Fund Proposal form
Proposals must advance, support, and/or create engaged DEI with the goal of bridging the equity gap of historically underrepresented populations in education on the BTC campus. In alignment with Senate Bill 5227, DEI encourages proposals that advance racial justice and support members of our Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) communities.
BTC community members looking to receive funding must apply for funding at least 30 days in advance of needed funding. The proposal will be reviewed and approved by the DEI Committee at their bimonthly meetings.
The DEI Committee will prioritize the following proposals:
How much funding can someone apply for?
There is no set amount that someone can apply for. Funds are limited, and the DEI committee would like to distribute funds to as many DEI projects/programs as possible. The suggested amount is up to $2,000.
Who is eligible for funding?
All current BTC employees and students can apply for funding.
Assessment/Effectiveness
An end-of the year assessment describing the impact and effectiveness of the use of these funds will be required by all recipients. The DEI Committee will compile these assessments including the funding amount and will submit to PLT.
Washington Association of Community and Technical Colleges Board of Presidents Resolution Denouncing Anti-Asian Discrimination Caused by COVID-19 Pandemic in support of Asian American and Pacific Islander Students, Faculty, Staff, and Communities.
The College complies with all Washington State anti-discrimination laws (RCW 49.60) and the following federal laws relating to equal opportunity:
Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Age Discrimination Act of 1975
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990
General Information RTF | PDF
FAQs RTF | PDF
History and Background RTF | PDF
Equity Article
Executive Director of Human Resources, 3028 Lindbergh Avenue, Bellingham, WA 98225, 360.752.8354. For Title IX/504 compliance, contact: Vice President of Student Services, 3028 Lindbergh Avenue, Bellingham, WA 98225, 360.752.8440.
Accessibility at BTC
Accessibility Resources
Undocumented Students
International Student Admissions Info
TRIO Program
Veteran’s Admission Info
Veteran’s Support Services
On Campus Office Hours:
Mon: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thu: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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