Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Assessment at SAFS
After more than a year of research, planning, and advocacy by grad students, staff, and postdocs, SAFS completed its first-ever DEI Assessment (or “Equity Audit”) in autumn quarter 2021. SAFS contracted with WhitworthKee Consulting, who held focus groups and developed a survey instrument to assess the School’s climate and opportunities for growth. The final report, presented in November 2021, recommends a number of strategies to better align our actions with our ideals, including:
- expanding intentional recruitment practices, • increasing access to trainings and professional development,
- clarifying processes and procedures within the School, especially around safety and bias reporting,
- engaging in ongoing review of SAFS policies and practices to identify where bias and discrimination are being (or could be) perpetuated, and
- revising those policies and practices to make them more equitable.
In the months since the report was released, the SAFS Equity and Inclusion Committee has been holding spaces for discussions of the Equity Audit findings and recommendations. These have been opportunities for community members in similar roles or with shared identities to engage in open and honest communication, share thoughts and feelings, ask questions, and suggest ideas for future actions SAFS can take to advance DEI. Already, three areas for growth have emerged as priorities: improving communication, building community, and enhancing consistency across the School. Communication, community, and consistency are deeply interconnected, and how well or poorly we engage in them affects everyone at SAFS, regardless of identity or access to institutional power.
It is critical to understand that members of our community who have less institutional power and/or belong to groups that are systemically underrepresented in STEM are most negatively impacted by problematic dynamics. As we continue the work to advance equity at SAFS, beginning with necessary updates to our DEI Strategic Plan, we commit to centering our work on supporting and uplifting the members of our community with the least privilege and power. This is the way to create the greatest impact both for individuals and for the School as a whole.
Aquatic Sciences Affinity Groups
For some time, members of SAFS have wanted to build stronger connections with peers who share their social identities. Given the demographic realities of SAFS, UW, and environmental science fields, it is important to hold protective spaces that center the voices, perspectives, and experiences of people from groups that are underrepresented in these institutions. To support that, we are now running two affinity groups centering people of color (POC) and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or sometimes questioning), intersex, asexual, and two-spirit (LGBTQIA2+) folks.
The POC Affinity group is a space that focuses on Black folks, Indigenous folks, and other folks who identify as or are affiliated with people of color, building relationships and offering mutual support. The Queer and Trans Affinity Group works to increase visibility of LGBTQIA2+ individuals and identities in environmental science fields through educational events and offers a space to build relationships. Both groups are open to students, postdocs, faculty, and staff in any aquatic science field.
New Opportunities for DEI Learning
During autumn quarter, the SAFS DEI book club returned in a new format as the SAFS DEI Learning Group, which meets every other week. Members of the group read articles, watch videos and short documentaries, and listen to podcasts that serve as springboards for discussion during the group meetings. Past “readings” have included “Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture” by Tema Okun; the short documentary, “No Time to Waste;” and podcast episodes about housing segregation from Code Switch and 99% Invisible. The group also decides on a book to read each quarter, and this winter, members are reading “An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States” by Rozanne Dunbar-Ortiz. The DEI Learning Group is open to everyone in SAFS, regardless of existing knowledge and familiarity with DEI concepts; all participants need is the desire to learn and engage in respectful discussion. Discussions are informal and are focused on personal growth and reflection.
New DEIJ Award
In 2021, SAFS established the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) and Community Service Recognition Award, which recognizes significant contributions of members of SAFS towards advancing a climate for excellence in community service, academic endeavor, teaching, and research. To date, the following SAFS members have received the award: Staci Amburgey; Ashley Townes; the team of Jenny Gardner, Kristin Privitera-Johnson, and Yaamini Venkataraman; Natalie Lowell (honorable mention); Jennifer Gosselin; and Eleni Petrou. SAFS is honored to have so many members of our community dedicated to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. This award is supported by the SAFS community and our friends through donations to the “SAFS Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice and Community Service Recognition Award.”