Light on Hidden Bias
“CB will continue our membership in the PhD Project in the hopes that these students will pursue academic careers and join our faculty ranks in the future,” Stinson said. To ensure this momentum around EDI initiatives remains sustainable and is embodied throughout the student experience, the CB now issues student diversity surveys on a quarterly basis, in addition to offering continued training for faculty and staff and improved hire
“The original intent,” Parks said, “was to combine self- awareness with bias and empathy to deliver a pathway towards advocacy and allyship. The flow of the modules was designed to be more of a journey from introspection to action. We began with creating awareness of bias/values, then moved to curiosity and empathy, and finally onto creating sustainable advocacy/allyship.” Response to the workbook so far has been overwhelmingly positive, though Parks anticipates the committee will need to add more time for discussion for each case study throughout the modules. The committee is optimistic the training will make positive change throughout CB. “My hope is that self-awareness around hidden bias and hidden triggers is increased,” said Maxine Lennon, secretary senior of the Department of Management and steering group member. “I hope, via this knowledge, conflict is reduced, and diversity and equity is increased in the CWU workforce, [both] among the student population and in the community at large.” Delores “Kandee” Cleary, vice president of inclusivity and diversity, is impressed by what she has seen of the workbook so far. “CB has been on the forefront of EDI work in and outside the classroom,” Cleary said. “[The workbook] is great and includes some very valuable tools to increase competency and develop skills to work in a diverse world.” Stinson also charged CB’s Diversity Committee with nine objectives for the 2020-2021 academic year. They include increasing visibility around scholarship opportunities, especially funds created specifically for underserved students, and increasing peer and alumni mentoring opportunities. To supplement these in-house efforts to promote inclusivity, CB has partnered with Edquity and the PhD Project. Edquity is an app which helps students manage personal finances and find emergency resources. All CB students have free access to Edquity. The PhD Project provides funding for students from underrepresented populations to pursue doctorial education.
and search procedures to better recruit and retain diverse talent. The workbook training is also being adapted into a student- centered version. “Survey findings revealed that student-student issues were a significant problem,” reflected Stinson. “Providing training and professional development to our faculty and staff was going to be insufficient for the types of change we want to see in the college, so we immediately began planning how to extend training and resources to our students. “With financial support from Boeing,” Stinson continued, “we piloted a student version of EDI training to our Dean’s Council students in April. It is an interactive, scenario-based training again rooted in the lived experiences of our own students. We are hopeful that a successful pilot will lead to a full CB student body rollout of the program in the 2021-22 academic year.” As the college moves forward, staff and faculty keep in mind the anonymous student feedback from the summer survey: “Don’t tokenize. Don’t expect students to do the work they are not getting paid for—you are. Create scholarships for students of color. Have more careers for them. Check in with them more. Meet their needs.”
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