Statement of Diversity Equity and Inclusion
The Neuroscience Program is committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students, faculty, and staff.
We seek to honor all identities and to encourage the engagement of all perspectives. We do this because we know that integrating diverse voices leads to greater creativity, problem-solving, and academic excellence; but also because we believe in justice. In doing so we commit to working towards eliminating all forms of discrimination and harassment. We acknowledge that this is an ongoing and active process that requires engagement and diligence. We realize that some perspectives have been historically privileged in the field of neuroscience and, therefore, the information that we teach necessarily is focused through a biased lens and so we will do our best to acknowledge that truth while seeking out other perspectives. Our goal is to create a community that is enhanced by the rich experiences and diverse perspectives of its members and to prepare our students to live fully in a diverse society.
We will work towards this goal in the following ways:
1. Recruiting, selecting, and retaining diverse faculty and staff.
2. Including issues of diversity in the curriculum wherever possible including:
- readings by diverse authors,
- highlighting the research of diverse neuroscientists,
- discussing class topics as the relate differently to different individuals;
- and ensuring all examples include diverse perspectives.
3. Creating a program culture characterized by sensitivity to and support of diversity issues and diverse community members by:
- including diversity statements on our syllabi,
- recognizing holidays and events important to students from different backgrounds,
- ensuring all of our course materials are accessible.
- Promoting community engagement, where possible, with the diverse community in Hartford CT.
- Maintain the Minorities in STEM Moodle site.
- Creating and maintaining our contribution to the Trinity oSTEM chapter
- Maintain our mentoring program for underrepresented first year students interested in neuroscience, and support the alumni mentoring program for underrepresented students interested in pursuing a career in neuropsychology.
