Equity and Inclusion in Action: JEDII STEM Series

Prior to each weekly session, you will receive a short reading or a video clip to orient you to the discussion topics for the session. Each session will begin with a 10–15-minute presentation introducing themes related to the topic as well as some facilitated interactive exercises. The remaining time will consist of an interactive panel discussion, structured break-out sessions, and opportunities for participants to bring specific challenges that they face in their units with respect to JEDII to the facilitators and participants in order to learn and share resources. The sessions will primarily be facilitated by:

• Ajay Puri, Equity & Inclusion Strategist, Equity & Inclusion Office
• Maï Yasué, Associate Director, Office of Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Faculty of Medicine
• Ashley Welsh, Interim Associate Director, Skylight (Science Centre for Learning and Teaching), Faculty of Science
• Derek Thompson – Thlaapkiituup, Indigenous Initiatives Advisor, Office of Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Faculty of Medicine

Using demographic data and frameworks to plan and evaluate JEDII initiatives

Panelists/Guest facilitators

• Paul Hancock, Legal Counsel, Information and Privacy, Office of the University Council
• Sahir Moosvi, Data Analyst, Equity & Inclusion Office
• Dr. Arig al Shaibah, Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion

Key questions addressed in this session:

• How and when should demographic data be used to support JEDII work?
• What is the status of the demographic data project?
• What is the Strategic Equity and Anti-racism (StEAR) framework?

Building reciprocal and respectful engagements with Indigenous communities and governments

Panelists/Guest facilitators

• Dr. Warren Cardinal-McTeague, Assistant Professor, Forestry
• Dana-Lyn Mackenzie, Senior Manager EDI and Indigeneity, Applied Science & Land and Food Systems
• Dr. Shandin Pete, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Science and Vantage College
• Dr. Jennifer Grenz, Assistant Professor, Forestry & Land and Food Systems
• Derek Thompson - Thlaapkiituup, Indigenous Initiatives Advisor, REDI, Medicine

Key question addressed in this session:

• What are some practices that foster respectful and reciprocal engagements with Indigenous communities and governments?

Creating supportive and restorative departmental processes for complaints, conflicts and concerns from equity-deserving groups

Panelists/Guest facilitators

• Shirley Nakata, Ombudsperson for Students, Office of the Ombudsperson for Students
• Elisabeth Giffin, Human Rights Advisor, Equity & Inclusion Office
• Dylan Robinson, Investigations Office Educator, Investigations Office
• Robyn Campol, Learning Environments Advisor, Office of Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Faculty of Medicine
• Alicia Oeser, Director, Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office
• Richard Price, Professor, Department of Political Science

Key questions addressed in this session:

• What are best practices to create learning and a sense of inclusion and belonging for when students, faculty and staff of equity deserving groups disclose harmful incidents?
• What are strategies that leaders, units and individuals can take to promote growth and learning after a complaint or conflict?
• How can departments, faculty and staff better support the work of centralized units such as the Human Rights Advising team, Investigations Office, or the Office of the Ombudsperson for Students?

Practicing inclusive and equitable faculty and staff performance reviews

Panelists/Guest facilitators

• Alexander Fisher, Chair of the Senior Appointments Committee; Professor, Early Music & Musicology, Renaissance and Baroque Studies
• Lael Parrott, Associate Dean for Faculty & Research, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science; Director, Okanagan Institute for Biodiversity, Resilience and Ecosystem Services
• Robert Karoly Szilagyi, Associate Professor and Department Head, Chemistry, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
• Michael Antunes, Workplace Accessibility Specialist, Centre for Workplace Accessibility
• Alexandria Baugh, Workplace Accessibility Specialist, Centre for Workplace Accessibility
• Hema Ratnasami, Special Projects Coordinator, School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science and Faculty of Medicine

Key questions addressed in this session:

• How do we build processes that cultivate a sense of belonging and inclusion during performance review for a diverse community?
• How do we build processes that minimize bias and inequities with performance review?
• How are we held accountable for JEDII work and demonstrating JEDII competencies within our roles?
• How can we build capacity to create support for people who are engaged in performance review, tenure and promotion and merit?

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Theme 1 - Supporting equity-deserving groups

The first theme will focus on actions that individuals or departments can immediately implement to help retain and support members from equity-deserving groups. Although we will center the experiences of people from equity-deserving groups in many of the discussions, allies and those from non-equity seeking groups are welcome and encouraged to attend - it is everyone’s responsibility to create a more just, equitable and inclusive university.

Recruiting, Retaining, and Supporting Leaders from Equity-Deserving Groups

How can we do more to support the path for equity-deserving groups into leadership roles in STEM at UBC? In this session we will explore the barriers that exist in the path to leadership including inequitable hiring and recruitment processes, lack of role models, and hostile work-place environments once equity-deserving groups enter leadership positions. Through a panel discussion format, we hope to explore strategies and practices that faculty, staff and leaders can do to support from above and below to recruit and retain leaders from equity-deserving groups.

Panelists/Guest Facilitators:

• Jason Murray, President and Founder of BIPOC Executive Search
• Ella Hipolito, Senior Associate from Boyden
• Naznin Virji-Babul, Senior Advisor to the Provost, Women and Gender-Diverse Faculty
• Karen Cheung, Director, Graduate Biomedical Engineering Program, Associate Director, School of Biomedical Engineering
• Maria Hubinette, Assistant Dean, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Faculty of Medicine

Key questions addressed in this session:

• What are key practices for units to attract and recruit leaders from equity-deserving groups?
• Once hired, what are key practices to support leaders from equity-deserving groups from below and from above?
• What types of structures and strategies help the “leadership-curious” faculty and staff members from equity-deserving groups to step into leadership roles?

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Orientation and onboarding to support equity-deserving students, faculty, and staff

How can we improve the orientation and onboarding of students, faculty and staff from equity-deserving groups in STEM at UBC? As UBC works towards successfully recruiting more folks from equity-deserving groups into our community, it becomes increasingly important for units to take a close examination of current onboarding and orientation practices. In this session we will have guests from various affinity groups and the Equity & Inclusion Office, as well as faculty and staff from STEM units that are revamping their onboarding processes, provide recommendations on information and practices that can successfully onboard people from equity-deserving groups. An effective onboarding process may help to build a greater sense of belonging within an institution, combat loneliness, and ensure that all available resources and supports are clearly communicated to everyone who joins UBC.

Panelists/Guest Facilitators:

• Alexandria Baugh, Workplace Accessibility Specialist, Human Resources
• Warren Code, Associate Director, Special Initiatives, Skylight
• Emma Davy, Science Education Specialist, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science
• Kasey Stirling, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, Faculty of Science

Key questions addressed in this session:

• What information is important to provide for the orientation and onboarding of students, faculty and staff from equity-deserving groups?
• What barriers to inclusion may exist in our current language, strategies and structures used in onboarding and orientation processes and how might we mediate them?

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Managing workload and burnout as a member of an equity-deserving group working in JEDII

The minority tax is real. Many people from equity-deserving groups engaging in JEDII may need to manage hostile environments, apathetic leaders, unrealistic work-loads and expectations. This can lead to cynicism, impatience and a sense of hopelessness in this work. Within this context, it is critical for equity-deserving groups to learn strategies that will help them remain motivated, share the burden and retain their passion for inclusion. In this session, we will create a space for people from equity-deserving groups to share tips and resources with each other on how to manage work-load and burnout when engaging in JEDII work.

In previous sessions we have discussed strategies to implement systems-level changes through job descriptions or performance review approaches; however, this session will focus more on simple tips and tricks that may help people thrive in their JEDII work within the current system. We hope to invite a group of panelists or guests who are engaged in this work and have some strategies that can help folks who are entering this work more recently.

Key questions addressed in this session:

• What is burnout within the context of JEDII work and what are the symptoms of burnout?
• What are practices big and small that people have implemented to support well-being and workload when engaging in JEDII work?

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Theme 2 - Deep dive into recruitment

Revising recruitment processes for faculty, staff and leaders is critical to building a work-force that can more equitably share the burden of operationalizing JEDII and ensure that there is a more diverse group of role models at UBC. Engaging in the recruitment process as a unit can help to surface critical conversations that help redefine the idea of “success” and “achievements” within the academy.

These three interactive sessions aim to help departments analyze and explore their current hiring practices, and to consider changes that can be made to their departmental processes. Prior to each session, it is important for participants to have some understanding of their unit’s existing practices.

Hiring and Recruitment - Early Stages of a search process

In this session we will discuss considerations for creating inclusive committees, developing strategies to manage power dynamics within a group, creating an inclusive job description, and identifying and sticking to rubrics and criteria.

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Vetting candidates, Rubric, Criteria, and Virtual interview

In this session we will discuss how to create an inclusive process for evaluating application materials and creating a short-list. In addition, we will talk about tips on how to create an inclusive virtual interview process.

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Inclusive and equitable interviews and on-campus processes

In many faculty and leadership searches, the search process typically includes an in-person visit to the campus. In this final session, we will talk about processes that we can implement in order to have an inclusive and equitable on-campus interview. In this session, we will also talk about strategies that can be implemented to increase the chances that a successful candidate will accept an offer, as well as the importance of conducting a post-hoc evaluation of the process.

Panelists/Guest Facilitators:

• Alexandria Baugh, Workplace Accessibility Specialist, Human Resources

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JEDII in Research: A Research Support Panel

Panelists/Guest Facilitators:

• Denise Maines: Research Development Officer, Natural Sciences and Engineering, Office of Research Services, UBC-O
• Ryan Brown: Advisor, Community Engagement, External Relations
• Alex Unterberger: Manager, Research Development, SPARC, VP Research & Innovation
• Sheryl Staub-French: Professor of Civil Engineering, Associate Dean of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Faculty of Applied Science
• Carolina Tropini: Assistant Professor, School of Biomedical Engineering, Microbiology & Immunology
• Rowenna Gryba: PhD Student, Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program, Statistics and Geography

Key questions explored in this workshop:

1. How and why should researchers consider JEDII in their research programs? How can a lab’s research outputs benefit from an approach that incorporates JEDII?
2. What are the barriers to inclusion in labs or research spaces?
3. How can researchers support equity-deserving groups within their research labs and co-develop research programs with communities?
4. How can labs share their research/scholarship with the community in a public way that promotes access?
   

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Indigenization, Decolonization and Reconciliation within STEM at UBC 

Panelists/Guest Facilitators:

• Danilo Caron: Indigenous Student Engagement Coordinator, Engineering Student Services
• Danielle Ignace: Assistant Professor, Indigenous Natural Sciences, Forestry
• Tabitha Robin Martens: Assistant Professor, Land and Food Systems
• Shandin Pete: Assistant Professor, UBC-V Indigenous Student Collegium, Earth, Oceans and Atmospheric Sciences
• Andrea Reid: Assistant Professor, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
• Hannah Codere: Educational Consultant, Curriculum and Student Development, CTLT Indigenous Initiatives
• Janey Lew: Senior Educational Consultant, CTLT Indigenous Initiatives
• Will Valley: Associate Dean, Diversity and Equity, Land and Food Systems

Key questions explored in this workshop:

1. How are Indigenous scholars at UBC decolonizing or Indigenizing STEM and teaching in their units? And how can their work be supported moving forward?
2. What are activities, assessments, or pedagogical practices that Indigenous scholars would encourage other instructors in STEM to implement in their classes to further decolonization, Indigenization, and inclusion?

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Tips and Tricks and Practices to Responding to criticisms of JEDII in STEM

Panelists/Guest Facilitators:

• Neila Miled: Anti-Racism Advisor, REDI, Faculty of Medicine
• Derek Thompson: Indigenous Initiatives Advisor, REDI, Faculty of Medicine

Key questions explored in this workshop:

1. What are the common criticisms of JEDII in STEM?
2. How can we advance our fluency (and speed) in re-framing JEDII issues and effectively communicating JEDII to people who may oppose it?
3. How to create safeguards for people from equity-deserving backgrounds doing JEDII work?

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Faculty and Staff Review

Panelists/Guest Facilitators:

• Gülnur Birol: Director of Skylight, Faculty of Science
• Ashley Elchuk: Human Resources Business Partner, Enrollment Services
• Rita Amisano: Senior HR Manager, School of Biomedical Engineering
• Rizhi Wang: Professor, Department of Materials Engineering
• Maryam Nabavi: Former Faculty and Staff Strategist, Equity & Inclusion Office
• Jude Walker: Associate Professor, Program Coordinator for the Adult Learning and Education Program, Faculty of Education

Key questions explored in this workshop:

1. What are the best practices for faculty and staff review in service, research, and teaching to further diversity and inclusion within STEM at UBC?
2. What types of practices in summative review (i.e. merit and performance review) align with an equitable, inclusive, and decolonized process?

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Setting up Inclusive and Equitable Searches for Hiring

Panelists/Guest Facilitators:

• Sheryl Staub-French: Professor of Civil Engineering, Associate Dean of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Faculty of Applied Science
• Kendal Bushe: Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
• Jen Pelletier: Manager, Facilities, and Special Projects, Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
• Andrea Han: Associate Director, Curriculum and Course Services, CTLT

Key questions explored in this workshop:

1. How to write job descriptions that will lead equity-seeking groups to apply? 
2. How to develop a rubric to assess candidates and consider their JEDII credentials?
3. How to effectively expand your applicant pool?
4. How to create search committees that foster a sense of inclusion?

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Trauma-Informed Practices in Teaching and Supervision

Panelists/Guest Facilitators:

• Kaitlyn Kraatz: Gender Equity Specialist, Human Rights, EIO
• Aimee Beauchamp: Educational Consultant, Indigenous Initiatives, CTLT

Key questions explored in this workshop:

1. What is trauma?
2. What are principles of trauma-informed care?
3. How can we honor lived experiences and historical context in the classroom?
4. What are the challenges to implementing trauma-informed practices within a STEM environment?

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Getting started with departmental EDI committees

Panelists/Guest Facilitators:

• Hadi Dowlatabi, Professor Emeritus, Canada Research Chair, Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability
• Hanae Tsukada, Educational Strategist, EIO, CTLT

Key questions explored in this workshop:

1.   What are the tools that are available to support EDI action?
2.   How do we identify strategic approaches within a unit?
3.   What are the range of different types of EDI actions that may lead to long-term, socio-cultural change?

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Designing course with inclusion and decolonization in STEM

Panelists/Guest Facilitators:

• Larry Leung, Assistant Professor, within portfolio of Associate Dean Academic, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Manuela Reekie, Associate Professor, Associate Dean of Teaching & Learning, Faculty of Health and Social Development, Acting Assistant Director, School of Nursing, UBCO
• Liane Chen, Associate Professor, Department of Zoology, Department of Botany
• Amanda Vincent, Associate Member, Department of Zoology, Professor, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries

Key questions explored in this workshop:

1. What are the specific challenges to designing inclusive and decolonizing courses in STEM?
2. What are inclusive assessment practices that are currently being used in remote or in-person classes?

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Promoting equity and inclusion in labs and classroom

Panelists/Guest Facilitators:

• Madison Tardif, Equity Education Specialist, UBC-O, Equity and Inclusion Office
• Sarah Bean Sherman, Science Education Specialist, Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences
• Natasha Fox, Postgraduate Research Scholar, Ecologies of Social Difference Social Justice at UBC, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
• Will Valley, Associate Dean, Diversity and Equity, Land and Food Systems

Key questions explored in this workshop:

1. What are strategies to enhance inclusion in your labs and classes?
2. What are specific barriers to inclusion in labs?
3. What are the structural or systemic changes that can help to create more inclusive learning environments in classes and labs?

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Well-being, inclusion and equity of trainees (graduate students and post-docs)

Key questions explored in this workshop:

1. What are inclusive practices that you’ve experienced currently or in the past as a grad student that supported a sense of belonging? 
2. What are autonomy-supportive and effective supervisory practices in STEM?
3. How does power and privilege affect grad student mentorship in labs and research? 
4. What are specific challenges for graduate students who are part of marginalized groups? What are structural or systemic changes that can mitigate these challenges?

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Building interpersonal relationships in big classes

Panelists/Guest Facilitators:

• Sarah Bean Sherman, Science Education Specialist, Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences
• Candice Rideout, Associate Professor, Food, Nutrition, and Health, Faculty of Land and Food Systems
• Meghan Macnutt, Assistant Professor, School of Health and Exercise Sciences, UBC-O
• Jackie Stewart, Associate Professor of Chemistry, Director of Institute for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, CTLT
• Sara Harris, Professor, Earth, Oceans, and Atmospheric Sciences, Associate Dean Academic, Faculty of Science
• Melissa Lee, Assistant Professor, Department of Statistics
• Joss Ives, Associate Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy

Key questions explored in this workshop:

1. How does social capital enhance student learning?
2.   How do you build community and social capital within the classroom?
3. What are the practices that faculty in STEM are currently using to build relationships within classes?

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Towards equitable allocation of EDI work

Panelists/Guest Facilitators:

• Donna Seto, Manager, Research and Strategic Initiatives, Civil Engineering
• Dana-lyn Mackenzie, Senior Manager, EDI and Indigeneity, Faculty of Applied Science
• Ben Britton, Associate Professor, Department of Materials Engineering
• Michele Ng, Special Projects Coordinator, Department of Computer Science
• Ninan Abraham, Professor and Principal Investigator, Microbiology & Immunology, Associate Dean of Equity and Diversity, Faculty of Science
• Mary Bryson, Professor, Department of Language and Literacy Education, Faculty of Education

Key questions explored in this workshop:

1.   Why is it important to address the “minority tax” in academia?
2.   What have units done to reward and remunerate equity and inclusion work?
3.   What are actions that units have taken to shift the work-load?
4.   What are strategies that can help get more people to support EDI action?

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Syllabus and course design with inclusion in mind

Panelists/Guest Facilitators:

• Jeannine Kuemerle, Educational Consultant, TA & Student Development, CTL, UBC-O
• Jackie Stewart, Associate Professor of Chemistry, Director of Institute for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, CTLT
• Olivia Lim, Former Staff, EIO

Key questions explored in this workshop:

1.   What are simple steps in your syllabi and classes that can enhance inclusion? 
2.   How can you use universal design to develop a syllabus that will save you time and lead to student success?

How to cultivate an inclusive community for equity-deserving groups within STEM departments

Panelists/Guest Facilitators:

• Diana Jung, Health Promotion Specialist, Health Promotion and Education, Student Development and Services
• Jenni Clark, Director of Counselling Services
• Michael Gold, Professor, Department Head, Microbiology and Immunology, Life Sciences Institute
• Minelle Mahtani, Associate Professor, Institute for Social Justice, Senior Advisor to the Provost on Racialized Faculty
• Sasha Mcdowell, PhD Student, Cell and Developmental Biology, Department of Zoology

Key questions explored in this workshop:

1. What unit-level actions may help to support the retention and recruitment of IBPOC folks within STEM? 
2. What unit-level actions may help to support the retention and recruitment of 2SLGBTQIA+ folks within STEM? 
3. How can units help to build community, networks and mentorship?

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Leadership: Challenges for people in power. Navigating the increasingly complex JEDII terrain with grace and humility

Panelists/Guest Facilitators:

• Rickey Yada, Professor, Dean, Land and Food Systems
• Will Valley, Associate Dean, Diversity and Equity, Land and Food Systems
• Hisham Zerriffi, Associate Dean, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Forestry
• Samson Nashon, Professor, Curriculum & Pedagogy Department Head, Faculty of Education
• William Cheung, Professor, Director of Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
• Sara Stevens, Associate Professor,  Chair of the EDI committee, School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture

Key questions explored in this workshop:

1.   What are the actions and attitudes of leaders who can help build inclusive environments?
2.   How can I, as a leader, shift from a bystander to an upstander?
3.   “but I’m a straight, white, guy... what does diversity have to do with me?”
4.   How can JEDII champions support leadership to create a more inclusive unit?

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Using data and evidence to advance JEDII 

Panelists/Guest Facilitators:

• Hadi Dowlatabadi, Professor Emeritus, Canada Research Chair, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability
• Ismaël Traoré, Director, Faculty Equity and Institutional Initiative Strategist
• Sheryl Staub-French, Professor of Civil Engineering, Associate Dean of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Faculty of Applied Science

Key questions explored in this workshop:

1. What are the types of data that may help to advance JEDII action? 
2. What resources are available to supports units to collect data in a manner that is effective, ethical and efficient?
3. What are the strengths and weaknesses of qualitative and quantitative approaches?

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