SAM DIVERSITY WORKGROUP

The Sciences and Mathematics (SAM) Division has established a Diversity Workgroup - including student, faculty, and alumni members - dedicated to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusivity efforts in SAM for all students, staff, and faculty. As members of the Diversity Workgroup, we actively pursue initiatives to make the natural sciences and mathematics inclusive for individuals often underrepresented in STEM fields. Additionally, we offer resources to support students, staff, and faculty in cultivating a vibrant and diverse campus.

SAM STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS

The graphs below provide a snapshot of the self-disclosed identity of the enrolled SAM students as of 2023. Note the categories here align with the constructed federal racial categories, which students volunteer during admission. We report this information as one way of tracking the impact of SAM DEI initiatives on recruiting and retaining minoritized students into SAM majors. SAM initiatives to recruit and retain diverse students are described below.

Student Race/Ethnicity Identities

Similar to the make-up of the UWT campus as a whole, a majority of our students identify as belonging to racial and ethnic minority groups. Representation by SAM students who identify as belonging to minoritized racial/ethnic groups in 2023 is equal to or slightly higher than the UWT population as a whole, and higher than the City of Tacoma population for some (Asian, Hispanic/Latino) and similar for others.

Student Gender Identities

The majority of students in SAM identify by gender as female or non-binary, which is much higher than the UWT student population as a whole. We pool gender diverse/non-binary students with females since both women and gender diverse students are often underrepresented/minoritized in STEM majors and therefore may share similar overall academic experiences related to gender.

SAM DEI INITIATIVES

ACCESS in STEM

ACCESS in STEM is an NSF-funded program that supports low income, talented STEM students through scholarships, special curriculum, and mentoring. To date this program has supported 38 students in biomedical sciences, environmental science, and mathematics majors. SAM faculty teach 6 sections of TUNIV190 and one section of TESC210 per year in support of this program, and 14 (30% of SAM full-time faculty) serve as biweekly one-on-one faculty mentors for ACCESS scholars in the program. The ACCESS program promotes DEI by sponsoring annual workshops on faculty mentoring and supporting ACCESS mentors in attending mentoring national conferences and trainings.  ACCESS in STEM Webpage    ACCESS in STEM Scholarship Info

SAM Diversity (DIV) Courses

The University requires all undergraduates to take a course (5 credits for students who started in AUT 2023 and more recently), approved by the appropriate school or college, that emphasize the sociocultural, political, and/or economic diversity of the human experience at local, regional, or global levels. Course activities should encourage thinking critically about topics such as power, inequality, marginality, and social movements, and support effective cross-cultural communication skills. For more info on this graduation requirement see UW Undergraduate Advising: Diversity. SAM offers DIV courses you may consider for fulfilling this requirement.

T BIOL 252 The Nature of Human Diversity (5) NSc, DIV - Provides genetic, evolutionary, and developmental biology perspectives on human diversity, focusing on socially relevant axes (e.g., race, gender, sexuality, congenital or developmental disability, and/or intelligence). Examines historical and current examples of how discretization of biological diversity into socially-constructed categories creates power structures that disadvantage individuals and groups of people.

T WOMN 211 Women in Science (5) SSc, DIV - Examines the contribution of women in science and technology throughout history and the impact these women have made on society. Emphasizes the effects of institutions, work, family, and mentors on the development of women in science and technology.

SAM Faculty Mentoring

The SAM Division supports our faculty by offering one-on-one (senior to junior faculty) and affinity group peer mentoring to all of our interested faculty members.  We aspire to provide inclusive faculty mentoring where all faculty members are invited to bring their authentic selves to a welcoming mentoring relationship where they receive support and encouragement. Beyond SAM mentoring, the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences provides complementary mentoring opportunities and affinity groups for faculty and staff.

SAM Speaker Guidelines

It’s important for STEM students from underrepresented populations to have real evidence that they can succeed in STEM fields, therefore it’s imperative to invite role models with whom they identify and find inspiration. Explicitly addressing diversity through seminar speaker choices will hopefully break down barriers and stereotypes of who is a scientist.

Speaking invitations raise the profile of the invitee, therefore it’s important to support scholars from underrepresented populations to boost their visibility in their field, track their research, and support their scholarship.

SAM Faculty DEI Training

The SAM Division is committed to encouraging faculty to participate in trainings related to DEI on an continuing basis, and to organizing opportunities for students, staff, and faculty to access such trainings as a community. We report here the percentage of SAM faculty who have participated in various DEI trainings. This list is not exhaustive, and our faculty have completed additional trainings included in the Resources below.

DEI Training % Faculty Participated
Cultivating Community at UW: Anti-Racism and DEI&B  25%
UW Title IX  83%
UWT SEED  56%
UW Anti-bias in Hiring 63%
ACCESS in STEM Inclusive Mentoring 41%
Rainbow Center LGBTQ+ 24%
Black, Brown, and Bruised discussion 35%
Other DEI Trainings 61%
85% of faculty responding  

Recognition of DEI in SAM Promotion

UW Faculty Code Section 24-32 Scholarly and Professional Qualifications of Faculty Members states, “...In accord with the University's expressed commitment to excellence and equity, any contributions in scholarship and research, teaching, and service that address diversity and equal opportunity shall be included and considered among the professional and scholarly qualifications for appointment and promotion outlined below.” The Sciences and Mathematics Division of SIAS strongly supports and encourages all faculty to contribute to efforts to address justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in all facets of their work. The SAM Diversity Workgroup has drafted and is vetting guidelines intended to make such voluntary contributions more easily identified so that they may be honored during considerations for promotion.

OTHER UW DEI INITIATIVES

Anti-Bias Training in SAM Searches

The UWT website for Academic Human Resources provides resources for conducting searches and best practices. Notably, a 2021 handbook is linked under the Search and Hire header, recommending anti-bias training in advance of the search process. Additionally, the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences (SIAS) and division of Sciences and Mathematics provide helpful resources to faculty and staff serving on search committees to hire new employees. The anti-bias training is administered by UW Seattle, but training is frequently offered on the Tacoma campus and/or available remotely.

UWS Academic HR

Implicit bias training

Tools for evaluating candidates

RESOURCES

UW Community

UW Tacoma Community

UW Tacoma and Tacoma Community Student Resources