The College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (CEOAS) Association of Graduate Students is an organization that includes and values the voices of all people.  As such, we recognize the social barriers that have systematically marginalized and excluded people and communities based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, socioeconomic background, age, disability, national origin and religion. We are committed to the equity of opportunities, and strive to promote and advance diverse communities. We value and proactively seek genuine participation from these historically under-represented and underserved groups, and recognize them as an essential component of creating a welcoming and rich academic, intellectual, and cultural environment for everyone.

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee is composed of graduate and postdoctoral students that are passionate about enacting real change within the broader academic institution and CEOAS community. The goal of our committee is to be a voice for the CEOAS graduate students, to help identify issues, and work collaboratively to inspire institutional changes in the sciences. We do this through a variety of programs and outreach.

Here is a list of our current projects and goals:

Radical Earth Science Equity Transformations (RESET) Seminars that occur quarterly with guest speakers from the university and around the country. Previous RESET speakers include: Dr. Samantha Chisholm Hatfield, Dr. Dawn Wright

Organize quarterly Town Hall Meetings. College-wide ‘check-in’ about the current DEI work going on at in the college and collecting feedback from students and faculty about how they are feeling about it

Gathering feedback and writing a report to the administration on the accessibility and inclusivity of field courses at the graduate level.

Weekly Reading and Discussions on DEI-related material in the Earth Sciences

Participating and collaborating with the faculty DEI committee

Researching and creating an Inclusive Ocean Fieldwork Guide

Defining Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

Diversity: 

Diversity refers to all aspects of human differences, social identities, and social group differences that may include but is not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, socio-economic status, language, religion, age, (dis)ability, military/veteran status, or political perspectives. Diversity enriches our workplace and community.

Equity:

Equity is ensuring access, resources, and opportunities are provided to all members of the community. Tackling equity issues requires an understanding of historical injustices and oppression that has impacted underrepresented communities. Equity is different from equality. Equality implies that everyone is treated equally as if their experiences are exactly the same, however advancing equity means acknowledging and addressing structural and systems inequalities that disproportionately disadvantage others. 

Inclusion:

Inclusivity is an outcome where those that are diverse are fully and actually welcome at the institution and in the community. Inclusion allows all members to feel respected, have a sense of belonging, and are able to fully participate and gain development opportunities. We recognize that a place can be diverse, yet lack inclusion, thus we strive to create a sustained practice of creating inclusive environments for success.

2022-2023 Committee Members

Questions about DEI-related resources? Check out these links

On-Campus DEI Resources

Off-Campus DEI Resources