MESSAGE FROM THE CBMG DEI COMMITTEE
Universities are by their nature international places. Scholarship crosses geographic boundaries, and healthy academic institutions foster the exchange of information and ideas across these boundaries. The University of Maryland is no exception, and has a broad diversity of students, faculty and staff, many of whom are international. World tensions are running high at the moment, with major armed conflicts underway in Myanmar, Sudan, Ukraine, and Israel/Palestine, to name just a few1. It is important to keep in mind that these conflicts are not just theoretical, and many members of our campus community have been directly, personally affected by one or more of them. It is perhaps surprising to realize that the current rate of conflict in the world is not particularly high by historical standards2. However, any armed conflict is one too many, and one out of every six people in the world is believed to have been exposed to conflict in 2023. If you or someone you care about is struggling, help is available via the Counseling Center or the Faculty Staff Assistance Center.
The U.S. Declaration of Independence reads, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness3.” Grammarians assure us that in this context “men” refers to all persons, although much effort and suffering has gone into testing that proposition and moving closer to making it reality. One correlate of the notion that we are all created equal and are endowed with rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is that, by tradition and by law, we do not hold people accountable for the actions of their peers. We should not indulge in guilt by association or collective punishment. However, feelings can run high when we perceive injustice, and it can take strength and courage to stay true to this ideal. This is the foundation of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI): it is not necessary to agree with others, or even to like them, but it is essential to listen to them, to treat them with respect, and to try to understand them. I am pleased to say that the one time recently that I have heard the University of Maryland specifically mentioned in news coverage of a major global conflict it was to describe when groups of protestors supporting opposite sides in the Israel-Hamas war stopped to talk, engaged in productive dialog, and ultimately came to understand each other a little better. That is an example of DEI in action at its best, and I am proud that our University was able to demonstrate it. No doubt we may also make mistakes, but I think it is worth pausing to celebrate a moment of comity.
The CBMG DEI committee would like to understand our Department’s collaborative activities both internationally and domestically. If you have an activity linking this institution to others that we should know about, please reach out to Sougata Roy, me, or any member of the committee and tell us about it!
1. https://acleddata.com/acled-conflict-index-mid-year-update/
2. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/deaths-in-state-based-conflicts-by-region
3.https://www.archives.gov/foundingdocs/declarationtranscript_ga=2.199923177.631541801.1701027648-767822586.1701027648
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)
