MESSAGE FROM THE CBMG DEI COMMITTEE
Welcome to the 2023-2024 academic year!
It was great to see so many people – both new and familiar – at the “Welcome Back” event last month (thank you to everyone who volunteered to help with that), and we are looking forward to a full calendar of DEI events this semester. First up will be a “Disability Fair”, which will gather together many different parts of the university that address disabilities and how to work with them in the university environment. Remember, everyone needs accommodations from time to time, and we all have a fundamental obligation to help others achieve their full potential. Consequently the Disability Fair will provide opportunities to learn about resources available on campus, both to receive accommodations and to learn how best to provide them to others. The Disability Fair will be open to Faculty, Staff, and Students alike, and I encourage everyone to attend. Whether or not you are able to attend, please consider watching the videos of the conference jointly sponsored by NSF and the National Academies on “Disrupting Ableism and Advancing STEML: Creating Disability-Inclusive Workforces and Workplaces”.
Later in the semester we will learn about and celebrate Dia de Los Muertos, have an LGBTQ+ happy hour, and I hope hold some seminars and workshops to learn more about issues important in DEI.
As you are probably aware, efforts to promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – DEI – have become politically controversial in some parts of the country, with some states going so far as to prohibit campus DEI activities. This is a new development; until recently there was broad support for DEI across the spectrum. What exactly does DEI mean? Diversity refers to having a range of different kinds of people within (in this case) the University community. Equity refers to everyone having equivalent opportunities. Inclusion refers to ensuring that everyone is included in the community. DEI is important because universities are all about knowledge and scholarship, and it has been well demonstrated that groups that are diverse, equitable, and inclusive are less likely to get trapped in “group think,” make better decisions, work more efficiently, and accomplish more. Another consideration is that we are a public university, and a substantial portion of our operating expenses come from public funds; it is our obligation to ensure that the benefits of university activities are available to all. So why then would anyone object to DEI? I will leave it to you to infer people’s motivations, but in some circles there is an impression that DEI activities advantage some people over others. Let me state unequivocally that to do so would be a fundamental distortion of the intent of DEI. The idea behind DEI is to ensure that everyone gets a fair opportunity to demonstrate their talents and contribute to our shared enterprise.
The Great Seal of the United States reads E Pluribus Unum, which in Latin means “out of many, one,” and refers to the concept that we are a diverse society joining together in common cause of freedom and equality. That includes people of every kind.
DEI is integral to our values system, and let us never forget that.
Charles Delwiche, Professor | Chair, CBMG DEI Committee
Current DEI Members: Charles Delwiche (Chair), Sougata Roy (TTK Faculty), Erin Tran (PTK Faculty, teaching focus), Errica Philpott (Staff & Ex Officio), Teresa Thompson (Staff)
