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CART is designed to:  

• Build and help restore campus climate and community through active collaboration with AU community members.  

• Focus on community learning and growth through a non-punitive approach.Ìý

• Engage with all AU community members--students, faculty, and staff—and leverage campus partners to enhance existing processes in alignment with inclusive excellence frameworks.  

• Identify and address trends and patterns on campus, while not necessarily resolving individual or interpersonal issues.  

• Develop proactive initiatives through ongoing needs assessment.  

CART is not meant to replace or replicate existing support or reporting systems on campus. For example, if a community member wants to report an incident of discrimination, harassment or sexual misconduct, they should reach out directly to the Equity and Title IX office to .Ìý

If a request is made to CART that raises an issue that may rise to the level of a potential policy violation or may be better supported elsewhere, CART will forward it to the relevant offices.

Any member of the AU community—student, faculty, or staff member—is welcome to reach out to CART.Ìý

A member of the AU community might reach out to CART to request support navigating tension in the community that has arisen around a conflict or an issue around inclusive excellence or with an idea for an initiative or educational support  to help build understanding or rebuild trust.Ìý

In Phase 1 of the pilot, CART is made up of skilled faculty, staff, and community partners who have prior experience with restorative practices, mediation and conflict resolution, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, trauma-informed practices, and/or education and training development. Students will play a critical role in providing ongoing guidance and advice to the CART network. In Phase 2, we will consider ways to expand our reach more widely throughout the community.

In addition to partnering with AU community members who reach out to CART for support, the network will meet regularly to note any emerging patterns and to collaborate on broader educational responses. CART will meet regularly with key relevant offices to identify high-level cross-cutting trends. CART may also reach out to a range of AU community members across campus to listen, learn, and gather feedback. Based on this ongoing work, CART will eventually aim to work with AU leadership to develop relevant policy and practice recommendations to help support the maintenance of an inclusive campus climate.

When you reach out to CART, the CART Coordinator will reply to invite you to a conversation in which you will learn more about our capabilities and approach. In that conversation, you will be asked to share what you are comfortable with in terms of your concerns or your ideas. Then, you and a few members of the CART network will have a follow-up conversation in which you will together begin the process of co-creating by identifying needs, supports, and resources, and then defining next steps.

There are a variety of possible outcomes that could include coaching, development of an educational or training initiative, facilitated dialogue, community circle, and connection to resources. In addition, CART’s work will inform broader recommendations to leadership to inform policy or other campus-wide efforts to advance inclusive excellence.

Training is critical for the CART network to continue to develop their own skills and understanding to be effective in supporting the AU community. As a part of their work, CART network members will engage in at least three trainings per year on advanced mediation and restorative practices and substantive issues that are impacting campus climate.