Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee
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The College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (CEPS) is committed to fostering an inclusive and welcoming community of faculty, staff and students in which everyone feels appreciated, respected, supported, and valued in decision-making processes. This kind of community promotes new ideas and perspectives critical to solving the engineering and physical science challenges facing society and the environment while advancing humankind.

In response to protests and outrage in our country following the murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020, CEPS formed the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee. Our goal is to ensure that CEPS faculty, staff and students regardless of background or identity (including but not limited to race, country of origin, religious beliefs, socioeconomic status, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and other perceived or unperceived differences), are welcome and thrive.  We strongly believe that all people deserve access to a STEM education, but institutional bias and systemic racism have not always allowed it. 

Our goal is to help CEPS become a more inclusive community that enables an equitable and safe environment. Such an environment would create a scientifically and civically literate and just society and provide skills for functioning effectively in a variety of settings, here at UNH, and beyond. We want to ensure that all students gain experience and guidance in working with colleagues with a variety of perspectives.

All faculty, staff, students, and guests in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences are expected to treat each other with respect and collegiality. It is the goal of the college to create a welcoming, friendly, and inclusive environment for everyone, regardless of their appearance, age, background, ability, identity, race, national or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, socioeconomic status, gender identity and expression, or sexual orientation. It is our firm belief that no human being should have to endure discrimination, harassment, bullying, retaliation, or inappropriate physical contact. In addition to negative effects on individuals, discrimination, harassment (in any form), and bullying create a hostile environment that reduces the quality, integrity, and pace of the advancement of science, mathematics, and engineering by marginalizing individuals and communities.

Creating a positive environment is the responsibility of every person in the college. While the healthy exchange of ideas through reason and argumentation is encouraged, attacking or disparaging others is antithetical to the mission of the college.

If you have observed, experienced, or been provided information about an incident of sexual harassment, and, or sexual violence, discrimination, harassment, retaliation or bias, please report the incident by contacting the Civil Rights & Equity Office at unh.civilrights@unh.edu or (603) 862-2930 Voice / TTY Users 7-1-1 or submit a report via the Incident Report Form (IRF) available on the website of the Civil Rights & Equity Office.

 Anonymous reports may be submitted with the exception of Mandatory Reporters.

If you would like to discuss an issue with a member of the CEPS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee or offer a suggestion for how the committee can better serve the college, you can send an email to DEI.CEPS@unh.edu. However, you should be aware that the recipients of such an email will see your email address and that they are regularly trained to respond appropriately and in accordance with the law. This may include reporting an incident to the AAEO, even if you request that the incident remain confidential. For instance, mandatory reporters (including the recipients of emails addressed to DEI.CEPS@unh.edu) are required by law and University policy to report an incident of sexual violence, including sexual harassment, to UNH’s Title IX Coordinator.

Our committee’s objectives are to: 

1) support DEI committees and their activities in each department and assist in the coordination of their activities at the college level;  

2) work with UNH’s Civil Rights & Equity Office to hold annual trainings for the CEPS community and host regular college-wide discussions on DEI;  

3) promote inclusive teaching and research practices in our classrooms, research laboratories, and field experiences;  

4) foster a community that does not tolerate racism, discrimination or harassment through our code of conduct;  

5) ensure that invited seminar speakers represent the diversity in our fields; 

6) increase the recruitment, retention and support of those traditionally underrepresented in CEPS disciplines (e.g. women, Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC))  

These objectives are our starting point to ensure that we reach our collective goal of a safe and equitable community. CEPS and all of UNH thrive when our faculty, staff, and students have the opportunities, resources, and support they need to succeed.   

Below is a list of additional resources for consideration. If you have an additional resource to add to the list, please contact us at 

UNH Community, Equity, and Diversity 

UNH Land Water, and Life Acknowledgement

UNH Earth Sciences Department Diversity and Inclusion Committee 

UNH Civil Rights & Equity Office

Anti-Racism Training Module

 

Kingsbury Hall

If you have observed or experienced an incident of bias or hate, discrimination and/or harassment, please report the incident using the reportit!_form or contact the Affirmative Action and Equity Office at affirmaction.equity@unh.edu or (603) 862-2930 Voice / (603) 862-1527 TTY / 7-1-1 Relay NH.

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We welcome the input, feedback and concerns of all in the CEPS community to include students, faculty, staff, alumni and visitors. Please feel free to reach out to the committee at any time via email at dei.ceps@unh.edu  

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