At its regular meeting on 25 March 2016, the University Academic Senate (UAS) unanimously passed a motion to create a new standing committee of UAS for inclusion, equity and social justice in order to promote and facilitate faculty involvement in support of a healthy and equitable campus climate. The provost accepted this recommendation in April 2016, and the Equity and Inclusion Committee (EIC) was born. The Equity and Inclusion Task Force (EITF) was subsequently commissioned by the UAS in September 2016 as an interim measure until the EIC could elect its inaugural members in January 2017 to begin work in Fall 2017.

There were four charges of the EITF:

1. make recommendations for including a non-binary option on all university forms; 
2. plan the fourth annual Teach-in in January 2017; 
3. work with Action Teams to recommend classroom policies; 
4. consider other ways to prepare for the EIC to begin its work in Fall 2017.

All four charges were addressed, and the EITF issued its report to UAS in April 2017 and then handed the reins over to the EIC, as originally planned.