ENVS Statement on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

The discipline of environmental sciences has historically excluded the voices of people of color. Theories and data from environmental sciences and resulting policies have sometimes been misapplied to justify dispossessing Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) of their lands and resources. Our field is evolving and our department is helping to lead this monumental shift towards ontological diversity and community-prioritized research in environmental sciences.

Our department acknowledges the multiple and intersecting identities of our students, staff, and faculty. These include but are not limited to class, race, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, indigenous status, religious expression, documentation and immigration status, physical and mental abilities, veteran status, age, and political expression. The Department of ENVS also recognizes that past and present structural injustices shape the experience of our students, staff, and faculty. We acknowledge that people are positioned unequally within historical and ongoing relations of power within institutions and that these relations affect life chances, shape the places we live and work, and influence opportunities for different groups. 

The department will strive to ensure that all people can work, speak, participate, learn, and flourish without fear of retaliation and with affirmation of their right to do so. The department will work to ensure that diverse identities and perspectives are represented in classroom instructors and curriculum and the ways we teach and learn. We will prepare our students to be informed, engaged, and curious global citizens, successful in a broad range of careers. We will work to foster an environment in our department, classrooms, and disciplines where everyone has an opportunity, and everyone feels that they belong, are supported, and can thrive.