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Equity Resources

College and University resources for students and employees

students sitting on Austin Hall lawn

The College of Science Diversity Action Plan – Embedding Equity, Access and Inclusion – which launched in October 2021, recognizes and centers the relationship between advancing our college’s strategic mission and valuing, nurturing and engaging all members of the College of Science community — particularly and especially community members holding minoritized identities.

Some known resources for students and employees are included here and more will be added as they are developed and/or we become aware of them as relevant. Student resources are listed first, followed by employee resources.

Diversity in numbers

32.4%

Minority students

14.2%

Underrepresented minority students

28%

First in family to attend college

71%

Undergraduates identify as women

Resources for students

The following College of Science and campus resources promote the inclusion and success of students from minoritized groups, including (1) select College of Science scholarships, (2) university-wide programs, (3) a set of seven OSU cultural centers aimed at providing students ethnic, cultural, or identity-based communities and (4) two culturally-based living-learning communities. If you have suggestions for additional resources to list here or other comments, please let us know using our feedback form.

Scholarships to support equity and inclusion

The College of Science sponsors several donor and alumni-supported scholarships to increase underrepresented minority student representation in STEM majors. The merit and need-based scholarships have advanced diversity, equity and inclusivity in the College, contributing to deeper, more well-rounded scientific perspectives in our community.

Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE Science)

The College’s flagship summer research scholarship, SURE Science awards undergraduate scholarships of $5,060 each for intensive summer research in STEM fields to a large proportion of students of color. SURE science awards are made possible by generous donations from College of Science alumni, faculty and supporters.

Learn more and apply

Launching Undergraduate Research Experiences (LURE Science)

The LURE Science scholarship allows students to get paid while they gain invaluable research experiences alongside their studies. College of Science students who have not yet participated in research are invited to develop a project with a faculty mentor to deepen their learning. Recipients of the LURE Science award will be paid for 10 hours a week during the academic year (approximately 300 hours) on an hourly basis. Awardees also receive an additional $500 for research expenses to support their project.

Learn more and apply

Equity Promise Emergency Grant

The Equity Promise Emergency Grant is awarded to undergraduate students who may have experienced sudden, extreme circumstances or life events that may hold up their progress to continue or complete their degree at OSU. Students may be nominated or request aid themselves.

Learn more and apply

Health and Access Resources

Oregon State University provides mental health counseling, survivor support, accommodations for disability, advocacy, outreach and education to all OSU community members. We do this to (1) facilitate academic success, mental health, and personal development and (2) promote a culture of positive mental health at OSU.

Center for Advocacy, Prevention and Education (CAPE)

The Center for Advocacy, Prevention and Education serves as a first point of contact for survivors and their allies. We provide information about survivors’ choices and their rights, referrals to other services, and support for their right to regain control over their lives. Any form of interpersonal violence, including sexual assault, dating or domestic violence, stalking, harassment, or bullying can have a profound and harmful impact. CAPE is committed to listening, believing and supporting survivors and providing resources to aid in the healing process. CAPE believes in the value of all persons and their right to make their own choices.

Learn more about CAPE

Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS)

The staff at CAPS are committed professionals with particular expertise in the concerns of college students. Our staff includes Psychologists, Clinical Social Workers, Professional Counselors, Pre-doctoral Residents completing the final stages of their doctoral training in Clinical or Counseling Psychology, Psychiatric Residents, and Master's students in Counselor Education. CAPS is strongly committed to affirming diversity in a broad sense, to treating all with dignity and respect, and to opposing discrimination, prejudice, and oppression.

Learn more about CAPS

Disability Access Services (DAS)

Disability Access Services provides accommodations, education, consultation and advocacy for qualified students with disabilities at Oregon State University. DAS works with students at OSU, OSU-Cascades, across Oregon and around the world through the OSU E-campus program. Accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis depending on the student’s documented disability and its functional impacts. Visit the DAS webpage for more information on available accommodations.

Learn more about DAS

Funded by the National Science Foundation, the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) is dedicated to increasing the number of traditionally underrepresented students successfully completing science, technology, engineering and mathematics baccalaureate degree programs.

Learn more about the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation 

In the Beaver Connect program, undergraduate students are placed in teams of up to four new-to-OSU students, one peer mentor and one faculty member for mentorship, guidance and community building in their first year at OSU to ease the student transition to college.

Learn about the Beaver Connect program 

The Dr. Lawrence Griggs Office of Black & Indigenous Student Success works to increase access, academic success and retention for Black, Native American, Pacific Islander and Alaskan Native students by creating clear pathways for students to connect with important services and programming.

Learn more about the Dr. Lawrence Griggs Office 

The OSU STEM Leaders initiative is designed to increase the diversity and success of undergraduates in STEM through an orientation course, cohort-based workshops, peer mentoring with upper division STEM students, and faculty-mentored undergraduate research experiences.

Learn more about the OSU STEM Leaders 

LGBTQ+ Support and Resources

LGBTQ+ Support and Resources
Curated by Institutional Diversity at Oregon State

LGBTQ+ Resources and History
Curated by the Women's Center at Oregon State

Out in STEM @ OSU (oSTEM)
Supporting young queer folx navigating the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics

500 Queer Scientists
A visibility campaign for LGBTQ+ people and their allies working in STEM and STEM-supporting jobs

Living-learning communities

Living-learning communities are located within residential halls and provide opportunities for students to find community and explore cultural identity. Two new communities are:

The Nia Black Scholar Living-Learning Community is located in Poling Hall and will allow students to build a strong community, explore racial identity and understand what it means to be Black and African American in Oregon and OSU.

The munk-skukum Indigenous Living-Learning Community is also located in Poling Hall and will connect students with a shared interest in Indigenous people and provide access to cultural events.

Resources for College employees

Inclusive Excellence at Oregon State University (IE@OSU) supports groups of 20 faculty annually from OSU and nearby community colleges, including Lane and Linn-Benton, have formed a professional learning community to develop and apply new culturally responsive strategies in the courses they teach. The selected faculty participated in an initial 40-hour summer academy on inclusive STEM pedagogies and individual course redesign


ADVANCE– Funded by NSF, ADVANCE is aimed at increasing the participation and advancement of women in academic science and engineering careers, thereby developing a more diverse science and engineering workforce.


Difference, Power, Discrimination Program – This program works with faculty across all fields and disciplines at Oregon State University to develop inclusive curricula that address institutionalized systems of power, privilege, and inequity in the United States.


Enhancing STEM Education at OSU – This NSF-funded project is focusing on increasing the use of evidence-based instructional practices (EBIPs) to enhance the effectiveness of STEM classes.


Accommodations for Disabilities. Oregon State University strives to be a fully inclusive education community and recognizes that what non-disabled individuals view as conveniences may present serious barriers for disabled individuals. In order to provide accommodations, the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access (EOA) works with employees, their supervisors, and potentially other appropriate administrative units to determine what kind of accommodation can be made. EOA will also assist departments in securing resources for accommodations.