Clover Park Technical College welcomes, values and respects the differences and commonalities of all people. We demonstrate commitment to diversity and equity by celebrating our differences and treating everyone with fairness and respect.
CPTC Diversity Committee
- Lisa Plair - Committee Chair
- Lisa Fortson
- Michele Jones
- Mary Nolen
- Sheli Sledge
- ASG Student Representatives
Diversity Training & Support
The CPTC Diversity Committee partners with faculty and staff to empower students! Please contact us to organize a workshop, panel presentation, discussion session, or special class, led or co-facilitated by the Diversity Committee staff members and/or Ethnic Student Engagement Committee.
We have a variety of workshop activities available to choose from or we can work with you to help debrief a topic your class is studying either during your class period or as a separate session. Please contact the Committee Chair for more information.
On Campus Diversity Resources
The CPTC Diversity Committee recognizes a wide range of diverse students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members. We strive to provide up to date resources for our community.
All Gender Restrooms
Clover Park Technical College offers all-gender restrooms at various locations on our Lakewood campus. These restrooms are intended for individual use, or for individuals requiring the assistance of another person. They are private and lockable.
Lakewood Campus
- Building 3, near the Rotunda
- Building 19, 1st floor near room 107
- Building 23, near the SLSC
South Hill Campus
At this time, there are no all-gender restrooms available at the South Hill campus.
In the Community
Refuge Restrooms can provide the location of nearby all-gender restrooms with user experience, information about accessibility, and commentary on how friendly these restrooms are.
How to use a Preferred Name at CPTC
Preferred names indicate the name a student wishes to use that differs from their legal name on legal documents and student records. CPTC supports an inclusive learning environment that allows students to go by a preferred name that may differ from their legal first name. This preferred name will appear instead of the student’s legal name in the class roster.
Preferred names, unfortunately, are not currently visible in Canvas, MyCC, or in the student database used by college staff and administrators. In addition, records such as paychecks or financial aid, as well as academic records (transcripts) that require the use of a legal name, will not change to the preferred first name. The college is currently working to expand its capabilities in this area.
Campus departments are encouraged to utilize preferred first names in their business practices whenever possible. You can update a preferred name at any time by visiting enrollment services. All legal name changes can also be updated through the office of enrollment.
External Diversity Resources
The CPTC Diversity Committee recognizes the wide range of diverse students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members served by the college. Below is a list of external resources available to various diverse communities. If you have additional resources that may be of assistance to others, please contact us at diversity@cptc.edu
The Diversity Committee at Clover Park Technical College conducted a survey to assess impressions of faculty, staff, and students about the current levels of diversity on campus and about the importance of creating and maintain a diverse campus. The following is a summary of some of the information gained from the survey.
In what ways, if any, do you think the College is currently supporting diversity?
- Clover Park is a welcome College open to anyone who wants to learn!
- By allowing all races, ages, gender & ethnicities have an opportunity for education
- Lack of any kind of prejudice tells me that diversity is being supported, in that nothing is holding anyone back, other than one’s own actions
- I don’t know if the college is supporting diversity, but the college is definitely diverse
What diversity activities/trainings would you like to see occur for CPTC faculty and staff?
- Mandatory diversity training for all new employees; retroactive training for current employees
- Activities that promote awareness of learning styles, disabilities, and cultural differences
- Workshops to promote cultural competency and diversity implementation
- Something that explains what diversity is and how to work with a diverse group of people
What diversity activities/training would you like to see occur for our CPTC students?
- Events, presentations similar to those available during Black History Month
- Learning disabilities screening for students
- Cultural intelligence and generational diversity workshops
- Activities that would allow people from all ethnic groups to meet together and learn more about other ethnic groups from around the world
We acknowledge that we are on the traditional land of the Puget Sound Salish peoples belonging to the Puyallup, Steilacoom, Nisqually, and Squaxin Island tribes and bands, and we honor and thank the traditional caretakers of this land. As occupants of this land, this compels us to learn how this land was acquired in order to honor these people.
The Medicine Creek Treaty was established between then Governor of Washington State, Issac Stevens, who signed the treaty with 662 representatives of the 9 tribes in the area on Christmas day in 1854. The treaty ceded 2.56 million acres of the ancestral lands of the Puyallup, Nisqually, and Squaxin Island tribes to the United States government in exchange for establishment of three small 1,200 acre reservations, cash payments of $32,500 to be paid over a period of thirteen years, and recognition of traditional native fishing and hunting rights.
Shortly after the signing of the treaty, the US government broke its word to the native people, violating the treaty by denying them the rights they promised and relocating them to reservations away from traditional food sources.
The native people who signed this treaty protested the US government’s implementation of the treaty, which did not honor the original agreement. This lead to the Puget Sound War in 1855, and ultimately the trial and execution of Chief Leschi, who would be exonerated post-mortem in 2004. To this day, the Native peoples of Puget Sound still face challenges by increasingly stringent state regulations on access to fishing and hunting rights granted by the Medicine Creek Treaty.
This land’s history is important to Clover Park Technical College. We recognize that we are in a privileged space, and hope that this acknowledgment will serve to spark further inquiry and dialogue about our native history and current community connections.
We value the tribes in our community, and the impact that they continue to make on our college to this day. The Puyallup and Muckleshoot Tribes are financial supporters, and CPTC has alumni, students, staff and faculty who are tribal members. They are a vital part of our community, and we thank them for their generosity and support.
As a step toward honoring tribal history, Clover Park Technical College acknowledges the traditional Native lands on which we stand. Such statements become truly meaningful when coupled with authentic relationships and sustained commitment. We therefore commit to move beyond words into programs and actions that fully embody a commitment to Indigenous rights and cultural equity.
Furthermore, we encourage all present today to take steps toward a commitment to indigenous rights and cultural equity by sharing our history with others. We have an obligation to care for and respect the land we occupy, and an obligation to support the native peoples in our community and those attending our institution as students, staff and faculty. It is our hope that this acknowledgement will be the first step of many toward intentionally fulfilling our obligations to these communities and treaties.”
