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. Moreover, 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. In the 2023-2024 academic year, this working group will investigate and establish incentives and funding opportunities for community engagement in teaching and research. (Inclusion 19, 20, 21)

This working group consists of trained graduate student consultants who are available to support department members on EDI-related goals. In the 2022-2023 academic year, the consultants are focusing 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. However, 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, 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. 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 is developing and fundraising to create a Psychology Inclusive Excellence (PIE) Fund which is a new funding stream for these research assistantships. Procedures for adjudicating graduate and undergraduate student awards are being developed. (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, 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 is establishing and implementing a regular annual assessment of our department’s progress on EDI goals. This group supports the other working groups in their goal setting for the year and promotes the transparency of these goals on our website. The working group also conducts an annual EDI climate survey in the department, writes an annual EDI report, and contributes to a yearly department-wide Town Hall about our department’s EDI goals and progress. (Progress Monitoring 1, 2)

This working group oversees the EDI-related content on our department website. This includes sourcing information and resources to display on the website and Student Guide, 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). This group has also contributed to a centralized Research Assistant (RA) application portal to allow students to see the list of labs that are currently recruiting and apply to them directly. (Inclusion 6, 9, 14, 18)

Formerly its own committee, this working group addresses issues of wellness and wellbeing for department members (faculty, staff, students). They are working on incorporating information about supports within the department and university into the graduate student handbook and orientation. In the 2022-2023 academic year, this group is also advising on department- and university-wide policies regarding procedures when allegations of sexual misconduct are made.

*Once established, this working group would evaluate and make recommendations for merit evaluation, space allocation, and promotion and tenure for faculty, to align with departmental EDI goals. (Progress Monitoring 3)

*Once established, this working group aims to develop a departmental process to receive and respond to reports of EDI-related concerns. Options will be explored with the involved parties such as offering support and active listening, connecting them to resources in the department and university, and mediation. (Progress Monitoring 4)

*Once established, this working group would investigate the feasibility and design of a new graduate minor in the Psychology of Diversity. (Inclusion 13)