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Mission

Science Access, iNclusion & Diversity

The committee members of Science Access, iNclusion and Diversity (SAND) meet every week. We discuss, plan and implement important social justice issues within our department and the scientific community.

SAND looks to campus leaders in social justice for resources and perspectives when planning training and BMB Community Town Hall meetings. The Town Hall meetings allow all members of our department to voice their opinions and concerns.

Action Plan

SAND has developed a survey comment card for BMB community members to share their experiences and thoughts. Our goals include identifying our biases and learning more about ways we can improve equity and inclusion for all.

SAND will be developing DEI goals for the department with the information collected.

SAND's Action Plan Includes

  • Research, organize and implement an effective forum for discussion and idea exchange to help us strengthen existing DEI efforts
  • Review our current hiring practices and seek input at the institutional level on how to strengthen them
  • Gather information on candidate evaluation and develop search committee and faculty training (awareness and implementation)
  • Organize and conduct a sensitivity awareness training for faculty members

Highlights of Recent Meetings

Meetings give us the chance to review what's working and what's not. We're able to effectively change and grow as a community and organization as a result. We work together to meet the DEI goals of SAND.

Highlights from Recent Meetings

  • The new BMB website features information on goals, status updates, training and resources.
  • SAND is now a standing committee of the Department of Biology and Marine Biology.
  • SAND is taking an active role in working with search and hiring committees in BMB to:
    • Improve and clarify instructions to applicants regarding the diversity statement
    • Emphasize the importance of the diversity statement
    • Encourage committees to keep search criteria broad
    • Increase the reach and breadth of searches to include more diverse groups and job boards
    • Provide guidance and training to committees on the evaluation of diversity statements
  • SAND is to set goals for increasing graduate student diversity through production and wide distribution of graduate student recruiting materials. This is a joint effort with the Advancement Committee.
  • SAND is working to provide diversity training on implicit biases to BMB by the end of the fall semester
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