EEMB Diversity Equity & Inclusion

 Mission Statement

Dedicated to fostering an inclusive and equitable campus environment, our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee in EEMB at UCSB strives to cultivate a community where every individual is valued and respected. Committed to dismantling systemic barriers, we actively promote diversity in all its dimensions, including race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, religious affiliation, and socioeconomic background. Through collaborative initiatives, education, and continuous dialogue, we aim to create a departmental culture that celebrates diversity, embraces equity, and empowers all members to thrive in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and support.

 Strategic Action Plan

The Departmental Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is composed of five faculty (two Co-Chairs), one staff, two graduate students, and one ad hoc member. To promote equitable representation across core constituencies, faculty representatives will be comprised of one member of the POC committee, one member of the Graduate Affairs Committee, and one member of the Curriculum Committee. Committee members will serve for terms of two consecutive years and may not serve more than two consecutive terms. Four members will rotate off the committee, and four new members will be chosen each year. Three faculty members will be elected by a vote of the faculty, and two faculty members are appointed by the Department Chair. Staff and graduate student members are appointed by the Department Chair after the solicitation of nominations and/or volunteers from their core constituencies. The ad hoc member is appointed at the discretion of the Department Chair. Additional representation from EEMB constituents is welcome with flexible participation and short-term commitment to ensure individuals can participate in specific projects of interest and rotate out when desired. The Committee is expected to report on its activities to the Departmental faculty regularly. At least once a year, a town hall meeting will provide a forum to report progress from the DEI Committee and to offer EEMB members with an opportunity to share views and proposals for new projects or to improve existing ones.

History and Guidelines

History of the Committee:

The EEMB Department sought to address disparities in representation in the fields of ecology, evolution, and marine biology faced by persons due to, but not limited to, ethnicity, race, nationality, or sexual orientation and gender identity. These disparities were highlighted in the Letter to UCSB EEMB Faculty with Demands Toward Racial Equity (July 1, 2020) and the Black Graduate Students Letter to EEMB (June 30, 2020).

To improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in critical departmental functions EEMB organized three Working Groups, composed of a faculty Chair, at least two other faculty, students, and staff, committed to improving diversity, equity, and inclusivity in three areas of department policy and culture: 1) Recruitment, Retention and Accountability, 2) Curriculum, Teaching, and Research, and 3) Climate. Please see individual Working Group agenda for specific action plans in these areas. 

Our Guidelines:

Committee meetings 

• Require 3 faculty (including at least one committee co-chair) and 3 non-faculty committee members for quorum
• Are open to all departmental members quarterly to allow community input

This committee advances DEI goals

• By evaluating, providing feedback on, and voting to support initiatives brought forward by other EEMB committees or EEMB constituent groups
• By generating evidence-based proposed policies to advance equity and inclusion (which will be passed to the chair for vote for incorporation into EEMB bylaws when necessary)
• By working to advance priorities set forward by the EEMB community (and revised and prioritized at intervals with input from the full EEMB community)

The committee maintains

• Records of DEI initiatives and workflows for future committee members
• Regular (annual?) climate surveys of EEMB constituents
• Regular faculty feedback surveys

The committee is accountable to the department by

• Producing an annual report on committee activities