Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Assigned Members

• Robert Duncan (f)
• Sarah Eason (f)
• Penny Kelly (f)
• German Posada (f)
• Olivya Reyes (g)

Volunteers

• Sarah Bullentini (u)
• Elliot Friedman (f)
• Mehreen Hassan (g)
• Sona Christina Kumar (p)
• Amanda S Mayes (s)
• Megan Carole McDaniel (u)
• Claire A. Rosenberger (g)
• McKenzee Burnett (s)

(a = Administration, f=Faculty, s=Staff, p=Postdoctoral scholar, g=Graduate student, u=Undergraduate student)

Diversity is an integral part of all societies and groups. Scholars from different theoretical perspectives and interests investigate variability and similarities across developmental and family outcomes in several domains. Research focuses on the processes linked to group (e.g., culture or social class) variation and commonality. Examples of research areas include child-parent relationships and parenting practices across cultures; preschoolers’ perceptions and interactions with children with disabilities; children’s perceptions of conflict in varying political settings; and pathways to literacy readiness across culturally, socially and economically diverse groups.

The following HDFS graduate courses have been endorsed by students as covering issues related to diversity, equity and inclusion

• HDFS 590 – Autism
• HDFS 590 – Child/Family Health Policy
• HDFS 590 – Culture & HDFS
• HDFS 590 – Families/Family & Health
• HDFS 590 – Frontiers in HDFS
• HDFS 590 – Obesity
• HDFS 590 – Regression
• HDFS 601 – Advanced Child Development
• HDFS 602 – Advanced Family Studies
• HDFS 613 – Statistical Approaches for Developmental and Family Researchers
• HDFS 617 – Advanced Research Methods in Child and Family Study
• HDFS 627 – Multilevel Modeling in Development and Family Research
• HDFS 628 – Structural Equation Modeling
• HDFS 629 – Family and Couple Interventions in Health Problems
• HDFS 649 – Multidisciplinary Gerontology
• HDFS 697 – Colloquium

Undergraduate courses in HDFS offer students the opportunity to explore multiple dimensions of human diversity within different areas of development (e.g., physical, cognitive and social), across multiple contexts for development (e.g., families, schools and communities), and at every stage of the life span. In addition to this foundational background, our majors in early childhood education and exceptional needs, developmental and family science, family and consumer sciences education, and human services receive practical training in areas of special interest for diversity, equity and inclusion considerations in their field.

Values

Our goals and actions are guided by the following values:

1. We are committed to following through. We will be clear about our goals, the actions we will take to achieve them and the timelines for doing so. We will be transparent about the specific aspects of diversity, equity, inclusion and justice we will target and how we will measure and report our progress.
2. We are committed to activism. We will be anti-racist and confront prejudice and injustice. We will be honest about where we are and ambitious about what we will strive to become.
3. We are committed to eliminating barriers to progress. We strive to challenge and dismantle structures and systems that contribute to inequity and discrimination. We recognize the discomfort that comes with this process and are willing to cede benefits of our privilege when there are opportunities to reduce or eliminate inequity.
4. We are committed to addressing the unique strengths and needs of diverse groups. We appreciate that every person has multiple intersecting identities. Each of these identities may be linked to inequities that must be addressed.
5. We will be mindful that DEI issues evolve and change. We will strive to continually educate ourselves, learn and grow. We commit to centering the voices and concerns of members of marginalized groups to better inform departmental actions.
6. We are committed to both individual responsibility and collective effort. We understand that individual actions are necessary but not sufficient. We are committed to making structural changes and advocating for changes in larger systems. 

Goals and Priority Actions

1. Promote shared, department-wide responsibility for DEI. We will develop tools and implement practices to empower all members of the HDFS community to actively promote DEI.
2. Increase inclusion in departmental daily life. We will identify and increase opportunities to develop an inclusive HDFS community. We will design regular events and activities for students, staff and faculty to engage together.
3. Infuse attention to DEI throughout HDFS academic programs. We will ensure that all HDFS courses address relevant DEI content and that all HDFS course policies and expectations take DEI into consideration.
4. Highlight and expand research on diversity, equity and inclusion in our department. We will increase the visibility of research in HDFS that focuses on DEI. We will create avenues to increase further research that centers on issues pertaining to DEI. We will increase our engagement with scholars from underrepresented groups.
5. Evaluate and adapt the reach of our engagement efforts. We will assess the extent to which our engagement work reaches and benefits all members of the communities we serve with considerations of DEI. We will adapt existing programs — and implement new ones — to ensure our department is serving the community as a whole. We will work within the department with a focus to have an impact outside of the department. We will empower members of HDFS to be activists in the larger community.

Action Plan

1. Promote shared, department-wide responsibility for DEI. We will develop tools and implement practices to empower all members of the HDFS community to actively promote DEI.
   • Maintain an HDFS DEI standing committee for three years, at which time the department should consider whether the committee should be continued and what its future goals should be. The committee should:
     1. Implement the action and accountability plan in this report.
     2. Identify benchmarks for assessing progress.
     3. Develop and implement a schedule for regularly monitoring DEI issues in a three-year cycle (i.e., in year one, focus on A, year two on B, etc.).
     4. Make regular reports about departmental performance and progress.
   • Regularly promote shared responsibility for diversity, equity and inclusion
     1. Disseminate frequently email or social media postings highlighting DEI resources and events.
     2. Post HDFS DEI vision, values and goals in prominent places throughout the department.
     3. Post the HDFS DEI action and accountability plan, and progress reports on the departmental website and disseminate broadly to members of the departmental community.
     4. Incorporate contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion into performance reviews. Revise requirements for annual performance reviews of graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, staff, and faculty to recognize and reward contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion. Also revise requirements for periodic review of department heads.
2. Increase inclusion in departmental daily life. We will identify and increase opportunities to develop an inclusive HDFS community with regular events and activities for students, staff and faculty to engage together.
   • With each standing committee and the department head, scrutinize ‘usual practice’ for diversity, equity and inclusion concerns, and revise accordingly. For example, the social committee revised staff recognition procedures during the pandemic, which could be extended. Consideration should also be given to representation of and participation by staff and students in ‘faculty’ meetings.
   • Increase opportunities for members of the HDFS community to train together. These should include opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff, as well as opportunities for staff members, including postdoctoral scholars and remote staff to complete training sessions together with faculty. Staff should be able to participate while in paid status.
   • Revise web pages for faculty, staff and students to allow them to specify pronouns.
3. Infuse attention to DEI throughout HDFS academic programs. We will ensure that all HDFS courses address relevant DEI content and that all HDFS course policies and expectations take DEI into consideration.
   • Embed attention to diversity, equity and inclusion in administrative structures. Curriculum committees (undergraduate and graduate) should assign one member each year to ‘specialize’ in carrying out elements of the HDFS DEI action plan related to the work of that committee. Those committee members should coordinate with the HDFS DEI committee. Undergraduate students should be invited to apply to participate on committees.
   • Infuse content related to diversity, equity and inclusion throughout HDFS courses. Audit syllabi, or ask faculty to indicate the degrees to which and the ways in which content related to diversity, equity and inclusion are infused throughout courses. Relevant topics include race, power, privilege, intersectionality, and antecedents and consequences of structural inequalities and systemic racism.
4. Highlight and expand research on diversity, equity and inclusion in our department. We will increase the visibility of research in HDFS that focuses on DEI and create avenues to increase further research that centers on issues pertaining to DEI. We will increase our engagement with scholars from underrepresented groups.
   • Host colloquia or other presentations. Dedicate one colloquium session a semester to critically evaluating issues related to DEI in research, such as best practices for studying diverse groups, methodological issues in measuring or analyzing race or other characteristics, and the invisibility of racial and ethnic minorities and other groups in the research literature. Welcome staff to these and other colloquium sessions.
   • Support via funding programs. Focus department-affiliated funding opportunities for grad student or faculty research on DEI, with clear attention to justice and equity.
5. Remove or reduce structural barriers to student, staff, and faculty recruitment and success in our department. We will critically examine our existing standards, policies and practices that impede the success of marginalized and/or underrepresented individuals in our department and work toward dismantling structures contributing to inequity.
   • Designate ombudspersons within the department. Designate the chair and one member of the HDFS DEI committee as ombudspersons for the HDFS community to whom concerns can be reported or who can be consulted for guidance about other reporting options.
   • Monitor departmental performance against benchmarks. Each year, monitor proportions of undergraduate majors and graduate students (applicants, accepted, matriculated, performance, retention, graduated) who are members of underrepresented groups. Where possible, benchmark against relevant standards (e.g., NSF survey of doctorates), and develop targets for departmental performance. When benchmarks are not met, develop and implement strategies for improvement.
   • Review graduate program requirements to remove barriers to training in research or professional development related to DEI. For example, how can HDFS elective credits be used to support such activities? How can such activities be pursued without financial penalty of assistantship stipends? Revisit policies related to paid vs. unpaid leave for conferences, trainings/workshops, and vacation. Each year, provide an informational session for graduate students to review policies regarding leaves and other benefits.
6. Evaluate and adapt the reach of our engagement efforts. We will assess the extent to which our engagement work reaches and benefits all members of the communities we serve, with considerations of DEI. We will adapt existing programs — and implement new ones — to ensure that our department is serving the community as a whole. We will work within the department with a focus to have an impact outside of the department. We will empower members of HDFS to be activists in the community.
   • Make departmental events more welcoming. Ensure that for every departmental event or function, attendees are asked about accessibility, dietary and other needs. Include staff working remotely.
   • Develop ways to understand and strengthen engagement. Survey the department regarding engagement and outreach to determine who is interacting with the community and with what individuals or organizations. Are the individuals, families and communities we are working with representative of the region? If not, develop a plan for improving representation.
   • Advocate for social justice beyond HDFS. Each year, select and carry out one significant action as a department that promotes social justice at the University, in the larger community, or in the nation. This could be a service project, a publication, hosting or participating in an event, a position statement, or some other action.