JMM -JEDI - Where does JEDI show up in your Work and Takeaways by Aris Winger

Hiring

2024-01-05 23:01:34 UTC

A black woman is interviewed for an open position, but a member of the hiring committee expresses concern that she would not “fit” in the departmental culture. What do you do?

Gap-Gazing Tensions

2024-01-05 23:02:07 UTC

A colleague comes to you to ask for advice about the “gap-gazing” tension. We know that implicit biases inform how we treat students. We also get bombarded with departmental data showing that black and brown students (especially women) get lower grades and drop out of math courses at higher rates than white men. How can a faculty member use those data and not let it negatively add to their implicit biases?

Conference discussion

2024-01-06 14:40:01 UTC

A minority female postdoc you meet at a conference is having trouble communicating with her research mentor. Mathematical discussions seem good but life discussions are harder. For example The issue mentioned to you is about trouble the postdoc was having with expensive travel to a conference. You know another postdoc (white, female) that had a great experience with this mentor but you don’t know the mentor. What should you do?

Extra committees assignments

2024-01-06 15:44:24 UTC

Laura is a Hispanic junior faculty. Every year she is assigned to three different committees while other senior faculty members are assigned to only one or two committees. Laura is stressful and is having health issues. She expresses this concern to you. What do you do?

First-generation college students

2024-01-06 16:15:30 UTC

A colleague says that they're not sure that the first-generation college students are prepared well enough for college.

Doesn't have that certain "something"

2024-01-06 16:25:58 UTC

The all-male faculty committee assesses rising second-year graduate students, and passes one of the five women, one of four non-white students and three of the five men. Two of the four women who did not pass had higher scores than two of the men who passed, as did two of the three non-white students. When asked about this by a graduate student, the chair of the committee replied "they just didn't have that certain something necessary for success at this level".

There's no point

2024-01-06 16:36:39 UTC

A white male student, another faculty member's advisee, says to you that his advisor told him that there was no point in applying for an REU since "they pretty much only take minorities and women nowadays".

Gender diversity

2024-01-06 17:09:54 UTC

A small group of students advocates for the use of "trans" and "cis". This area of diversity is a new topic for most people across the institution. The group of advocates grows. There are quiet allies. There are grumbly grumblers. And a very vocal reactive group begins to emerge.

Student Push-back

2024-01-06 17:17:12 UTC

A white woman included a statement of belonging on the syllabus and on the first day discussed how everyone brings different experiences to the course and we should listen and respect everyone.

A white male student pushed back on this, claiming that the professor hates white men. This student went to conservative media and doxxed the professor.

How do I create an inclusive environment with advisees from different backgrounds? The older I get, the bigger disconnect I see between myself and 17-21 year olds.

2024-01-06 17:29:45 UTC

Impact of DEI in Health

2024-01-06 17:44:07 UTC

Not recognizing that DEI issues also greatly affect health outcomes (health disparities).

Choosing an advisor

2024-01-06 17:45:03 UTC

Students might not want to work with a professor on research because of who they are (and how they look), even if the research interests are aligned.

2024-01-06 18:34:08 UTC

A group of Puerto Rican students attended an important conference in mathematical and statistical sciences with DEI emphasis in the state of Arizona. When these students arrived at the hotel where the conference was going to be held, the front desk people did not want to accept the students’ ID from Puerto Rico because they felt it was not a valid identification. The front desk ignored the students and did not allow them to do the check-in until a “valid” identification was provided. If you are the person in charge of organizing the conference and the one who contacted the hotel for this purpose (conference), what would you do to solve the issue?

Be positive

2024-01-06 18:48:15 UTC

don't say "obviously"

ariswinger — 2024-01-06 18:48:28 UTC

Having the uncomfortable conversations is important

2024-01-06 18:48:29 UTC

Find a community

2024-01-06 18:48:45 UTC

Push back on student bashing

2024-01-06 18:48:56 UTC

2024-01-06 18:49:02 UTC

Be authentic

hear all voices

ariswinger — 2024-01-06 18:49:11 UTC

acknowledgement

ariswinger — 2024-01-06 18:49:23 UTC

Listen more, Talk less

2024-01-06 18:49:32 UTC

Feel free to speak up in difficult situation

2024-01-06 18:49:37 UTC

Push back lovingly

2024-01-06 18:50:00 UTC

Support and help others empower themselves.

2024-01-06 18:50:11 UTC

Be comfortable that outcomes may not be anywhere close to ideal

2024-01-06 18:50:23 UTC

know your sphere of influence

ariswinger — 2024-01-06 18:50:27 UTC

There are no villains

2024-01-06 18:50:34 UTC

Sandwich method with students

2024-01-06 18:51:07 UTC

Start positive, give constructive feedback end positive

students can be addressed using their preferred names and pronouns

ariswinger — 2024-01-06 18:51:18 UTC

showing vulnerability is a strength

ariswinger — 2024-01-06 18:51:43 UTC

Being able to recognize our own biases and being objective

2024-01-06 18:51:46 UTC

Share some experience to make student feel me is also a human

2024-01-06 18:51:49 UTC

mistakes are sites of learning

ariswinger — 2024-01-06 18:51:52 UTC

What if your state / administration does not support DEI?

2024-01-06 18:51:56 UTC

What leverage / tools are available?

How can I incorporate these ideas into PD at my school?

2024-01-06 18:52:28 UTC

How to get support from other faculty to improve DEI

2024-01-06 18:52:32 UTC

2024-01-06 18:52:46 UTC

My goal this spring is to retain more students in my calculus class. Last fall was brutal. I felt like I was leaving some students in the dust. I tried reaching out to them individually, inviting them to student hours (aka office hours) and the tutoring center, but they declined and said they didn’t have time or would get back to me later (but never did). Too many of my students—predominantly students of color— dropped my class right before the drop deadline. I felt like a failure. I’m trying to figure out what I can do differently—and sooner—this time around.

how to measure if I am being successfully helpful in advocating?

2024-01-06 18:52:47 UTC

The reason African mathematicians are hard to be productive.

2024-01-06 18:53:08 UTC

Systemic problems that are too big to wrestle

2024-01-06 18:56:48 UTC

Research culture and a de facto environment of exclusion

Disparities in quality of schools that students are coming from, bringing gaps.

Start the conversation NOW

2024-01-06 18:58:29 UTC

Warm up the faculty to these issues and talk about who might be points of contact if or when situations arise.