Working towards equity and inclusion is a community effort, and one that requires active participation and push for change. The Equity & Inclusion (E&I) Committee is at the helm of advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and justice initiatives at the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences (SAFS), and they have been working to make the School and community a more welcoming place. We caught up with undergraduate committee representative Juno O’Neill and graduate representatives Mark Sorel and Kimberly Yazzie.
Q: Describe your involvement in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts at SAFS.
Juno:
I’m the undergraduate representative in the E&I Committee. I have been working to hammer down on the resources that are available to undergraduate students. A lot of times as undergrads, it’s hard to find resources about research, internships, labs, etc. so I want to help compile resources for that so that it’s all in one place and easy to find.
Mark:
I’m a cisgendered, heterosexual white man who’s a 3rd year PhD, so that shaped how I show up in this space. The first thing I do is educate myself about DEI so I can show up in a positive way. I’m part of a lab so I do what I can to get our lab group talking about DEI and racism. As the grad student representative and co-secretary on the Committee, my main role is to be a conduit between the grad student body and the committee. I can raise issues from grad students up to the committee and also weigh in on statements the Committee puts out and on initiatives that the Committee is recommending or leading.
Kim:
I’m a grad student representative and co-secretary on the E&I Committee, which is composed of as many peer groups within SAFS as possible. Roles within the committee are self selected and there are opportunities to get involved in different projects and proposals that originate within the committee or that get shared with the committee to recommend for further action.
Q: Can you tell us about SAFS’ DEI strategy?
Juno:
The E&I committee acts as the mediator between SAFS administration and staff, faculty and students. We are trying to make SAFS a space where everyone feels included, and with that, provide resources for undergrad and graduate students, trainings for staff and faculty, and aid administration with gathering opinions from the rest of the SAFS community.
Mark:
The overarching goal is to increase recruitment and retention of folks who have been historically underrepresented or marginalized, and to have a work environment where people feel welcome, culturally fluent, interact across cultures and be aware and work in that capacity. Everything flows down from there. For example, we have been working on increasing effective communication between different parts of the school and between SAFS and the broader College of the Environment. The profile of DEI has been raised in school, and the E&I Committee has been elevated to an official School Committee, so every faculty meeting now has space in the agenda for the E&I committee to give a report. This has allowed for increased communication and space for E&I news to be reported to faculty. Students also can attend faculty meetings or read minutes afterwards.
Kim:
The Committee is really transparent and posts everything to the SAFS website to remind the community of the guiding goals and objectives in the collective work that the committee envisions. Community feedback can be submitted online anonymously, shared at open forums within the department, or discoursed through members of the committee via their peer groups. Some of the guiding objectives and goals include increasing recruitment and retention of historically underrepresented individuals, creating a culturally fluent and welcoming environment within SAFS, and to maximize student success.
Q: In your opinion, what are the 3 biggest “wins” within the past year?
Juno:
One major win is that we got approved for a lactation station in the Fisheries building. We also came together as a SAFS community to donate and buy meals for Tent City, and distributed those meals. Finally, I’m super excited that we have started a racial equity audit. We brought in an outside group, and they’ve distributed questions and formed interest groups.
Mark:
It’s been a heck of a year and I think it has mainly been a positive year for DEI due in large part to the Black Lives Matter Movement.
The first big win is the Bevan Lecture Series this last winter quarter, centered around DEI and its intersection with aquatic and fishery sciences and our School’s mission. This really raises the profile of these issues, and we all learned a lot and these experts also provided us with tools that can help us achieve our goals.
Secondly, the elevation of the E&I Committee to an official School Committee status has been a huge win. This ensures that it will not go away, and that equity and inclusion issues will be part of regular conversations at every faculty meeting.
Lastly, the commencement of the DEIJ (diversity, equity, inclusion and justice) and Community Service Award recognizes that this work is important to our community and our scholarship. This is awarded quarterly and recognizes folks who pour a huge amount of their resources who are excelling in that area. We have some superstars in our department, so it is nice to see them get recognized and rewarded.
Kim:
The creation of the diversity hiring tool, which is a rubric for hires in the School for things to consider when reviewing an application has been a huge win. Secondly, assisting with the development of the framework for a professional development program called INSTARS, which includes independent study modules with a DEIJ focus that provide opportunities for training, self and group reflections, public outreach, etc. This was started by individuals within SAFS, and the Committee helped push it forward. I also think the equity audit is a huge win — it was started by the greater community and really pushed by the grad students. I also want to add a fourth remarkable win: the hiring of our new Diversity Specialist, Michael Martinez, who has hit the ground running this quarter.
Q: What drew you to join the E&I Committee?
Juno:
I joined as a freshman, and my initial thought was that I wanted to get involved in SAFS. It’s hard to transition from high school to college. I felt like I might be isolated from the SAFS community, but it would help me get involved and help bring others in to also help them feel more included.
Mark:
I want to acknowledge the folks who have done this hard work and did it because they had to, because they were being discriminated against in this field. For me, personally, I feel lucky to do the work that I do a lot of the time, but a few things bother me about it.
For one, at certain levels the field is dominated by white males and there is discrimination against people with other identities. That makes me feel bad, and as a white male myself with some experience in the field, I have a little power and a lot of desire to change that.
The other thing is that a lot of environmental research is supported with public dollars. We research the management of natural resources that are public goods, and we research environmental issues that affect people’s lives. On top of that, what gets studied and how it gets studied is very dependent on who is leading the research, so it is totally counter-productive to have a group of leaders in the field that do not represent society. I think it is necessary to make space for perspectives that have not been elevated or have been suppressed in the past in order to really uphold the social contract between science institutions and society. So after working in the field for a while, I realized that it was part of my job to educate myself about DEIJ and start using my voice and privilege a little bit.
Kim:
I think it is so important to have diverse representation within committees and really across any unit in the academy. I thought it would be great to get involved to see how ideas and visionary goals for DEIJ come to fruition, are routed for action and how they are launched. There is a lot to be done within the academy around DEIJ work and sometimes we are just scratching the surface, considering institutional history and barriers that require time, patience and fortitude to address and overcome. It’s great to be part of a formal network to find ways to create a more welcoming atmosphere.
Q: Anything coming up that you’re excited about?
Juno:
Going back to the equity audit, I’m excited for it to get going and start a plan for how to start implementation within the community. I’m excited to get something drafted to make the community more inclusive and more aware of what’s going on.
Mark:
The external racial equity audit and our new Diversity Specialist, Michael Martinez. We have amazing scientists from all types of different backgrounds who are leading the field bravely into the future, and in some instances the School has a real opportunity to help them along in their careers. I’m excited to see these folks advance and how that will change the field for the better.
Kim:
I’m really excited about the equity audit and how this will provide a roadmap for ways in which the department will grow and so that people can identify actionable items to get involved with. Sometimes we get so knee deep in our research that we get lost in our work and our comforts that it will be good to be reminded of how we still need to grow as a community.
Q: How receptive has the School been to moving DEI initiatives forward?
Juno:
The School has been really great with it. SAFS Director André Punt has been really great in supporting DEI efforts and he has been really enthusiastic about it. He’s been putting a lot of time and resources into it.
Mark:
Really receptive! When someone puts a proposal forth, there is certainly scrutiny because change can be uncomfortable and people want to make sure that it’ll ultimately work. Almost everyone is totally committed and realizes that it’s in their best interest to promote DEI, but it can be a little unnerving when you’re trying to see if change can get in the way of your existing goals. I would like to see SAFS working in partnership with the College of the Environment more on big initiatives that create some really positive structural changes…I expect there will be opportunities for that in the coming year.
Kim:
I think the School, as a whole, supports DEI efforts. We’re all learning ways in which to equip ourselves with the tools and knowledge to be a better partner, ally and relative. The pandemic and the social unrest from this past year has really brought to light important issues around systemic racism for one, and conversations and action are being encouraged.
Q: Do you have any advice for people who want to make a difference but don’t know where to start?
Juno:
A lot of the biggest changes come from the people within SAFS. Anyone can email the E&I committee directly and talk about ideas, or Michael Martinez is always happy to sit down with you and take your concerns or comments to the committee and talk about implementation and support.
Mark:
I do think it is important to educate yourself. One of the most impactful things I did early on in grad school was attend a workshop hosted by the College of the Environment called Equity 101 and it was totally eye opening. Something like that can get you going but there are so many resources out there. I also want to stress the importance of community, and the ability to connect with other people who are doing this work. Attending that workshop series allowed me to make connections with staff and students in SAFS and that led me to apply to the E&I Committee. Since then, I’ve also realized that in times when it’s scary to step up, it’s nice to have people to talk to who are like minded. The grad student community at SAFS is amazing, and I feel that everyone should find a community of like-minded people who have similar interests and passions.
Kim:
One way is to find an affinity group within your department, College or greater University community, to branch out and connect to collectively plan for change. Connections to communities off-campus should not be overlooked. It always starts with conversation to web ideas and action, and so I suggest activities that foster this. Within SAFS there are a number of events and activities, workshops, book clubs, etc. to get involved. You can also propose ideas to the E&I committee!
Q: Do you have any parting thoughts?
Juno:
Diversity efforts are really hard to do and implement because it’s a “meet me halfway” situation, but I think that we’ve been really fortunate that a lot of people are willing to meet us halfway. The only way DEI efforts get done is when everyone wants to do it. I’ve been really grateful that SAFS has been so receptive to charge ahead.
Mark:
The College of the Environment and SAFS are both meant to serve you. If you can lend your voice or your financial resources to promote DEI, it will make a difference. To those who have been harmed by SAFS in the past or will be in the future, I am sorry. It is not fair and it isn’t right. I hope that we can change to do less harm and more help in the future, and that one day SAFS will be authentically yours.
Kim:
Supporting and working on DEI efforts can be overwhelming and exhausting. While collective action is important, individual action is key, too.
For more information, tools and resources or contact information, visit the SAFS DEI page. The College of the Environment DEI pages also contain useful resources on equity and inclusion.
