The Rector and University Council initiated the establishment of the Provost of Inclusion and Belonging of University of São Paulo (USP) in 2022. Creation of the Office allowed the University to provide an institutional and political space for organising different aid programs. Provost of Inclusion and Belonging supports persons with disabilities, low-income students, first generation students, students/staff with refugee or migrant backgrounds, LGBTQ students/staff, staff/students of colour, women and indigenous peoples. These equity groups were identified through national plan/legislation, the University’s internal policies, based on relevant academic and policy research, proposed by students, and suggested by community, citizens, and other external stakeholders. USP has quota policies for black, brown and public school students. Office for the Management of Academic Performance Indicators – Institutional Research Office (EGIDA) data indicate that, in 2015, there were 77.4% active white students and 15.6% black and brown students. In 2022, the number of black and brown students rose to 22.6% , indicating that the vacancy reservation policies in that period had concrete effects.

In the first year of its functioning the office organised five noteworthy initiatives: 

1. PAPFE Reformulation: The university streamlined the Program for Support of Student Retention and Training (PAPFE) to enhance student assistance. Previously, aid categories were separate, causing management challenges. Now, starting in 2023, students receive unified aid, with grants of R$ 800 plus restaurant access for non-housing students and R$ 300 plus restaurant access for housing students. Aid duration aligns with course duration, eliminating meal assistance. Scholarships are introduced for enhanced academic training, ensuring socioeconomically vulnerable students can invest in their development.
2. Heteroidentification Committee: USP established the Heteroidentification Committee to oversee self-declaration verification for affirmative action quotas, ensuring fairness. Comprising faculty, staff, and students with expertise in racial equality, the committee employs phenotypic criteria to verify candidates’ eligibility for reserved quotas for Black and Brown individuals. This addresses concerns of alleged fraud in self-declarations and brings stability to the quota policy.
3. Mental Health and ECOS Program: USP is building a comprehensive mental health network for its community, fostering well-being through integrated policies and practices. This includes an intersectional approach to address vulnerabilities, transform institutional culture, and provide transcultural support. The ECOS Program offers in-person assistance, coordinating mental health resources across campuses and engaging diverse communities to promote mental health.
4. CRUSP Requalification Plan: The University addresses challenges in transforming the University of São Paulo’s Residential Complex (CRUSP) into student housing. The Office of Inclusion and Belonging ensures ongoing maintenance, conflict resolution, and participation in revising housing regulations to create a peaceful environment for students and extend retention policies.
5. Campus Life Survey: A comprehensive survey conducted by the Office of Inclusion and Belonging gathered insights from all university segments (students, staff, faculty) to understand and enhance inclusion and belonging. The survey’s results will inform policies and proposals for a more inclusive university environment, fostering greater participation and engagement.

These were the five actions USP chose to highlight in the first year of operation of the Office of Inclusion and Belonging. It might be worth mentioning the organisation of the first USP Black Consciousness Week in November 2022 and the launch of the call for three postdoctoral scholarships for Black female researchers, which will be expanded to include Black male researchers and will offer 50 scholarships in 2023. The establishment of the Office of Inclusion and Belonging has brought about a profound and important political change for the University of São Paulo, making it more diverse, accessible, respectful of human rights, and inclusive. With the consolidation and expansion of Office policies, members of the university community will increasingly feel a sense of belonging to the University of São Paulo in the coming years.

The creation of the Provost of Inclusion and Belonging in 2022 was a way for the University to provide an institutional and political space to address the demands that accompany inclusion policies and the university as a whole in the early 21st century: mental health, promotion of human rights, coexistence conflicts, and assistance programs. Due to a very demanding test called “vestibular”, access to public universities in Brazil is very limited and difficult. In public schools there exists exclusion by both class and race. For these reasons USP came up with strategies to increase diversity in its community, especially among undergraduate students.The Social Inclusion Program (Inclusp) launched in 2006 aimed to increase public school students’ presence. Quota policies were introduced in 2017, with 30% of exam-approved students from public schools by 2009. These decisions transformed student demographics, as indicated by EGIDA data: active white students decreased from 77.4% (2015) to 15.6% (2022), while black and brown students increased to 22.6%. The Provost of Inclusion and Belonging was established in 2022, centralizing efforts and improving support systems, merging aid programs, and facilitating identification of those in need. Alongside quotas, financial aid became crucial in USP’s diversity policy, overcoming economic barriers. The university’s tuition-free nature is vital, and additional financial aid ensures economically disadvantaged students can thrive, providing R$ 800.00 monthly support for their education in 2023. Provost of Inclusion and Belonging doesn’t only propose policies solely for students: the goal is to formulate policies for the entire university. Thus, issues related to expanding research topics, mental health for the entire community (students, faculty, staff), promotion of human rights in university interactions – all of them are encompassed within the office’s policy formulation competencies. Provost considers equality and diversity in a broader sense and for the entire university community.

A federal law that regards reserved seats is applied to federal Universities, while USP is a state University and therefore this law doesn’t apply to it. Diversity, inclusion, and equality are explicitly mentioned in strategies, policies, and work plans of USP and Provost for Inclusion and Belonging.

The Provost of Inclusion and Belonging (PRIP) is structured into five areas that work in a coordinated manner. They are: Campus Life, Diversities, Mental Health and Social Well-being, Human Rights including policies of reparation, memory and justice education as well as Professional Life. The Pro-Rectorate of Inclusion and Belonging was created together with a council – a collegiate body, – that makes the most important political decisions. The Council of Inclusion and Belonging (CoIP) is one of the Central Councils of USP. It is responsible, within the framework of superior regulations, for establishing guidelines and striving for excellence in carrying out inclusion, retention, and belonging activities based on diversity and equity. Furthermore, it must continuously promote and respect human rights based on the activities developed by the University of São Paulo. The Council of Inclusion and Belonging is also responsible for establishing guidelines, within the scope of USP, for actions related to: a) gender and ethnic-racial equality; b) inclusion of people with disabilities; c) ensuring mental health for the USP community; d) promoting respect for human rights in university daily life; e) providing sports activities for the USP community; f) granting aids and scholarships related to student retention; g) policies related to student housing, daycare centres, and university restaurants; and the campus prefectures in the interior must follow the guidelines defined by CoIP in managing these facilities. The Council also has the authority to provide opinions on the creation, transformation, and termination of services in the area of Inclusion and Belonging, as well as to define procedures, ensuring the right to be heard and the right to a fair defence, for investigating possible fraud in the university’s inclusion policies. The office is not part of any networks.

The main challenge at this moment, after one year of the creation of the Provost of Inclusion and Belonging, is to consolidate itself institutionally, establish connections and joint actions with other departments of the university, present itself to external institutions, and overcome internal resistance to change. There is a federal tax reform planned for 2023 in Brazil, which could potentially change the funding of the office. However, in general terms, Provost of Inclusion and Belonging budget is relatively stable. The budget is based on the University of São Paulo budget, which is funded by the state of São Paulo. It consists of public funds derived from taxes.

The office has a formal evaluation process. The indicators are currently being developed. Here are some data on beneficiaries of the assistance program: Profile of students benefiting from the PAPFE in 2023: https://public.flourish.studio/story/1947996/