Social Equity
Shepherd University is committed to providing an equitable, inclusive, and respectful campus culture and environment, free from any form of harassment, discrimination, or violence. The Office of Social Equity coordinates efforts to ensure equitable access to all University programs and activities for all members of the campus community. We are dedicated to educating the campus community to promote a safe and welcoming living, learning, and working environment for all students and employees. Any individual who experiences any form of harassment, discrimination, bias behavior, or any other form of inequitable treatment is encouraged to report the misconduct to this office by contacting the Director of Social Equity. The Director of Social Equity supervises the offices of Title IX, Accessibility Services, and Multicultural Student Affairs to ensure a campus climate that promotes mutual respect and value for all and compliance with federal civil rights legislation.
Due to the lack of records, it is unclear which tribes, how many people, when, where, and for how long they resided on the land we now know as West Virginia, the Native American presence evidently lingers in our wild and wonderful state. Indigenous names can be found throughout Appalachia (e.g. Kanawha River, Seneca Rocks, Wheeling, and more). According to maps of the mid-1600s, the Massawomeck primarily resided in what became West Virginia and in western Maryland. The Massawomeck were a highly mobile tribe that conducted extensive trade with other tribes and European settlers. The Delaware tribe, originally known as the Lenape (/ləˈnɑːpi/ or /ˈlɛnəpi/) or Lenni Lenape also lived here but were forced out of the Eastern Panhandle by the late 1700s.
We wish to recognize our obligations to this land and to the people who took care of it, as well as to the estimated 11,000 Native descendants who live in West Virginia today. For more resources and information, please click on the images below.
