Biology Department Race Equity Team
The mission of the Biology Race Equity Team is to evaluate departmental culture and practices to identify and eliminate structural racism that impedes the success and sense of belonging of BIPOC students, staff, and faculty. Our goal is for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) individuals to feel safe, welcome and supported in the Biology Department, to be able to work and develop to their fullest academic and professional potential.
The work of the Race Equity Team includes initiatives at the personal, interpersonal and collective level, including the following action items:
- Weekly meetings to discuss readings, ongoing work, and future plans. We invite student participation in these conversations—please email [email protected] for more information.
- Participating in a workshop on inclusive mentorship practices led by Dr. Carmen McCallum and Dr. Julie Libarkin.
- Re-evaluating curriculum design to promote engagement and retention of BIPOC students through our Intro Bio sequence (“Fix the leaky pipe, not the water within it.”).
- Improving transparency and equity in providing students with undergraduate research experiences.
- Converting our advising practices to a proactive model wherein students are assigned to faculty mentors specific to their areas of interest.
- Revising our hiring practices to selectively recruit faculty with strong commitment to equitable teaching, research, and mentorship practices.