Lane’s Equity Lens - Guiding Questions

Equity Lens Toolkit Inquiry

  • What is the issue, policy, or process being examined?
  • Who is conducting this analysis -- who is at the table for this discussion?

Formal Questions:

  1. Who is affected by content and current framing of this policy, program, practice, or decision? What are the potential impacts? (Use the lists on the back of the toolkit in the packet.)
  2. How does this policy, program, practice, decision-making process, or decision increase access, equity, and inclusion? How does it produce or worsen any disparities?
  3. Who is being impacted by this decision-making process? How have stakeholders been intentionally invited to and empowered to participate in the decision-making process or practice?
  4. What are the barriers to more equitable outcomes around this policy, program, practice, decision making-process or decision?
  5. How will members of the college community identify, address, and mitigate negative impacts and the barriers identified above? How will you support this work?
  6. How can we, as members of the college community, create an environment and culture that fosters healing and reconciliation to transform our structures, environments, and selves?

Outcomes:

  • What is the decision or action that will be taken in relation to the issue, policy, or process?

Guiding Questions

We’ll use guiding questions to ensure our focus is appropriate, and to evaluate individual issues in the equity lens framework.

  • Are the tone, word choice, layout, and graphics of our “public face” in alignment with our movement toward access, equity, and inclusion?
  • Are the tone, word choice, layout, and graphics of our “internal” face in alignment with our movement toward access, equity, and inclusion?
  • Have we created a safe environment to participate in Equity Lens work?
  • Are we aware of the ways in which our equity lens is impacted by our individual, institutional, and systemic biases?
  • Does the work resulting from our equity lens foster improvement at all of the following levels: individual, institutional and systemic?
  • Do we have structures in place to ensure that the work resulting from the equity lens is collaborative and transparent across the institution?
  • What assessment mechanisms have we built into the equity lens that will allow for continual improvement of both the lens and the work resulting from it as we move forward?
  • What are the specific ways that Lane’s Equity Lens is expected to reduce disparities and enhance access, equity, and inclusion?
  • Can we realistically meet the goals of access, equity, and inclusion framed by the equity lens?
  • Have we clearly articulated Lane’s Equity Lens and expectations to all stakeholders? How are we going to get buy-in across campus?
  • Have we ensured that Lane’s Equity Lens can help us heal and transform our structures, environments, and selves?