Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) as Guiding Principles

As a Catholic, Jesuit university, Loyola University Maryland is committed to creating a community that recognizes the inherent value and dignity of each person. Through collaboration with the Office of Equity and Inclusion and the President’s Council on Equity and Inclusion, the university established a list of shared principles that inform the policies we make, the protocols we follow, and the language we use. These principles create a framework for our university community to approach decisions and operations with a consistent focus on equity and inclusion. They also allow us to define what equitable and inclusive excellence means at Loyola University Maryland, and they increase our effectiveness in promoting change, both in our shared intentions and in our shared accountability to one another.

Loyola University Maryland encourages every member of our community to engage with, value, and practice the following guiding principles:

A racially diverse group of women sites in the cafeteria

Diversity

Loyola embraces diversity through the full acknowledgment and celebration of the human experience in a way that honors a person’s inherent value and dignity, including, but not limited to, the intersections of race, ethnicity, national origin, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, socio-economic status, and ability.

Equity

Loyola commits to engaging in practices that promote equity through just treatment, access, and support for all community members, by identifying and eliminating barriers to ensure that historically underrepresented and excluded groups have the necessary opportunities to thrive.

A young Muslim woman with glasses and a hijab speaks with a fellow student

Inclusion

Loyola commits to actively and intentionally fostering a welcoming environment that respects, values, and integrates the identities and lived experiences of every member of our community by promoting collaborative decision-making and a sense of belonging.

A professor writes on a whiteboard in a classroom with clustered seating arrangements

Justice

Loyola is dedicated to taking reparative action by empowering individual and communal efforts to address past and current injustices, create equitable opportunities, and develop sustainable changes to institutional systems and policies.

Integration into University Life

These guiding principles serve as a foundation for the Office of Equity and Inclusion and the university’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Strategic Plan. Although the principles are not law or policy, they do provide a broad statement of expected behaviors and promote a clear understanding of the University’s goals for equitable and inclusive excellence among all students, staff, faculty, and administrators, as evidenced by policies, practices, and accountability across the University.