Our department strives to be an inclusive environment where everyone feels safe, valued, listened to, respected, and treated fairly. Behaviors of individuals can impact the climate of the department and one of the first steps to help with this issue is to foster an understanding of these behaviors and to address them. One strategy to address these issues is to establish clear expectations with students, faculty and staff, which can avoid misunderstandings and conflict. This can be done at the department level or within individual labs through things like codes of conduct or group expectation documents. Below are some examples of how to address issues related to power dynamics, microaggressions, privilege and intersectionality: Related Resources Without inclusion, diversity initiatives may not be enough by Puritty et al 2017. URM scientists need to feel included and need to be able to embrace their own identities. This can be accomplished through an institutional culture of inclusion aimed at equity and social justice, through respect and valuation of diverse backgrounds, and through opportunities for students to pursue work that addresses concerns within science and society and engages with our communities Silence is never neutral; neither is science by 500 Women Scientists Leadership 2020. Ignoring science’s legacy of racism and culture shaped by white supremacy doesn’t make scientists ‘objective’. It makes them complicit Microaggressions in the classroom directed by Carla LynDale Carter and produced by Dr. Yolanda Flores Niemann. A 20 min video on how microaggressions are harmful towards making people feel included. Most people who commit microaggressions are unaware and think of themselves as well-intentioned, non-racist, non-sexist people, and do not realize the underlying messages communicated by their actions and language to others. Creating inclusive workplace climates by ADVANCEGeo. Understanding social inequities present in our scientific and work communities and our society as a whole. Addresses issues relating to power dynamics, intersectionality, and privilege. A culture change is required to transform current workplaces into equitable and inclusive spaces NIH’s Scientific Approach to Inclusive Excellence. Live recorded lecture. Gewin, V. "What does it take to make an institution more diverse?" Six researchers provide insight into improving representation at their institutions Applying an intersectionality lens to expand equity in the geosciences by Anna Marie-Nunez et.al. 2020. In this piece, the authors examine how intersectionality can be employed conceptually and practically to broaden participation in geosciences, particularly among underrepresented groups such as women of color or others with multiple marginalized statuses.
