Interim Chancellor J. Victor Blackwell formed the Chancellor’s Commission on the Status of Women in 1972. In 2019, the name was changed to the Chancellor’s Commission on the Status of Gender Equity (CCSGE).
Since the Commission has made intentional efforts to have an intersectional theoretical approach towards the mission of the organization, the members noted that title does not reflect the mission and daily practices. For several years now, the Commission has been committed to gender equality on campus. This has included advocating for UNO trans peoples’ medical needs and paternity leave, alongside the focus on women’s access, inclusion, and equity in the campus community. This expansive commitment for gender equity is a national trend and UNO is leading the Midwest through this critical change.
What We Do
The purpose of the Commission is to serve as an advisory council to the chancellor and other university administrators on gender equity issues that affect faculty, staff, and students at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO). CCSW monitors the status of gender equity on the UNO campus and recommends ways of improving that status. The Commission is comprised of faculty, staff, and student members and serves more than 15,000 students and 1,200 faculty and staff.
In order to encourage the full participation of women in the university, steps must be taken to identify and eliminate the disadvantages that women face. UNO cannot afford to have its students, faculty, or staff working at a disadvantage.
What are some disadvantages women face in the workplace?
- Women are historically paid less than men for the same work.
- Women may be penalized for or denied maternity or caregiver leave requests.
- Women (and men) may not have access to safe, affordable childcare.
- Women have historically not received full credit for their contributions.
- Women face micro- and macroagressions and often in the form of sexual harrassment.
- Women's ideas and concerns may be routinely ignored, downplayed and/or criticized.
Making Improvements for over 40 Years
The commission has performed many initiatives in its history, including:
- Recognizing organizations in the Omaha community for promoting the status of women
- Presenting an annual award to faculty or staff to recognize outstanding achievement in promoting the status of women at UNO
- Supporting voter registration efforts on campus
- Creating a fundraising campaign to support the Employee Loan Fund available for UNO employees during a time of financial hardship
- Collaborating with other on-campus organizations and groups that support women's issues or campus-wide needs
- Arranging activities and programs that bring awareness of women's issues to the campus community
- Presenting an award to an undergraduate student in recognition for improving the status of women or gender issues or have academic excellence in fields in which women are underrepresented
- Supporting initiatives on campus that bring balance to individuals in the UNO learning community
- Supporting the establishment of daycare facilities for students, faculty, and staff
- Identifying pay inequities between male and female faculty
- Initiating and implementing a program to combat sexual harassment on campus
- Encouraging the development of a family leave policy