Advancing The Plan | March 2023
We are asking RIT leaders to share some of what they are doing to advance the RIT Action Plan for Race and Ethnicity. This month we have updates from Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, interim head, Department of Sustainability, Golisano Institute for Sustainability; Matt Huenerfauth, dean, Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences; and Sandra Johnson, senior vice president Student Affairs.
Golisano Institute for Sustainability
The Golisano Institute for Sustainability (GIS) in RIT is a global leader in sustainability education and research. We partner with business and government sponsors to solve complex, systemic problems that confront us all on planet earth. Much of our work aims to make industry more sustainable. To do this, we use innovative approaches and technologies to minimize the use of materials and energy while maximizing outcomes. Our expertise, combined with our state-of-the-art research facilities, allows our partners to gain new insights, fuel innovation, and move forward. Our graduate and doctoral programs are challenging, inspirational, and world-changing. GIS graduates go on to become transformative agents of change within industry, government, academia, and the nonprofit sector. They are problem-solvers, visionaries, and decision-makers who want to create a better, sustainable world.
We lead and communicate the results of our research to diverse communities. Our research is designed to create an impact and bring about just transitions in society that lead us toward a sustainable future. For instance, Professor Callie Babbitt is working on creating a sustainable and equitable food system that also pays attention to how we might minimize food waste. Professor Nathan Williams works on ways to promote sustainable development in historically understudied African nations such as Rwanda. Professor Eric Williams studies electronic waste and the design of policies that account for the heterogeneity in consumer energy markets. Professor Amit Batabyal is working on a project that sheds light on alternate ways of regulating water pollution in the Ganges River in India given that sustainable development in this nation is impossible without the Ganges continuing to be viable as the provider of myriad ecosystem services to ten percent of the world’s population.
We partner with local and national media, with local community organizations, and with academic institutions to translate research into practice and to co-create solutions to the management of wasted food. For example, GIS is now beginning a partnership with Navajo Technical University which is a tribal college in New Mexico, to increase awareness and knowledge of sustainability education.
Our research and teaching missions place special emphasis on educating students from historically underrepresented communities. We actively recruit and retain students from historically underrepresented backgrounds in academia. For instance, a large number of our graduate students are African and Native American, and these students frequently work on research projects that are targeted towards under-served communities. In addition, the majority of our doctoral and post-doctoral students are female. Finally, we work hard to create inclusive classrooms and teach topics that raise awareness of the social dimensions of sustainability.
Golisano College of Computing and Information Services
The Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences (GCCIS) is the largest college at RIT by enrollment, and the college has a goal of diversifying the students who are pursuing degrees and careers in computing and to support their success. Building upon the success of the college’s Women in Computing (WiC) program over the past several years, the college has recently launched a new Diversity Initiatives Office, which is committed to providing an inclusive and equitable environment for all students. We are devoted to making computing education and the computing workforce accepting to all identities regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, disability status or age.
The Diversity Initiatives office in GCCIS now houses the Women in Computing organization and the Computing Organization for Multicultural Students (COMS), a newer student group which is committed to increasing the number of underrepresented students in computing. These organizations have created a vibrant community of students that celebrate their diversity while making lasting contributions and connections at RIT and beyond.
Some annual activities include:
WiCHacks - A 24-hour hackathon, defined as a “innovation” marathon, where participants are able to learn new skills, or develop existing skills in computing, design, and innovation, through creation of applications, websites, and/or games.
Additionally, WiCHacks is a diversity hackathon, meaning the event aims to help bridge the gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields by recruiting women and gender-minorities from undergraduate and graduate programs to participate. By hosting this hackathon, the GCCIS Diversity Initiatives Office aims to provide a safe and encouraging environment in which individuals from underrepresented genders can develop the confidence they will need to thrive in the competitive tech industry.
The Tiger Games - The Computing Organization for Multicultural Students will be hosting a game jam on April 8th and 9th, 2023, a 24-hour event where participants will be able to develop new skills for building computer-based games. By hosting this game jam, COMS aims to provide an encouraging environment for participants of color and other underrepresented groups in computing to develop skills and confidence for success in the tech industry.
Student Affairs
Advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion are foundational to the Student Affairs divisional pillars upon which we base continuous improvement and strategic initiatives. In our commitment to creating a community environment where all individuals can have a successful experience and feel supported, respected, welcomed, and safe, we have focused on the experiences of our students and staff, operations, and the services we provide. A few areas of current focus to strengthen a climate of inclusion in line with the Action Plan for Race and Ethnicity are:
- Year One Programs, in partnership with Diversity Theater, presents the Dear Eleanor film to all first-year students in their RIT 365 class. Small groups, facilitated as brave spaces, allow students to share their reflections and learn about their peers' perspectives and lived experiences. Students report that the film and discussions helped them explore their peers' diverse perspectives and encouraged them to have conversations about identity, even when those conversations were awkward or challenging.
- Inspired by the RIT Action Plan for Race and Ethnicity, Student Affairs developed and implemented a comprehensive analysis of student conduct inputs and outcomes through an identity lens. A broader approach was taken to understand issues related to gender identity, national origin, and deaf/hard of hearing status, in addition to race. Insights from this investigation are being used to explore improvements that foster an equitable system.
- The Division of Student Affairs has restructured and increased support for students with marginalized identities by creating a Women, Gender, and Sexuality Resource Center and a new community gathering space – PRISM (PRogressive Intersectional Space to Meet) located on the second floor of the Campus Center. The Resource Center provides awareness, educational, and celebratory offerings and houses the services and resources previously offered through the Q Center and Women and Gender programs. We were able to expand the professional team who will collectively lead the division's focus on women, gender minorities, LGBTQIA+ students, and the intersectionality of our students' identities. We are grateful to welcome Erin Murphy, assistant director for intersectional programming and outreach!
- In the fall, we launched the Inclusion Lives Here program for all Student Affairs staff. Inclusion Lives Here events increase staff awareness and understanding while providing an opportunity to discover new ways to be active participants in meaningful change. The initiative provides a platform to share information, engage in active learning and dialogue, and encourage the use of available resources. For example, an event in September explored race, safety, and belonging. Our next Student Affairs staff event, on March 23rd, will focus on disability, accessibility, and social justice.
- Student Affairs teams are encouraged to develop a steady path in their departments, with other colleagues, and individually to further their diversity, equity, and inclusion educational journey. As part of this work, staff are supported in engaging in the Cultural Humility Certificate program; to date, 59 have earned the certificate.
- Student Affairs pursues opportunities that enhance our ability to attract, recruit, and promote the career growth and advancement of AALANA staff. A few recent highlights include:
Athletics was selected as a recipient of the NCAA Strategic Alliance Matching Grant. The grant funds full-time, mid- to senior-level athletics administration positions for five years and is awarded to members committed to enhancing ethnic minority and gender representation in athletics administration positions. We were thrilled to develop a new position with this funding and welcome Rickey Stevens, assistant athletic director/scheduling and event management, to the team!
The Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA) selected Olivia Winkfield, assistant athletics director/compliance and student-athlete welfare, as one of five recipients of its Founders' Professional Development Grant. The grant supports the recipients in attending the MOAA Symposium.
Di'Monique George, associate director for student engagement in the Center for Campus Life, was selected as one of eight ACUI's 2022 Closing the Gap career advancement cohort members. The program is an education and mentorship program focused on Black, Indigenous, and other professionals of color looking to advance into senior leadership roles.
We, in the Division of Student Affairs, recognize that fostering an inclusive campus climate requires a sustained and long-term commitment. A healthy campus climate is one in which constant commitment and innovation around diversity, equity, and inclusion are expected and will remain divisional priorities.