Diversity and Inclusivity

Support Statement - Asian Community

Our department is deeply saddened by the violent attacks in Atlanta involving six Asian women, which represent the culmination of a disturbing and alarming increasing trend of anti-Asian racism. We affirm our unconditional support in solidarity with Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander students, faculty, and staff. As a department, we condemn this event as an act of hate and terrorism. The department condemns racism and hate and we are constantly reinforcing our effort in supporting and promoting the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We renew our encouragement to promote human kindness and support the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. 

We are committed to supporting and promoting a diverse student, faculty and staff body and have put in place a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee (DEI) that includes both faculty and students who work to identify long-term strategies for change in our department. We are also committed to teaching our student, staff and faculty body about racism and hate and how to combat it by offering a yearly Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Seminar (GEOL 4140/5140). Through this message, we want to strongly encourage our students, faculty and staff members to participate in bystander training. 

The Department of Geology & Geopysics' Diversity & Inclusivity Position Statement

"We believe that cultural and intellectual richness is fundamental to academic excellence. We therefore value a broad community with many perspectives as a basis for our leadership in Earth science research and teaching. We affirm that we will strive in all our endeavors to promote diversity and advance inclusion and equity in thought, perspective, culture and human identity.
-- The University of Wyoming Department of Geology and Geophysics 9/21/2017”

 

The Department of Geology & Geopysics' Anti-Racism Position Statement

"The dramatic events of the last several weeks challenge us to confront the racial injustices that have long undermined our community, our country, and the world. Few STEM fields are less diverse than geosciences. Even worse, this lack of diversity itself poses challenges to overcoming it, hindering recruitment of diverse young geoscientists and allowing systemic racism, sexism, and discrimination to persist.

It is long past time for change. The Department of Geology and Geophysics therefore believes it is our duty to speak out in support of anti-racist actions. We further affirm that, in the 2020/2021 academic year, we will develop and begin to implement a plan to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a first, positive step, the department has recently voted to eliminate GRE scores, a set of metrics that reinforce racial inequality, from consideration in graduate admissions decisions. Additional actions and timelines for implementation will be announced in the coming year. 

Today and always, we affirm that Black Lives Matter, and that diversity makes our science and community stronger. We are committed to developing a respectful and safe environment in the classroom, in the field, in our research groups, and in our administration. We thank our faculty, students, and staff for working to make our department a welcoming and inclusive environment for all."

-- The University of Wyoming Department of Geology and Geophysics 6/23/2020”

 

The University of Wyoming is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer.

The University's policy has been, and will continue to be, one of nondiscrimination, offering equal opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment on the basis of their demonstrated ability and competence without regard to such matters as race, sex, gender, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, political belief, or other status protected by state and federal statutes or University Regulations.

The University of Wyoming is dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure environment for our faculty, staff, students and visitors.  To achieve that goal, we conduct background investigations on prospective employees.