Open letter on new ethnicity and race identification
Beginning the week of July 13, all faculty, staff and students throughout the University system will be presented with a module in VIP that asks individuals to identify their ethnicity and race. The University is undertaking this effort to comply with a federal mandate that will ensure all educational institutions across the United States collect and report data in newly established and/or redefined categories.
Although most of us have similar data on file already, that data was gathered through a question format or categories that are no longer in use. The two-part question format now in use asks (1) if a person is Hispanic or Latino and (2) presents five categories of race with which an individual can identify (American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and/or White); selection of multiple races is permitted. Although we readily acknowledge that any classification system for demographic data has limitations, these categories and question design are consistent with guidance from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget based on years of research and public comment.
The University is required to collect and report aggregate (not individual) ethnic/race data to the U.S. Department of Education as part of our annual reporting. We greatly appreciate your response to this process in VIP so that our records can be as complete and accurate as possible. Should you have any questions or concerns, please direct them to NERF@mailbox.sc.edu.
Sincerely,
Barbara Rogers Blaney, University Registrar
Judy Owens, Human Resources
Mike Kelly, Project Manager
By University Marketing & Communications