Category Archives: Events

Where We Stand 2018

equitable policies & practices, Events, Institutional Climate, JHU

Thank you to everyone who was able to come last Thursday, and an additional thank-you to those who helped set up!

We began with welcome remarks by Dean Toscano and an overview of the NAS report by Professor Fleming. Then, participants discussed the following recommendations in small groups:

#1 Inclusive environments and #15 The whole community is responsible

#2 Address gender harassment and #6 Support the target

#3 Move beyond legal compliance to address culture and climate

#4 transparency & accountability and #7 strong, diverse leadership

#5 Diffuse the hierarchical & dependent relationship between mentors & trainees

Details to follow!

 

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equitable policies & practices, Events, Institutional Climate

Please join other faculty, staff, and students this Thursday, October 25, from 5:30-7pm in Mudd Atrium to discuss ways to improve the climate at Homewood, across disciplines. Children are welcome.

Screen Shot 2018-10-21 at 5.02.24 PM. . . [B]y far, the greatest predictor of the occurrence of sexual harassment is the organizational climate in a school, department, or program, or across an institution. (NAS report, page 15)

. . . . Organizational climate  . . . is evaluated on three elements: (1) the perceived risk to those who report sexually harassing behavior, (2) a lack of sanctions against offenders, and (3) the perception that one’s report of sexually harassing behavior will not be taken seriously. . . .

In addition to these risk factors, there are also conditions on campus that are exacerbating the problem, including the following:

  • Insufficient attention to this topic among campus leaders—including presidents, provosts, deans, and department chairs.
  • Lack of clear policies and procedures on campus, and within departments, that make clear that all forms of sexual harassment, including gender harassment, will not be tolerated; that investigations will be taken seriously; and that there are meaningful punishments for violating the policies.
  • Minimal or merely symbolic compliance with the law without regard to whether policies actually prevent harassment and retaliation.
  • Insufficient protection for targets of sexual harassment, who often suffer undue consequences when they report sexually harassing behavior.
  • Lack of effective training on sexual harassment. While nearly all institutions offer some form of “sexual harassment training,” and often require all students, faculty, and staff to take the training, rarely is the training evaluated and revised to ensure that it has the desired effect of reducing or preventing harassment.
  • Measuring the problem of sexual harassment based on how many cases are formally reported to the institution, rather than through regular climate surveys.
  • Insufficient attention to a climate that tolerates the gender harassment form of sexual harassment, which increases the chance that other forms of sexual harassment will occur. (NAS report pages 15-16)

Mentoring Grad Students: Advising Statements

equitable policies & practices, Events, Institutional Climate, teaching

As you likely know, the NAS report on sexual and gender harassment makes plain at the outset that “the most potent predictor of sexual harassment is organizational climate” (x). We will be discussing NAS’s recommendations on how to improve that climate–across KSAS and WSE and across disciplines–at the annual Where We Stand event on Thursday, Oct 25 from 5:30-7pm in Mudd Atrium.

In the meantime, consider today’s Chronicle article “One Way to Be a Better Mentor to Grad Students? Try an Advising Statement” as one suggested step towards a healthier, more equitable academic culture.apple-3256487_1920

Moin Syed, in the psychology department at University of Minnesota, shares his advising statement and invites colleagues to use and adapt it. Here’s an excerpt:

Guiding Philosophy and Career Paths

My job as an advisor is to help my advisees to be successful in their chosen career. I can’t do that if I don’t know what career is desired. I want my advisees to let me know the range of career paths in which they are interested at the earliest possible date. I also recognize that career paths change through graduate school. . . . 

Although our training program is clearly designed to prepare you for an academic career, I am very well aware that not all of you will go that route. I will support you in whatever career path you choose, whether it is academic or not. I will do my best to help my advisees obtain the experiences and skills needed to succeed in those various careers.

P.S. Interested in participating in WFF@H? Want to guest blog, become a “friend of WFF@H,” or join? Take three minutes here.

Screen Shot 2018-04-23 at 1.51.10 PM

Where We Stand: Thurs, Oct 25, 5:30-7pm, Mudd Atrium

Events, Institutional Climate, JHU

Please save the date!

We will look at the NAS report on sexual  harassment. How can we adapt and implement its recommendations to further gender equity at Hopkins across the humanities, natural & social sciences, and engineering?

Students, faculty, and staff of all genders are welcome. So are children! Screen Shot 2018-09-20 at 9.29.55 PM

Stay tuned for details. In the meantime, we recommend Professor Sabine Stanley‘s 2017 interview in Earth & Space Science News, in which she points to positive developments for women in science. One excerpt for you:

Q: What are your hopes for the future of women in planetary science?

A: Ultimately, I hope that women and underrepresented minorities have equal opportunities. To make this happen, it is very important for them to have strong allies among the majority group (i.e. white men) in the community. My biggest hope is that more white men step up and prioritize improving equity, diversity, and inclusion in our field. We need to stop relying on women and underrepresented minorities to shoulder this burden.

Photo Credit: Sergey Nivens, Fotolio, Adobe Photostock. https://eos.org/editors-vox/women-in-science-a-qa-with-an-editor