Concerns and Challenges by Aris Winger

2024-01-15 18:11:26 UTC

There are so many people to talk to about so much cool stuff, and most of them are very kind and open

2024-01-15 18:11:30 UTC

There are professors here who every woman knows to avoid.

2024-01-15 18:11:42 UTC

meeting new people, talking about math with lots of people

2024-01-15 18:11:55 UTC

I've been treated well! Because I studiously avoid the professors who I know will treat me poorly.

2024-01-15 18:11:57 UTC

I love the large grad student presence. We kind of run the department and I think that’s really cool.

(Of course, there are down sides to that, but it can be a really valuable thing.)

2024-01-15 18:12:00 UTC

I appreciate that there are many people in this department with many interests, both mathematically and otherwise

2024-01-15 18:12:00 UTC

I enjoy the greater Berkeley community. I enjoy the volume of mathematicians around. I enjoy the flexibility of the department. I have several close relationships in the department that have been a big support to me.

2024-01-15 18:12:03 UTC

There are lots of things to do here and you can find someone who will want to do almost any activity with you!

There are so many interesting, different people here

2024-01-15 18:12:06 UTC

2024-01-15 18:12:22 UTC

I've found that not many of the faculty are very involved with the department. There seem to be a lot of people who never show up. The community doesn't seem very cohesive.

2024-01-15 18:12:30 UTC

Other grad students are awesome. Lots of cool math too!

2024-01-15 18:12:33 UTC

lots of different types of research

2024-01-15 18:12:36 UTC

As a professor, I feel I've been treated very well

2024-01-15 18:12:41 UTC

I often feel imposter syndrome. I don’t feel a deep sense of belonging

The department feels distant, even to me

2024-01-15 18:12:48 UTC

There are very few open doors in the halls; it's hard to connect with many faculty, professors don't come to teas much...

2024-01-15 18:12:49 UTC

Most faculty are extremely absent and it puts all of the department labor on just a few.

2024-01-15 18:12:51 UTC

I have had a difficult time academically. I have generally felt unsupported as a student and I think a lot of my time was misused because of bad or absent mentorship

2024-01-15 18:13:01 UTC

Well, but you have to self advocate pretty hard in order to get professors' attention.

2024-01-15 18:13:04 UTC

A lot of very interesting and enthusiastic students!

2024-01-15 18:13:08 UTC

learning different people's perspectives

2024-01-15 18:13:11 UTC

It feels as though students and faculty operate in different worlds. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of opportunity to see each other as members of the same field

Have a sense of community

2024-01-15 18:13:11 UTC

2024-01-15 18:13:13 UTC

An African American student had failed the prelim. A professor was asking another student to work with them. He asked the second student to "check her teeth" and try to help.

2024-01-15 18:13:26 UTC

I have overall been treated well. There have been some instances with other members of the department that have made me feel stressed or uncomfortable.

There are many different metrics among community members for what are "important" contributions and they can lead to intense conflict

2024-01-15 18:13:44 UTC

2024-01-15 18:13:57 UTC

Many faculty assume the worst of all students; there is very little benefit of the doubt granted during adversity. I should not have to disclose personal (sometimes medical) information to be respected for an unconventional path.

2024-01-15 18:14:02 UTC

I feel like I've been treated well. But I don't necessarily interact with many people.

2024-01-15 18:14:03 UTC

I was presently surprised with the grad student community here! I was kind of worried it would be...stuffy? maybe? But no there are a lot of good vibes here.

2024-01-15 18:14:05 UTC

I really like the idea of psychological safety and security. I wish that that was more of a priority in the department.

2024-01-15 18:14:07 UTC

I generally have felt ignored. When I have brought up concerns or problems, it's difficult to get a substantive response from a faculty member and almost never is a long-term solution offered

2024-01-15 18:14:21 UTC

After reporting a sexual harassment experience to a professor I trusted I was told not to say anything because it would be held against me.

2024-01-15 18:14:31 UTC

not knowing if my math knowledge is enough for me to be accepted and respected by faculty or sometimes other grad students

The dept will be in a new building within the next 5-10 years. The design of its space will be of critical social importance

2024-01-15 18:14:37 UTC

2024-01-15 18:14:57 UTC

I would like the faculty and administration to be more receptive to changes practices in response to problems identified by students

2024-01-15 18:14:59 UTC

I really enjoy how normalized it is here to discuss how to create a more inclusive and kind institution. There's tons of problems, but I feel like in berkeley I've seen more tools than in the other places I've lived/worked

2024-01-15 18:15:08 UTC

I wish people (mainly faculty) were more involved and more available. Almost nobody goes to colloquia or teas. Even the holiday party had almost no faculty.

Other departments seem much more engaged; this is really noticeable when I go give talks elsewhere.

2024-01-15 18:15:14 UTC

Resources are heavily gatekept. Students (undergrads and grads) have to continuously prove themselves before they have access to the resources to actually flourish. They say we should

come here for the resources but they don’t mention that we have to have an unhindered and completely conventional path in order to access them.

2024-01-15 18:15:18 UTC

as a student, I always want to be perfectly prepared before I meet the professor, which gives me lots of pressures.

2024-01-15 18:15:20 UTC

I think I’ve been treated well, but also it’s mainly been a battle of ignoring the imposter syndrome or brushing off instances where I’m not sure if they were being condescending or just neutral in their tone. I’ve also been the one always reaching out, which is fine but it can feel one-sided mentorship (but it means I also have control over the mentorship). I need to be proactive and that can be draining.

2024-01-15 18:15:21 UTC

That we need more active support and change. That our lived experiences are diverse and it brings value to the department and the broader math community.

2024-01-15 18:15:52 UTC

"Am I just a worthless scientist?" is a hell of a big challenge that loomed over me throughout my phd

2024-01-15 18:16:25 UTC

It’s a very “I’m going to assume this is wrong until I understand it” culture. It makes it difficult to feel comfortable throwing out half-baked ideas and greatly hinders problem solving. It’s extremely isolating.

2024-01-15 18:16:27 UTC

I struggled with being on the receiving end or seeing my peers be on the receiving end of 1) sexualized remarks or 2) silence around the need for better representation of URM

2024-01-15 18:16:35 UTC

Psychological safety

2024-01-15 18:16:40 UTC

Someone to reach out through more than just a Google form and say "hey, how are you doing?"

2024-01-15 18:16:41 UTC

I feel like people love to talk about community and DEI here, but little change actually happens. We all pat ourselves on the back because we “took the time” to talk about these things, as if it should not be a conversation happening at all times.

More bandwidth to be more personal in more situations

2024-01-15 18:16:46 UTC

Variably. I have found very accepting people

2024-01-15 18:16:59 UTC

I need professors here who are actively invested in my success. There are professors here who are very interested in their students' success (indeed, some are in this room right now!) but it feels that they are stretched thin because the other professors are not doing their share.

2024-01-15 18:17:07 UTC

I want the department to honor its commitment to its students. If there is a problem, there needs to be a change

2024-01-15 18:17:44 UTC

Fostering closer relationships between faculty and students, without the pressure of the power dynamic

2024-01-15 18:19:18 UTC

Faculty are unwilling to tell me they believe in me. I far too often get the vibe that if I don’t believe in myself about something, they just take my word for it. And moreover, faculty are unwilling to advocate for me.

2024-01-15 18:19:56 UTC

Many faculty are only willing to discuss their social justice beliefs behind closed doors. If you really care, why won’t you say it publicly? Why won’t you support me when I do?

2024-01-15 18:23:00 UTC

Sexually harassed by a stranger in seminar 🫠🫠 organizer has witnessed it. No one seems to be willing to help out in literally any way because he’s just ~some guy~ and not a member of the department.

Only other graduate students have offered support and help — not the organizer, not other present faculty.

2024-01-15 18:24:27 UTC

Very well by some faculty, very condescendingly by others. I have learned whom to avoid. However, I recognize that I am very outgoing and usually disarming. (And I’ve taught myself to feel comfortable knocking on doors and “bothering” people.) I think that if I wasn’t I would be having a much harder time connecting with any faculty at all.

2024-01-15 18:28:14 UTC

Mentoring is optional for the big shots. It makes it so that the faculty who are willing to mentor and do a good job at teaching are stretched far too thin. All faculty could be much more like John Conway if the majority of faculty were more willing to put in the slightest bit of effort to be a part of the community.

2024-01-15 18:37:43 UTC

A few years ago, an undergrad was sexually assaulted by a grad student. When she brought this to administration, they told her they could not guarantee that she would not be punished by the university because she was underage and drunk when it happened. So she never came forward. Said grad student has now graduated and is now bigshot at another school.

2024-01-15 18:38:26 UTC

We don’t need to give a platform to predators and transphobes and racists and misogynists. There are so many phenomenal researchers who are not those things. We will not lose our clout by having standards for behavior.

2024-01-15 18:41:24 UTC

Faculty to believe me.