One of my core values is to advocate for and support diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice for others. Embracing diversity and supporting equity, inclusion, and justice strengthens our communities and makes us better teachers, students, and scholars.
As a teacher, I cultivate a learning environment welcoming to all students. I utilize equitable and inclusive practices, such as those from the Universal Design for Learning framework, and I continually seek to promote an environment that welcomes ideas formed by diverse experiences and sparks dialogue. I often tell my students that the classroom is a place to kindle curiosity, that their education belongs to them, and that there are no dumb questions (only questions left unasked). I have been fortunate to teach many students with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and identities, including first-generation, students with disabilities, international students, and military veterans. Teaching them has continually guided me in fostering an inclusive and equitable learning environment. In my experience, so much can be accomplished to support equitable and inclusive learning, especially for students who have been historically marginalized (e.g., students from underrepresented and low-income communities), by designing courses with equity and inclusion in mind, creating better access to resources, and creating a respectful learning environment. For example, to create a more equitable environment I incorporate digital course materials and utilize technology to increase access to resources. Furthermore, I also make every effort to support and accommodate my students, who may have disabilities, children or elders to care for, and/or life events.
As a scholar, I continually seek opportunities to support diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, to grow as an advocate and support my community. For example, during my first postdoctoral position at the University of Washington I participated in a workshop on diversifying recruitment strategies to build more diverse teams in higher education. I wanted to educate myself on how to recognize my own implicit biases and overcome them so that when I start my own lab, I can build a diverse research team. Furthermore, I seek opportunities to actively be an advocate for my community. During my first postdoc at the University of Washington I co-led the development of our laboratory diversity, equity, and inclusion statement, dialogue agreement, and code of conduct. In addition to welcoming potential students, our lab regularly hosted large discussion groups and seminars, so we wanted to make clear, for posterity, our values and how we facilitate thoughtful discussions. Additionally, while at the University of Washington, I participated in working groups aimed at improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. Led by our incredible graduate students, I contributed to discussions and provided thoughtful feedback on the students’ proposal of actionable steps to better the department and community. Currently, at Florida State University, I continue to be a member of working groups aimed at improving equality and inclusion in our department. I contribute to discussions and provide thoughtful feedback on actionable steps that our department can take to better our community.
Actions I take, and will take as faculty, to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice:
Teaching:
- Adding a diversity statement and dialogue agreement to each syllabus
- Incorporating Universal Design for Learning principles into courses
- Highlighting underrepresented and minoritized groups in science
Research:
- Supporting greater representation of underrepresented and minoritized groups in research
- Writing grant proposals to fund undergraduate researchers to improve representation
- Promoting flexible schedules to accommodate students with disabilities, children or elders to care for, life events, etc.
Service:
- Engaging in community outreach by partnering with K-12 schools to teach science workshops
- Helping to increase recruitment of underrepresented students
- Working with colleagues to create/develop forums to support a thriving learning community
Christian Commander, PhD 