In Support of DEI

Injustices and systemic prejudice pervade the environmental and conservation movements, which have been shaped by a history of exclusion, colonialism, and privilege. The reality is that these movements have uprooted native peoples from their lands, marginalized environmental concerns of the underprivileged, and chronically excluded non-normative people along the lines of class, race, gender, orientations, ethnicities, and cultures. This history of injustice and exclusion are deeply embedded and hinder the environmental movement and its effort to include people of all colors, ethnicities, backgrounds, orientations, and identities. 

We as workers engaged in social and ecological reform are only beginning to come to terms with these injustices and resulting inequity. We know that progress necessitates having difficult conversations with ourselves about diversity, privilege, and inclusion. Addressing these challenges personally, locally, nationally, and globally will require new solutions and new collaborations across diverse social contexts, driven by authentic and enduring commitments to pluralism and social justice. Part of the solution, we believe, lies in educational practices that are more deeply rooted in communities and more committed to genuine dialogue and participation. We find hope in new approaches that bring people together to advance and just and sustainable future. 

Below are some of the steps we've taken and will continue. We welcome further ideas and have included contact emails below. 

Fundamentals. Project Dragonfly is resolved and engaged in dismantling the structures and forces of exclusion and oppression, particularly in our education systems and in the environmental and conservation movements. Every week, we are inspired by Dragonfly students, alumni, instructors, and partners who engaged deeply in communities, expand boundaries by interacting with diverse stakeholders, and work to ensure the types of inclusive spaces needed for civic participation and progress. To support these transformative interactions, our degree programs are uniquely designed from the group up to be do-delivered with pathbreaking community institutions, non-profits, and conservation organizations united in common cause to support community-engaged learning and shared action. Curricular elements specifically support this mission at the graduate level, including foundational courses in social and ecological inquiry, Community Engagement Labs, Inquiry Action Projects, community and authorship Leadership Challenges, and engaged Master Plans. We believe participatory learning, particularly when focused on community solutions, is an essential building block for inclusive and just educational systems. In this context, the broader reform goal is not only to bring new voices to the table, but to collaboratively redesign the table itself. 

Student Recruitment. Since the inception of its master's degrees in 2009, Project Dragonfly has implemented policies directly focused on reaching students traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields. Beginning in 2018, Dragonfly additionally connected with state and regional organizations for bilingual education, more than 100 colleges and universities notable for their high minority enrollment, and many additional organizations that have underrepresented minorities as members. In 2017, 14.2 percent of the students admitted to Dragonfly master's programs identified as African American, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic, Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander. In 2020, that percentage had increased to 21.4 percent. Most of our admitted students identify as female, consistent with trends of women in the life sciences and educational fields. 

Students, Staff, Curriculum, and Program. Current instructors and full-time staff complete Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training, and staff members continue to seek additional DEI training. A student-led cooperative of Project Dragonfly students, alumni, staff, and affiliates formed and is committed to diversity and inclusion both within the program itself and in the greater conservation and education fields. We inaugurated Dragonfly Diversity Cafes to showcase inspirational experiences and perspectives on diversity, equity, and inclusion-related topics in environmental and conservation settings. In accordance with Miami's strategic Diversity Plan, Dragonfly continues to investigate how to further integrate DEI ideas into its curriculum. We recently identified new curricular opportunities to integrate DEI-related topics in our core courses, and we update curricular materials regularly to engage historical and contemporary issues in social and environmental justice. Dragonfly programs also continue to benefit from the invaluable ideas, perspectives, learning approaches, and curricular innovations introduced by the community institutions across the U.S and global partner network. 

For many of you, these struggles and inequalities are deeply personal and lived through experiences in your communities in the US and in other places. We recognize the power of your experiences in guiding us in this conversation. If you belong to a marginalized group, have been subjected to exclusionary behavior, or have overcome obstacles in order to pursue social and environmental justice for your communities, we welcome your active participation in DEI in our program and in the environmental movement. We recognize that diverse perspectives come from all different backgrounds: African American, Native American, Latin American, Asian (all parts of Asia!), indigenous/tribal, etc. We also recognize that diverse perspectives also come from orientations and identities (LGBTQ+). Your lived experience and unique perspectives will enrich our thinking and work on DEI efforts. In addition, we invite you to participate in the URM (underrepresented minority) student group, Project Diversifly (current students are encouraged to email any of the contacts below to join this group).

• Miami University Library maintains a “Collection of Antiracism and Social Justice Resources”. 
• Miami University Office of Transformational and Inclusive Excellence
• Office of Equity and Equal Opportunity
• Miller Center for Student Disability Services
• Myaamia Center
• International Student and Scholar Services
• Bias Report Form
• Student Counseling Services
• Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion
  • Cultural Center
  • Women*s Center
  • LGBTQ+ Service
• Miami Graduate Student Associations:
  • The Graduate Student Association (GSA)
  • Graduate Students of Color Association (GSCA)
  • The Latin American Graduate Student Association (LAGSA)
  • Haven: LGBTIQ Graduate Alliance 
• University Statement Asserting Respect for Human Diversity
• University Statement of Non-Discrimination
• Policy Prohibiting Harassment and Discrimination

• AccessMU
• Student Disability Services
• MU Libraries
• Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) - Universal Design for Learning
• Microsoft Accessibility Wizard
• WAVE WebAim Tool - Web Accessibility Checker
• Read Out Loud - Adobe Reader Accessibility
• A Digitally Accessible Campus
• Read&Write (Mac or Windows) -  Literacy software that makes the web and documents more accessible for students and employees with dyslexia and reading difficulties.
• Procedures for Requesting Alternative Format Materials
• Caption media
• Add alt text to images
• Gender Decoder to ensure short texts do not target one gender over another

• Anti-Racism and Environmentalism
• On the Stubborn Whiteness of Environmentalism
• How Green Groups Became So White and What to Do About It
• Intersectional Environmentalism
• NAACP's 10,000 Steps to Environmental and Climate Justice Project Toolkit
• Anti-Racism Resources
• Black Lives Matter
• The Turning Point for Real Change by Barack Obama
• Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Information, North American Association for Environmental Educators (NAAEE)
• Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion Information, Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA)

• North American Association of Environmental Educators (NAAEE) has several working groups, including one focused on “Equity and Inclusion.”
• Association of Minority Zoo & Aquarium Professionals (AMZAP)
• Minorities in Aquarium & Zoo Science (MIAZS)

***Help us grow this list! If you have a group to add, please email us (contacts below).

If you are interested in or have ideas to support Dragonfly's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives, please contact a Dragonfly adviser at Miami University: 

-Jamie Bercaw Anzano at bercawj@miamioh.edu

-Katie Feilen at feilenkl@miamioh.edu

-Jill Korach at korachjk@miamioh.edu

-Kevin Matteson at matteskc@miamioh.edu

-Karen Plucinski at plucinke@miamioh.edu

-Amy Sullivan at sullivat@miamioh.edu 

 

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