Botany EDI Initiatives and Reports

Our current focus is on graduate student recruitment, admissions, and mentorship. We are working on a range of shorter- and longer-term initiatives, including the following:

• Clarifying the admissions process and providing more inclusive guidance for prospective students from diverse backgrounds on the departmental website
• Forging partnerships with institutions or programs to increase the diversity of our applicant pool
• Constructing a more holistic review process for admissions and fellowships
• Working with faculty on equitable evaluation of diverse applicants and developing/offering resources for faculty who seek guidance in supporting these students

Since our launch in October 2020, we have accomplished the following:

• Collaboratively developed committee terms of reference
• Consulted with strategists from the UBC Equity and Inclusion Office
• Adapted the EIO’s Inclusion Self-Assessment Tool for use with different Botany committees
• Facilitated conversations with several Botany committees about their activities and practices, resulting in the following reports and recommendations:
  • Seminars committee report
  • Grad advisors committee report
  • TASA report
• Collaborated with ZEDI on a successful proposal for a new Biology Undergraduate Diversity in Research mentorship program
• Developed EDI-related content and resource links for the Botany website
• Joined the campus-wide EDI Action Network, helped launch the Faculty of Science JEDII Community of Practice, and participated regularly in the JEDII STEM series