To President Armstrong,

We are writing to request the inclusion of caste within Cal Poly's anti-discrimination policy to further solidify Cal Poly's commitment to diversity and equity and ensure appropriate protections for caste oppressed peoples.  

Caste is a structure of oppression that affects over 1 billion people across the world based in birth that determines social status and assigns “spiritual purity”. There are four main caste groups: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras, and those outside the caste system entirely, with lower caste Shudras and those outside the caste system, known as Dalits meaning “broken but resilient” and formerly known as “untouchables”, considered oppressed by caste. Caste-oppressed groups continue to experience profound injustices including socioeconomic inequalities, usurpation of their land, rights, and experience brutal violence at the hands of the “upper” Castes.

All of these inequalities associated with caste status have become embedded in all of the major South Asian institutions and they extend into American mainstream institutions that have significant South Asian immigrant populations, with some of the caste social locators being last names, whether a family eats meat, whether they own land in their country of origin, who they want to marry or be in romantic relationships with, and whether they are allowed to be out in their place of worship and community. According to a survey by Equality Labs,  25 percent of Dalits who responded reported facing verbal or physical assault based on their caste in the United States. One in three Dalit students report being discriminated against during their education in the United States. Two out of three Dalits surveyed reported being treated unfairly at their workplace in the United States. 60 percent of Dalits report experiencing caste-based derogatory jokes or comments in the United States. And 20 percent of Dalit respondents report feeling discriminated at a place of business because of their caste in the United States.

Caste discrimination has long been overlooked by American institutions, with almost all institutions in the United States failing to protect caste oppressed people, highlighted most recently by the recent lawsuit against Cisco regarding caste discrimination in the workplace. Other leading universities such as Brandeis University have already recognized the importance of adding caste to its anti-discrimination policy and we ask Cal Poly to follow suit.

The addition of caste within the anti-discrimination policy will make Cal Poly in compliance with the recommendations of Equality Labs, an international human rights organization. The addition of caste within the anti-discrimination policy will reaffirm and add to Cal Poly’s commitment to diversity, equity and support for those most systemically marginalized. Hence, we are calling on Cal Poly to recognize caste within its anti-discrimination policy and commit to protecting caste oppressed peoples against discrimination on the basis of caste. This addition of caste as a protected category should be paired with caste competency trainings during hiring. If comfortable, please sign your name, pronouns, and affiliation below to be added to this petition.

Signed,

South Asian Student Association
Iman Laique, she/her/hers, Sociology Department
Krithi Sankar, she/her/hers, Journalism Department
manmit singh, they/them, Ethnic Studies Department
Manu Kaur, they/them/theirs, Community member
Sudheendra Gamoji, he/his/his, Physics Department
Victoria Siaumau, she/her/hers, Child Development & Ethnic Studies
Amanda Tejeda, she/her/hers, Political Science Department
Kiran Khalid, They/them, BioResource and Agricultural engineering
Amrit Pradhan, he, him, his, Psychology department
Richa Gadgil, She / Hers, Computer Science
Nilay Patel, He/him, Electrical Engineering Dept.
Najah Allah, She/her, MSBA Candidate
Gabriela Hutchinson, she/her/hers, Liberal Studies Major
Pooja Tipirneni, any pronouns, Political Science & Ethnic Studies
archita sahijpal, she her hers , computer science
Neela Koduri, she/her/hers, College of Liberal Arts
Venkat Kondamuri, He/him/his, Computer Science department
Elizabeth Acevedo , She/her/ella, Computer Engineering
Advaitha Bhavanasi, she/her/hers, Orfalea college of business student
Kaustab Das, He/him/his, Architecture major
Tanya Patil, she/her/hers, Kinesiology and Public Health
Olivia Andersson, She/her/hers, Art and Design/Ethnic Studies Department
Zach Noyes, he/him, City and regional planning
sierra erdem, she/hers, cal poly student
Chloe Partain, she/her/hers, City and Regional Planning
Amogha Sarang, She/her/hers, Aerospace Engineering
Yuliana , she/her/hers, CAFES department
Charvi Bhargava, She/her, Interdisciplinary Studies (STS) ‘20
Kayla Quartiers , she/her/hers, Liberal Studies major
Caprial Koe, She/hers, Psychology major
Shreya Singh, she/her/hers, ENVM
Erica Contreras, She/Her/Hers, ENVM undergraduate student at Cal Poly
Lyndsey Mitchell, she/her, Ethnic Studies
Tanvi Gehani, She/her/hers, Biomedical Engineering
Megan Miyake, She/her, Alumna
Amman Asfaw , he/him, NSBE, BSU, Electrical Engineering
Brian Kragh, he/him/his, Political Science
Sara Entezarmahdi, She/her/hers, College of Liberal Arts
Ashlee Hernandez , She/Hers, Safer
Kendrick Dlima, he/him, Aerospace Engineering Alumnus
Jillian McLenithan , Her/she,
Shraddha Santhosh, she/her/hers , CAED
Lakshmanan Muthukaruppan, he/him/his, Mechanical engineering
Mishka Banuri, she/they, Community member
Eve Hedges, She/her/hers, Agricultural business
Andrea Leal, She/Her, Civil Engineering
Inderpreet Singh, (he/him), Community Member
Amanda Lee, She/her/hers, OCOB
Madeline Wales, she/her/hers, Peer Leader at the Center for Leadership
Isabelle Estrada, she/her/hers, Mathematics
Karina Chiu, she/her/hers, Ethnic Studies
Garrett gonzalez brisbane, They them, Student
Katie Rose, they/she, Sociology Major
Jordan Chiang, he/him or they/them, Landscape Architecture, CAED
Grace Yeh, She/her/hers, Ethnic Studies Department
Ashlianne Sharma, She/her, CENG, Aerospace Engineering
Declan Galli, (He/Him), Sunrise San Luis Obispo
Athena Cole, She/her/hers, Comparative Ethnic Studies
Shefali Venkatramani, she/hers, Marine Science
Alisha Sinha, she/her, OCOB
Ami Mehta, she/they, Architecture Department
Sujata Chowdhury , she/her/hers, OCOB
Tulika Mohanti, She/hers, ASCI and WGS
Yasasvi Yadlapati , he/him/his, Architecture
Sruti Tata, She/ her/ hers, OCOB
Lizbeth Guzmán Villanueva , She/her/hers, IME Dept.
Akanksha Maddi, She/her, CENG
Siddhi Upadhyaya, She/her/hers, CENG
Manasa S, she/her,
Asmita Sharma , She/her, Computer Science Major
Shannon Kaur Purewal, she/her, Student
Julia Galvan, She/Her/Hers, History & Ethnic Studies Cal Poly Graduate
Racheal Matheny, She/her/hers, Environmental Management and Protection
Gita Kolluru, she/her/hers, Biological Sciences Department
Elizabeth Adan, she/hers, Chair, Women's, Gender, & Queer Studies
Brenda Helmbrecht, she, her hers, English Professor (Rhetoric and Writing)
Immanuel Williams , He, His,  Him, Statistics
Camille O'Bryant, she, her, hers, College of Science and Mathematics, faculty
Ahmed Deif, He/Him, ITP - OCOB
Jason Peters, he/him/his, English
Erin Pearse , He/him, Mathematics
Julee Bauer, She/her/hers, School of Education
Lizabeth Thompson, she/her/hers, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
Velanche Stewart, He/him, CLA,,Journalism Department
Dianne DeTurris, she/her/hers, Aerospace Engineering
Kat Gillen, she/her/hers, Physics Department
Jane Lehr, she/hers, Ethnic Studies; Women's, Gender & Queer Studies
Bree Hugins, she/her/hers, Food Science and Nutrition
Michael Haskell, he/him/his, Information Technology Services
Kristina Wong, she/her/hers, School of Education
Brittany Blunk, she/her, School of Education
Roberta Richey-Hamilton, , Admissions
Jennifer MacMartin, she/hers, Safer
Sara Wilson, she/her, Safer
Cat Placencia, she, University Housing
David Mitchell, he/him/his, Physics & Liberal Studies
Charlotte Rinaldi, she/her, University Advising
Elizabeth Thomas, she/her, Center for Leadership
Lola Berber-Jimenez, She/hers, Liberal Studies
Tiffany Kwapnoski, she/her/hers, Universtiy Advising - Retention
Jafra Thomas, He/Him, Dpt. Kinesiology & Public Health
Candy Janiam, she/her/hers, ESS
Laura Rios, she/her, Physics
Stamatis Vokos, He/him/his, Physics and CESAME
Jennifer Klay, she/her, Physics
Aiden Dillon, he/him/his, Physics
Michelle Maksoudian, , Physics Department
Mara Niesyt, she/hers, Physics
Ethan Cruse, He/Him/His, Physics student
Vardha N. Bennert, she/hers, Physics
Fereshteh Bunk, She/they, Physics
Matt Beekman, he/hiim/his, Physics Department (Faculty)
Vanessa Aguilar, She/her/hers, Student
Chance Hoellwarth, he/him/his, Physics Department and CESAME
Zoe, she/her/hers, Physics
Michael Pilgrim, He/him/his, Physics
Gillian Cutshaw, she/hers, Safer
Xochitl Ryan, She/her/hers, Physics
Edgar Aguilon Reyes, He, Him, Physics
Lisa Swartz, she/her, Physics
Rajvi Ranka, She/her/hers, CENG
Ally Lai, She/her, CENG
Ariana Reynoso, She/her/hers, Ethnic Studies
Julie Dolengewicz, (she/her), Grants Development
Ananya Patil, she/her/hers, Computer Science, CENG
Chau Nguyen, she/her, CLA
Melissa Cardenas-Dow, she/her/siya, Social Sciences Librarian, Sacramento State University
Andrea Terry, She/her, Communication Studies Alumna