EDI Involvement

Community engagement (educational and research partnerships with community members and/or with non-profit organizations that serve local, national, and international public interests) can advance EDI-related objectives and attract students from traditionally underrepresented groups to the field. In addition, community engagement allows for underrepresented and marginalized voices in the community to be acknowledged, valued, and prioritized in education and research. Because community initiatives often emphasize social change and justice, engagement with community can support anti-racist goals. Although community engagement is widely considered to be an asset for academic units, it necessitates an ethic of care, an ethic of responsibility, and a host of cultural, practical, and research competencies. This working group investigated incentives and funding opportunities for community engagement in teaching and research. The group will present the results to the department and explore next steps in the current academic year, based on department feedback. (Inclusion 19, 20, 21)

This working group consists of trained graduate student (and occasionally, undergraduate student) consultants who are available to support department members on EDI-related goals. In previous academic years, for example, the consultants focused on offering a syllabus review to any faculty or graduate students teaching a course. The syllabus review involves 1:1 meetings where the consultant can offer suggestions about diversifying the reading list, EDI-friendlier course policies, land acknowledgements, and syllabus language. The consultants are available to support other, individualized, EDI-related goals that department members or areas may have, such as reviewing the graduate curriculum, creating a more inclusive lab environment, developing a more equitable system of selecting undergraduate research assistants, or using non-biased language in recommendation letters, as examples. (Inclusion 4, 10, 11)

The focus of this working group is on supporting EDI-related learning and conversations between department members about this content. This working group has arranged lunch and learn workshops (sometimes involving external speakers and other times involving internal facilitators), as well as a book club, about EDI-related topics. It has also sponsored affinity groups within the department such as PrideMind. Most events are open to all department members. A high priority is placed on encouraging attendees to dialogue with one another about the material and how they want to apply it. Sign up for the EDI Dialogue and Learning newsletter. (Inclusion 5, 7, 8)

This working group runs the Diversity Mentorship Program, which aims to prepare and mentor undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students from diverse, under-resourced, traditionally underrepresented, and/or marginalized backgrounds for graduate admissions in psychology. Mentees are paired with a graduate student mentor and participate in workshops, discussions, and coaching. This working group helps to design, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of this program each year. (Inclusion 17)

This working group is aimed at creating priorities and programs that provide financial support for graduate and undergraduate student research assistantships, in ways that support diverse students, including students who otherwise would not be able to have these research opportunities. This group created the Psychology Inclusive Excellence (PIE) Fund which is a new funding stream for these research assistantships. This working group has led fundraisers for the PIE Fund, and developed procedures for adjudicating graduate and undergraduate student awards. (Inclusion 15, 16, 22, 23, 24, 25)

The working group is helping the Department Search Committees to implement recommendations concerning the recruitment and selection of faculty members who advance our department’s EDI-related goals. Some efforts have involved getting the word out about our jobs more broadly, changing language in our job ad and interview procedures in ways that value our department commitment to EDI, suggesting interview procedures that are more equitable to candidates with diverse backgrounds, and contributing to procedures to adjudicate applicants that involve consideration of their EDI contribution as a part of the decision. (Hiring 1 through 16)

This working group amasses, develops, and distributes information about resources to support wellness and wellbeing for department members (faculty, staff, students). This includes resources about the options that department members have if they are experiencing an EDI-related complaint or concern. The working group aims to incorporate information about supports within the department, university, and broader community into the graduate student handbook and orientation, as well as post this information on our website. The group is also developing a system to be available to consult with department members about the various support options. (Progress Monitoring 4)

This working group oversees the EDI-related content and resources on our department website. This includes sourcing and updating information and resources to display on the website and Psychology Student Guide (On Canvas), as well as efforts to structure these platforms to make the information more accessible to user groups (prospective graduate students and faculty members, current interested department members, current undergraduate students, other departments looking for models, the general public). (Inclusion 6, 9, 14, 18)

This working group has the goal of evaluating and making recommendations for things like merit procedures, space allocation, and promotion and tenure for faculty, to align with departmental EDI goals. Another relevant task is evaluating and making recommendations for equity in resources related to graduate students, undergraduate students, and staff. This group administered a survey to assess department members’ views about inequitable areas in our department, in order to set priorities for the current academic year. (Progress Monitoring 3)

This working group completed a preliminary investigation of the feasibility and design of a new graduate minor in the Psychology of Diversity. The group’s research uncovered three potential options. In the current academic year, this working group will present the options to the department and potentially investigate further, based on department feedback. (Inclusion 13)