All gender restroom now in Bray! (and a second one in Walters)

To the residents of Bray and Walters-

Consistent with ESF's commitment to diversity, to better accommodate our campus' demographics and in accordance with NYS 8 NYCRR Part 317, changes to existing toilet room designations are being made. We recognize that the changes noted below do not completely address this issue. This is a step towards improvements; additional changes will follow as more building project updates occur. The change is proposed for implementation this coming week.

 Bray Hall

The single occupant restroom at the basement level of this building will be designated an all-gender bathroom. [This restroom is not ADA accessible.]

Walters Hall

The single occupant restroom on the 4^th floor of this building will be designated an all-gender bathroom. [This restroom is accessible per ADA guidelines, as is the all gender restroom on the ground floor.  All Walters restrooms have at least one accessible stall].

Signage [has been posted will be posted shortly]  to indicate this change. This is only one step in a larger effort that will address this important issue throughout all ESF properties. 

Our campus has adopted a Bias Reporting tool that can be accessed through this link, https://www.esf.edu//ide/bias.php . The Bias Reporting System has the capability to report incidents anonymously, or not, and is a way for the campus to report incidents that occur. For your reference please see our NondiscriminationPolicy.

Questions and comments regarding these initiatives should be directed to Rex Giardine.

Erin Tochelli

Associate Director of Academic Administration
SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry 
Pronouns: she/her/hers

“The mightiest oak in the forest is just a little nut that held its ground”

Student parents: connect to other parents on campus

 Students with children, eldercare, or other caretaking responsibilities can feel extra stretched, and sometimes isolated.  Talking with others is a great way to discover resources and family friendly events on- or off-campus, set up study-and-play dates (or play dates/study breaks) and to share advice.  

If you would like to join a virtual discussion forum comprised of other caregivers (students and employees), please subscribe to the FamilyResources listserv:  email listserv@listserv.syr.edu a message of:  SUBSCRIBE familyresources FirstName LastName (Please substitute your own name for those last fields, and leave the “subject” line empty).

If you have any questions or need assistance subscribing, please contact Heather Engelman, engelman@esf.edu

Is ESF friendly to nursing parents?

ESF Lactation Room: 313 Baker Lab. 258 Marshall Hall, coming Spring 2023!

SU's lactation rooms: see Map

Carer Grant Application. For more information on this trial grant program, click here.

Although lots of ESF kids are nursed, neither ESF nor SUNY have lactation policies in place for employees or students-- it is not addressed in the college's sexual harassment policy, or student, graduate student, or employee handbooks. As such, we did not have an official "lactation" or "mother's" room until July 23, 2013--you may now find it in 313 Baker, with renovations completed over the fall semester. Thanks are due to: Computing and Network Services next door for the more comfortable, easier to clean chair: Physical Plant giving up the room, and for the structural renovations (finishing the walls, replacing the original floor basin with a counter and sink, additional outlet, installing a mirror for checking that all buttons have been refastened); Tim Blehar, HR, for shepherding the upgrades; and the VP for Administration for authorizing the work.

How do we fit into the bigger picture?

New York is among the states that have laws that specifically allow women to breastfeed in any public or private location, and that exempt breastfeeding from public indecency laws.

Employees have had ample legal support. A 2007 NYS law (see PDF) requires employers to provide new mothers with a private space to either express milk or breast feed for three years after child birth. Employers are also required to give mothers the time to either express or breast feed. The company does not have to pay the mother for that time (but they also cannot dock her if she can use scheduled breaks or otherwise makes up the time; see PDF). A 2010 federal law states that the employer must also provide a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from co-workers and the public for the employee to express breast milk for the child's first year. If these requirements impose undue hardship, an employer that employs fewer than 50 employees is not subject to these requirement.

Putting this into practice was another matter, however. If you were able to schedule when a child could be brought to you to nurse, you were, and remain, free to use almost any place on campus (there are some labs that no one should be eating in; and that should go double for our babes! This is true for the bathrooms!). For those lucky enough to have private offices (ie, faculty, administrators) pumping could and can still be done in the privacy of your office. The rest of us had to be more creative, and were only successful if we had supportive (vs barely tolerant) colleagues. And effective, July 23, 2013, 313 Baker Lab (near the freight elevator) was designated for nursing moms.

According to Tim Blehar, the door should remain unlocked except when in use, so moms do not have to reserve it to nurse, pump, or clean their pumps. HR assures us that the room is available to student and visiting mothers, too. If repairs are needed, please contact Tim, but for general use questions, feel free to contact Heather Engelman.

Syracuse University has also created a series of Lactation Rooms across campus, which have been mapped by Syr Grad Students with Children. See also https://hr.syr.edu/work-life-benefits-and-resources/raising-a-family/lactation-support for locations and links explaining who to contact for each space, and to access those additional resources.

On a related note, the Gateway Building was designed with a family restroom (i.e. large enough for a family member to accompany any person requiring assistance and with room for the individuals wheelchair or other mobility device, including a stroller) with a changing table in its basement.

We still have a way to go to develop policies that support all parents, including flextime and part-time options, but its good to know that we have support for moms at so many levels of the administration. That said, additional Lactation Rooms across campus would be a lot more accessible for administrative staff--especially in the winter.

Please note that while the nursing room appears on the "Locations of Women’s and Gender Inclusive/All-Gender Bathrooms", mothers should NEVER be referred to a bathroom to pump or nurse.

Caregiver Travel Grants for pre-tenure, full-time faculty with nursing infants

Presenting at, and attending conferences, is a key means for scientists, engineers, and other professionals to further scholarly activities, build collaborations, and establish reputations in their fields. Nursing parents face unique hurdles in realizing these critical networking opportunities, including age limitations and cost of conference childcare (if childcare is even available/offered), challenges pumping and managing breastmilk throughout the conference, sponsor travel reimbursement restrictions, and the significant financial strain of bringing a caregiver.

We are excited to announce that the Office of Research Programs has launched a trial Caregiver Travel Grant Program to support conference attendance for pre-tenure, full-time faculty, for two years post-birth. (Adjunct positions, post-docs, and graduate students are not covered by this program at this time.). Please not that for the purposes of this grant, "full-time" extends to those who were full-time Assistant Professors but have temporarily changed title or FTE due to an Extension of Continuing Appointment Decision.

Grants will reimburse up to $500 of the caregiver’s air- or train-fare per fiscal year, for the purpose of assisting with the care of a nursing infant during the conference. Designated caregivers can be a co-parent, grandparent, babysitter, or other individual of the faculty member’s choice.

For application materials and additional instructions, please visit ORP.  Applications should be submitted at least one month prior to conference travel.   Reimbursement will occur after the trip is completed.

ESF alumnae talk about their experiences in STEM careers

In recognition and celebration of Women’s History Month, four alumnae discussed their unique experiences in pursuing STEM careers in a panel facilitated by Debbie Caviness, Director of SUNY ESF Alumni Relations, on Wednesday, March 23, 2022. The panel addressed many topics, such as the stereotypes women face in STEM careers, negotiating salaries, networking, and what the female experience of working in male-dominated STEM fields was like. The ESF Alumni Association, Office of Admissions, Office of Career Services, and ESF Women’s Caucus jointly sponsored this panel. 

To view recording, click image

Christina Chan ’10, spoke about her experiences as both a female and a person of color as the owner and farmer of the Choy Division, a diversified 1-acre urban farm with a focus on east Asian crops and herbs. As a farmer in a field that is predominantly comprised of older white men, Chan felt insecurities due to being both a person of color and female. Starting out in her field, Chan braced for the worst and felt she needed to prove herself to other farmers, but over time began to realize that other people’s expectations don’t dictate an individual’s self-worth. Optimistically, Chan notes younger generations of farmers are becoming more diverse compared to their older generation counterparts. 

Kelley Corbine ’15, M'17, a forester with the US Forest Service (USFS) and wildland firefighter, faced similar experiences to Chan. In her work as a USFS forester, Corbine observes about 95% of the time in her work, she is the only female in the room. Like Chan, Corbine also felt the need to prove herself to male counterparts. As Corbine continued working, she realized she needed to treat herself kindly and reaffirm to herself that she deserved to be working with the USFS.

Keelin Gangwish ’19, a Pulp & Power Front Line Leader at the paper mill company Sylvamo, had a different challenge, as she works with people of diverse academic and social backgrounds. As a result of this, it was difficult for her to gain basic respect from her coworkers as a female worker. Gangwish recommends individuals to stand their ground, and to know their audience when it comes to addressing female stereotypes in the workplace. She also suggests to subtly guide other male coworkers to a desired outcome if they do not listen to advice. 

Gina Hale ’04, the Senior Director of Operations & Safety at Tufts Medical Center, advised others to ask questions and remain headstrong in topics individuals are confident in. Hale recounted a story of how she had to ask about flow dynamics to ensure the safety of a facility, demonstrating how it is acceptable to not know the answers to everything. In terms of salary negotiation, Hale advises others to not be afraid to ask how much other people make, and to use social networks to determine how much an individual should be making. 

Christina Chan received her B.S. in Environmental Science (focus on Health & the Environment) from SUNY ESF in 2010, and her M.S. in Conservation Science from the Imperial College London in 2013. Kelley Corbine received her B.S. in Natural Resource Management in 2015 and her M.S. in Forest and Natural Resources Management in 2017 from SUNY ESF. Keelin Gangwish received her B.A.Sc. in Paper Engineering in 2019 from SUNY ESF. Gina Hale received her B.S. in Chemistry in 2004.

For more information about the WiSE Professions Series, please visit http://www.esf.edu/womenscaucus.  For upcoming events, please visit ESF’s College Calendar at http://www.esf.edu/calendar.   

As part of the course requirements for FOR797 Perspectives on Career and Gender, students share  responsibility of reporting on speakers in the campus-wide Women in Scientific and Environmental Professions Speaker Series.  The preceding was prepared by Scott Dai, MS student, Sustainable Resources Management, Forest Natural Resources Management.

Making Space for Marginalized Voices, Women's Empowerment Brunch 2021

ESF's 6th Women's Empowerment Brunch invited participants, panelists, and keynote to consider ways to Make (or Reclaim) Space.

Emcee Emily Li (EnvStudies 2022) introduced Dr. Emily Stewart, Senior Director of Education & Curation, at Syracuse's Museum of Science and Technology  who discussed the ways the MOST has become more accessible for a variety of community members, including sensory friendly exhibits; reduced admission for veterans and active military, and EBT users; as well as supporting community science educators and youth science competitions.  (Families with middle schoolers:  check out their partnership with TACNY, called  Jr Cafe, which provides a free program with continental breakfast and free museum admission, generally 3rd Saturdays during the academic year.)  Panelists Alice Olom and Martikah Williams, co-founders of Black Artist Collective; Dr. Marcelle Haddix, Distinguished Dean's Professor of Literacy, Race and Justice in the Reading and Language Arts department in Syracuse University's School of Education; and ESF students Sachi Segan (EnvStudies 2022) and Isabella Fiorese (EnvScience 2023) answered questions about finding space, allyship, and ways of moving forward.

Panelists shared the necessity of resting, setting boundaries, and surrounding themselves with supporting people, and the challenge and exhaustion: 

of "having to act white" and the overwork of silent labor.  Women and other marginalized identities have to always be ready to respond to emails, even while on vacation.  One panelists who hails from a "collectivist, family-centered background" and being told by elder family members "Don't be too loud, Black and proud" for fear of risking citizenship process.

When asked how allies can make space for marginalized identities:  show up and speak up!  Challenge authority and speak for those who cannot.   Panelists countered with "are you educating yourself? Going where you are uncomfortable so others can be more so?  Thinking about and learning the details taught in Title IX training?"  They also noted that the question is upsetting because folks SHOULD know what an ally is by now, and label "ally" is used performatively, without active  engagement or demonstrative effort. Are so-called allies giving something up? Shifting power dynamics, leaving positions of privilege?  Its an intersectional question with many layers.  Fighting for Black people, Black LGBTQIA+, Black Muslims, fighting for and with.   Are allies standing up for these, even when they are not in the room?

In what ways can we move forward and make space?  Be honest that every day is a new challenge and that women have to fight all the time, especially Black women.  Acknowledge that its OK to "just be" for a minute.  Work with Cafe Sankofa and Women's Health, taking up brick and mortar with the 15th ward, understand what's happening with the I-81 project.  Land acknowledgements are empty; how do they lead to reconciliation of the violence that led to the use of these spaces?  BAC's mission is to interrupt, disrupt, break down barriers and speak to what's happening in our community, at any or multiple scales.  

Questions from the audience:  How do you physically create boundaries?  Takes practice, be specific.  Acknowledge what's causing you harm.  Understand what YOU need to be fully present.  May need to intentionality pause to figure out what your balance looks like.

When confronted with the phrases "Just take care of yourself" or "you should have said something", flip the script "I am struggling to establish boundaries, but I need them." Start small--it takes 21 days to create a habit.  One panelists had to unlearn "yes" because was working self to sickness.    For black women in particular, stories that are empowering but overwhelming, the protagonist is always strong.  Can we be fragile or vulnerable?

If boss does not respect need for rest, it's time to go.  A tip:  Review your job description.  If what you are asked to do is not listed, use that to negotiation.  Review other people's job descriptions, and call folks out when they aren't doing their jobs.  "You are director of _____; that's your job (and not _____'s).  

Suggestions:  Read White Fragility and How to be an AntiRacist, all of it!  More POC on boards, front money and invest in people and businesses that do the work. PAY for the Training, go in with other organizations to cover the costs.  1-3 POC out of 500 is not enough. 

Panelists love Gen Z, who are open and forward and use social media to call out, build up, and hold accountable.  

Last thoughts:  SU (academia?) has to come down from The Hill.  College has a utopian aspect, and college community should be more involved in community organizations like Black Cuse pride, BAC. which are small organizations that are constantly doing the work.  Bring elements back to ESF and SU.  

Be a good person, be more thoughtful, leave it better than you found it.  

  

The 2021 WEB was presented by the Baobab Society and the ESF Women's Caucus, in collaboration with The Writing Resource Center, Poetry Society, ESF Bookstore, Green Campus Initiative, and the Environmental Studies Student Organization,  with support of the Undergraduate Student Association, Counseling Center, Vera House,  and the Sustainability Office.  Organizers particulary wish to thank Chris from Vera House and Ruth from Counseling Services for being available for anyone in need of support, Christopher from ITSmedia for sound system set up (and providing student support during the event itself), as well as Bliss Bakehouse, Fat Cat Baking, Mello Velo, Recess Coffee for working with our budgets and guidance to deliciously meet dietary and low-waste constraints. 

To learn more about all WEB events, beginning May 2016, please visit the summaries compiled at:  http://esfwomen.blogspot.com/search?q=empowerment+brunch.

For questions about the 2021 program, contact thebaobabsociety@gmail.com and follow @thebaobabsociety on Instagram.  

Vera House resumes CAPT office hours in Centen

Vera House’s Campus Advocacy and Prevention Team will resume in-person office hours for all ESF students (Undergraduate and Graduate), Tuesdays, 3PM-6PM in Centennial Hall beginning November 2.  Students should check in at Centen’s front desk upon entry.

An advocate will be available to talk CONFIDENTIALLY about questions or concerns about sexual violence, partner violence, or stalking as well as reporting options and connections to support services.  Whether students have experienced something, or know someone who has, Vera House’s CAPT is there.  For more information about the Campus Project serving ESF, SU, LeMoynce, OCC and other institutions,  visit https://www.verahouse.org/campus-project, contact CAPT coordinator Chris Kosakowski at ckosakowski@verahouse.org or the Team CPTeam@verahouse.org.

For a printable display to hang on your door or bulletin board, or have visible during upcoming advising meetings,  click here.  

Vera House also offers a support line for all community members 24/7:   (315) 468-3260 (TTY for Deaf Community (315) 484-7263 during business hours).  In St Lawrence County (Ranger School), Renewal House’s crisis line (315) 379-9845 is staffed 24 hrs/day.

For more information about how ESF community members can #IdentifyInterpretIntervene and #ChooseAction, resources are available at https://linktr.ee/ESFchooseactionnetwork.  To get involved, contact  chooseaction@esf.edu, or the Choose Action Network Project Coordinator, Jennifer Keating, MSW, jkeating@esf.edu or 315-470-4867.

BBFF: Creating a foundation for safer and more equitable fieldwork

Click to view recording

 Building a Better Fieldwork Future (BBFF) trainer Dr. Amanda Adams lead workshop participants through some sobering statistics (64% of field participants reported experiencing sexual harassment while in field, 22% reported physical harassment or assault, with women, racially marginalized groups, LGBTQIA+ people more likely to experience those in the field), and also shared easily implementable tools to prevent and respond to harassment and assault.

“Organizational climate is the single most important factor in determining whether sexual harassment is likely to happen in a work setting.” according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Dr. Adams continues "Degrading jokes are really the most common form of harassment reported in the field, and there's been a rise in the level of harassment." When this continues to be repeated, and the severity increases, it can have a huge impact on not just the target, but on the whole group.   "One of least harmful [types of harassment] but because it so common, can have the biggest impact."

What makes field sites such a high risk environment for harassment and assault? Factors include:

• Sites can be isolated, with limited outside communication or ways to leave
• Graduate field training is loaded with power asymmetries and dependencies on leaders.
• Long hours, close working and sleeping quarters, blurry boundaries

The BBFF Workshop aims to prevent instances of harassment and assault through positive organizational climate, early training, comprehensive and accessible community agreements and field safety plans to facilitate conversations, have a clear course of action when problems arise, and empower team members to respond.   Participants worked through 4 scenarios, determining what when wrong, brainstorming ways to intervene or respond, and also considering what steps could have been put in place earlier to prevent the incident from happening or escalating. 

Safety plans should include communication plans, how to access copies of fleet keys and maps so that team members aren't reliant on a single individual for resources, and list whom to contact in the event of an emergency. At least two people should be designated to receive reports.  Documents should be accessible, not just on someone's hard drive or back on campus. If someone is incapacitated, at least two people should accompany them.   Daily group check-ins cultivate a culture of open, honest communication so that everyone feels its safe to communicate.

Make use of a Community Agreement, a collaboratively created agreement that includes items such as task sharing, privacy, roommate assignments, alcohol and drug use, and how to change work partners or sleeping quarters. Community Agreements ensure everyone is on the same page.  It can be verbally discussed and shared on a board, or through an electronic document.  It should be accessible by everyone, and regularly revisited. Regularly checking in on the community agreement with the entire group reminds folks of its existence without calling out any specific bad behaviors, and furthers normalization of conversation so that when issues do arise, team members are more prepared to address.

Participants were also briefed on the "5 Ds" of bystander intervention:  Direct, Distract, Delegate, Document, and/or Delay. Look for more comprehensive workshops for more information and opportunities to practice.

Dr. Amanda Adams is the Conservation Research Program Manager, Bat Conservation International and Lecturer in Biology at Texas A&M University.  She is a member of the first cohort of certified BBFF trainers.  

This was a presentation of ESF's Women in Scientific and Environmental Professions (WiSE Professions) and a collaboration of the ESF Women's Caucus, ESF Choose Action Network, UC Santa Cruz, Risk & Safety Training University of California Center, and the Center to Advance Mentored, Inquiry-Based Opportunities (CAMINO)@USCS.  Earlier in this year's series, BBFF Coordinator Melissa Cronin discussed the origins and growth of this program to increase field work safety and planning, and to make programs more equitable and welcoming.   A summary of "Scenario-Based Bystander Training to Prevent Sexual Harassment and Assault in Field Settings" written by PhD student Jenna Zukswert is available at http://esfwomen.blogspot.com/2021/04/building-better-fieldwork-future.html and includes a link to a full recording. For more information about WiSE Professions, please visit https://www.esf.edu/womenscaucus/speakers.htm, or contact Heather Engelman, engelman@esf.edu.  

Building a Better Fieldwork Future: Origins of a Program to Increase Safety in Science

Melissa Cronin

Despite field work being a longstanding practice in the sciences, concerns about sexual harassment and assault in field work has only entered the scientific community dialogue recently, spurred by studies showing that most field participants experience harassment as well as highly publicized cases in the media. This exposure has increased concern and communication around sexual harassment and assault in field-based science—which is second only to the U.S. military in terms of harassment prevalence—and consequently action to better respond to and prevent this phenomenon to make science safer and more inclusive. Melissa Cronin is one of three women who came together to address the latter appraoch and develop a program to prevent harassment. She recently spoke to an audience of faculty, staff, and students at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) via Zoom as part of the Women in Scientific & Environmental Professions (WiSE Professions) speaker series on March 31, 2021.

            Cronin began by addressing the unique challenges presented by field work, including limited outside communication and ways to leave, close quarters, power asymmetry, and interactions with non-group members, among others. After addressing the recently acknowledged prevalence of harassment and assault in field work, Cronin explained that an effective way to prevent these instances from occurring is to address the “organizational climate”, or the shared collective norms and values of an organization or setting. This motivation, to change organizational climate, drives the program she co-developed with Drs. Roxane Beltran and Erika Zavaleta called Building a Better Field work Future: Preventing & Managing Sexual Harassment & Assault in Field Science, or BBFF for short.

click image to view video

            BBFF is a 90-minute, highly interactive workshop that has now been conducted for over 800 participants across many institutions, including some in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Nigeria. This program provides examples of tangible policies that institutions can adopt relating to harassment prevention, intervention, and response, such a developing a code of conduct or community agreement (prevention), hosting bystander intervention training (intervention), or implementing zero-tolerance policies (response). This workshop then leads participants through four scenarios increasing in severity and encourages participants to “think out loud” and discuss solutions to these scenarios, keeping in mind that there may be no “right answer.” With an intentionally positive and empowering tone, this workshop helps participants prepare for their field season and become aware of issues and experiences they were not aware of before.

            The popularity of BBFF has grown considerably, and assessments indicate that the highly rated workshop is increasing participants’ knowledge and confidence in these issues. BBFF has become so popular and in high demand that they have implemented a new “Train the Trainers Facilitator Program”, which trainers other individuals, who so far have come from a wide range of disciplines and career stages, to host these BBFF workshops elsewhere. Cronin and her colleagues have also made resources widely available and hope to contribute to a more inclusive cultural shift that values prevention of these issues.

            Melissa Cronin is a Ph.D. candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California Santa Cruz, where she studies mapping and mitigating marine fisheries bycatch as a member of the Conservation Action Lab. Prior to her graduate studies, Cronin worked as an environmental journalist covering climate, politics, and wildlife crime, with stories appearing in The New York Times and Popular Science, among other outlets.

            BBFF is coming to SUNY ESF on April 15^th from 7:00-8:30 pm, for those who are interested in experiencing this interactive workshop. This workshop, the next installment in the WiSE Professions speaker series, will be led by Dr. Amanda Adams, Conservation Research Program Manager, Bat Conservation International and Lecturer, Biology, Texas A&M University. Space is still available; sign up at bit.ly/WiSEProfessions.

Perspectives on Career and Gender/WiSE Professions

As part of the course requirements for FOR797 Perspectives on Career and Gender, students share  responsibility of reporting on speakers, both in class and in the campus-wide Women in Scientific and Environmental Professions Speaker Series.  The preceding was prepared byJenna Zukswert, graduate research assistant and PhD student, SUNY-ESF Department of Sustainable Forest Resources.

Today! Building a Better Training Program for Field-Based Studies

WiSE Professions will feature Building a Better Fieldwork Future, in two independent but related sessions.   “Fieldwork is an essential component of training and research in many scientific disciplines. However, the imbalanced power structure of academia coupled with the remote and informal nature of field sites heightens risks of sexual harassment and assault during fieldwork, especially for women and other at-risk groups. Limited existing research suggests that incidents are widespread and insufficiently addressed by protocols developed for office and classroom settings.” 

Scenario-Based Bystander Training to Prevent Sexual Harassment and Assault in Field Settings. On March 31, 3:45-4:45 pm EST in conjunction with the Perspectives on Career and Gender graduate seminar, Melissa Cronin, University of California, Santa Cruz, will discuss the development, evolution and assessment of the 90-minute  workshop she, Roxanne Beltran and Erika Zavaleta  developed with support of the Thoreau Foundation and Center to Advance Mentored, Inquiry-based Opportunities (CAMINO).  The program has expanded to include 28 trainers at 8 other institutions.  

Workshop:  Building a Better Fieldwork Future: Preventing & Managing Sexual Harassment & Assault in the Field Science. On April 15, 7-8:30 pm EST (some seats still available),  certified trainer Dr. Amanda Adams, Conservation Research Program Manager, Bat Conservation International and Lecturer, Biology, Texas A&M University, will introduce “the unique risks posed by fieldwork and offer a suite of evidence-based tools to prevent, intervene in, and respond to sexual harassment and assault. A series of practical intervention scenarios, the workshop guides participants on how to be an active and engaged bystander, report incidents, and plan field settings to minimize risk. Armed with these tools, participants can play a role in ensuring that field settings are safer, more equitable, and more welcoming for the next generation of field scientists.“ 

 Full abstracts and Registration links for both are available at:  bit.ly/WiSEProfessions

WiSE Professions in STEM fields, and in the field.

Explore career path, and the critical importance of empowered bystanders in field-based education and research through the 2021 Women in Scientific Professions Speaker Series.  

On March 11,  ESF Women in STEM Fields, the ESF Alumni Association will celebrate Women's History Month with a career path panel discussion (1-2 pm EST, Join Session) featuring some of many recent alumnae working in STEM fields. Panelists include Aislinn Brackman '13 (Paper Engineering), Change Agent/Continuous Improvement Specialist, von Drehle Corporation; Olivia Liu '15 (Landscape Architecture), Assistant Landscape Architect, New York City Parks; Hilary Niver-Johnson '11 (Environmental Science), Proprietor, Sustainable Viticulture Systems; Emily Thiel '14 (Environmental Communications), Education and Outreach Coordinator, WNY Prism.   This session is a collaboration of the Alumni Association, Career Services, Admissions, and ESF Women's Caucus, for current ESF students and employees as well as for prospective and incoming students. 

WiSE Professions will then shift focus to those planning, training, and conducting field research with Building a Better Fieldwork Future, in two independent but related sessions.   “Fieldwork is an essential component of training and research in many scientific disciplines. However, the imbalanced power structure of academia coupled with the remote and informal nature of field sites heightens risks of sexual harassment and assault during fieldwork, especially for women and other at-risk groups. Limited existing research suggests that incidents are widespread and insufficiently addressed by protocols developed for office and classroom settings.” 

·        Scenario-Based Bystander Training to Prevent Sexual Harassment and Assault in Field Settings. On March 31, 3:45-4:45 pm EST (PLEASE REGISTER HERE), in conjunction with the Perspectives on Career and Gender graduate seminar, Melissa Cronin, University of California, Santa Cruz, will discuss the development and assessment of the 90-minute  workshop she, Roxanne Beltran and Erika Zavaleta  developed with support of the Thoreau Foundation and Center to Advance Mentored, Inquiry-based Opportunities (CAMINO).  The program has expanded to include 28 trainers at 8 other institutions.  

·        Workshop:  Building a Better Fieldwork Future: Preventing & Managing Sexual Harassment & Assault in the Field Science. On April 15, 7-8:30 pm EST (Please Register here; note space is limited),  certified trainer Dr. Amanda Adams, Conservation Research Program Manager, Bat Conservation International and Lecturer, Biology, Texas A&M University, will introduce “the unique risks posed by fieldwork and offer a suite of evidence-based tools to prevent, intervene in, and respond to sexual harassment and assault. A series of practical intervention scenarios, the workshop guides participants on how to be an active and engaged bystander, report incidents, and plan field settings to minimize risk. Armed with these tools, participants can play a role in ensuring that field settings are safer, more equitable, and more welcoming for the next generation of field scientists.  

This workshop will bookend a series that launched during the winter break with a screening of  Picture a Scientist, in which “(b)iologist Nancy Hopkins, chemist Raychelle Burks, and geologist Jane Willenbring lead viewers on a journey deep into their own experiences in the sciences, ranging from brutal harassment to years of subtle slights. Along the way, from cramped laboratories to spectacular field stations, we encounter scientific luminaries - including social scientists, neuroscientists, and psychologists - who provide new perspectives on how to make science itself more diverse, equitable, and open to all.” The screening culminated in a discussion January 21 with Dr. Mary Collins (Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies), Jennifer Keating (Project Coordinator, Choose Action Network); Nicole Williams '05 (Finance & Operations Director, Ocean Outcomes) and Rebecca Hoda-Kearse (Title IX/Affirmative Action Officer), moderated Dr. Malika Carter, Chief Diversity Officer.  Screening and panel were presented by the ESF Alumni Association in collaboration with the Office of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity; ESF Women's Caucus; and the Choose Action Network

The WiSE Professions Speaker Series is a program of the ESF Women’s Caucus, presented by the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry with the assistance of other groups and offices across campus.  For more information, contact Heather Engelman, engelman@esf.edu.  

Support Participation and Advancement of Women in STEMM

On Women's Equality Day (today), National Academies reminds academia to  “continue to drive bias, discrimination, and harassment out of our institutions and society. Despite decades of research, funding, and programs dedicated to increasing the representation of women in science, engineering, technology, mathematics, and medicine, the numbers, particularly in leadership roles, have remained low or stagnant in many fields, especially among women of color. Our [free, downloadable] reports explore the wide range of structural, cultural, and institutional patterns of bias, discrimination, and inequity that affect women, and the steps that can be taken to increase representation in STEMM.”  Historically, these materials are promoted most heavily to marginalized groups.  However, those impacted most negatively by marginalization cannot fix the bias, or the culture that penalizes them for asking, by themselves.   

We all have a role in creating, and maintaining an inclusive, equitable work and learning environment.  Our students learn not only from course content, but by the examples set by faculty, staff and administration in their classroom and team management, policies, and mentorship models.  NAP titles include:  Promising Practices for Addressing the Underrepresentation of Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Opening Doors (2020); Seeking Solutions: Maximizing American Talent by Advancing Women of Color in Academia: Summary of a Conference (2013); Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2018), The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM (2019), and Beyond Bias and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering (2007).  These, and other reports and proceedings under heading of “women and minoritites”, are available to read online or download here.  Some titles are also available for purchase in ebook or print editions.

Some strategies suggested in these reports include:

• Networking and group mentoring for those in marginalized groups.  The ESF Women’s Caucus will be continuing its networking coffee breaks virtually this fall.  Please let us know your availability and a little bit about you  at  https://forms.gle/2xEqkXLSjzsDbPKx7  Also stay tuned for information from the IDE Committee/OIDE about affinity groups for students, and those newly forming for faculty and staff.
• Recognize that balancing work and family is a universal challenge, with potential impact on retention, equity and quality of work life.  The ESF Women’s Caucus, therefore, invites all caretakers (of children, parents, friends) to subscribe to FamilyResources to share resources, family friendly events on or off campus, or to request information from other list members.  To subscribe, email: listserv@listserv.syr.edu and leave the subject line blank, and message of:  SUBSCRIBE familyresources FirstName LastName.

In addition, the Association of American Medical Colleges Gender Equity Lab (GEL)  also invites registration for its upcoming webinar, Community Call: Creative Strategies to Address the Gendered Impact of COVID-19, September 3, 2020
3-4pm ET, With so many personal and professional changes to our lives as a result of the pandemic, more attention must be paid to how these changes disproportionately impact women, especially women of diverse backgrounds. During this community call, hosted by GWIMS, discuss with your colleagues creative solutions to the gendered impact of COVID such as caregiving and dependent care issues, working remotely, virtual practices and other topics – this call is open to all. [GEL] recently launched … to assist members with these emerging issues and more calls can be scheduled to meet the needs of the community and share resources. REGISTER.   Submit your questions and resources to discuss on the call.  Questions? Contact Rebekah Corlew or Diana Lautenberger

Re-usable menstrual products

ESF has received a $5,000 award to further look holistically at the campus' materials ecosystem and to build a zero-waste campus infrastructure that effectively addresses accessibility, equity, and systemic oppression from the New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse and Recycling (NYSAR3) and the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP21). 

With the grant, ESF will purchase menstrual cups and materials for reusable pads. This effort will build upon the College's zero-waste and inclusivity goals and move closer to becoming a zero-waste campus by 2025. ESF launched its campus-wide composting program in August 2019 and has seen a 27 percent decrease in trash (by weight) since that time.

Lack of access to menstrual products (AKA "Period Poverty") also negatively impacts quality of life for far too many individuals.  Such supplies are in constant demand at food pantries and other social support structures.  This can prevent full participation in school and field work; menstrual cups in particular can  Thus the Office of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity has also pledged funds, and the Baobab Society has pledged their supplies of menstrual cups that the had purchased for a tabling event for Womyn's Herstory Month, as well as assistance in tabling.  As a cost saving measure, PIs budgeted funds for fabric, rather than cloth pads, and hope to recruit student groups and volunteers to make pads, and to teach others to do the same.

Read the press release from The Office of Communications & Marketing here.

Coffee Break: Virtual Edition

During the standard business week, it gets so busy that we have skipped lunch, opted not to refill water bottle to save that time (and that of the inevitable restroom break)—and we are running out of steam carrying more than our fair shares of mental load and taking care of everyone around us.  The new need for "social distancing" and remote learning for our students and for some of us, for our children, may actually increase the need for contact this semester.  So, put on the brakes, recharge batteries a bit, reconnect, bounce ideas off of one another, and offer and receive advice about handling work and life pressures--from wherever you happen to be.

Unfortunately, with this format, we must ask you to provide your own coffee/tea and snacks, but we can still offer an ear and a (virtual) shoulder.  We have got this, and we have each other's backs!  

We are keeping the same schedule, [Mostly] Third Thursdays (3/26 and 4/16) 3:30-4:30 and First Fridays (4/3, 5/1), 11:40-12:35, but rather than walking across campus:  meet.google.com/sru-kxfo-qt or dial: +1 518-600-1124  PIN: 751998318#

FamilyResources now live!

Childcare and eldercare issues are universal concerns, unbounded by title, gender, sexuality or marital status.   So, after discussion with some others about how better to share resources with employees and students, inclusive of all family structures, and facilitate direct communication among interested parties, we launched:  FamilyResources!  Intended for any parent (or other person caring for, or supporting in any way, any family member, friend, or colleague--past, present, or future) to share resources, family friendly events on or off campus (including online!), and to request or offer advice.

To subscribe, email: listserv@listserv.syr.edu and leave the subject line blank, and message of:  SUBSCRIBE familyresources FirstName LastName

Please note:  this was hatched before the community was plunged into "social distancing" and indefinite landscape-level virtual work and study.  These factors actually increase the need for strong support, so please subscribe and stay connected.

Also, the Women's Caucus is seeking partners interested in co-owning this group.  To discuss, please Heather Engelman, engelman@esf.edu.

Morningstar discusses healing socio-ecological wounds through plants and land justice

As an herbalist, academic, activist, and indigenous ethnobotanist, Stephanie Morningstar has learned to see the world through multiple lenses. She visited SUNY-ESF on March 4th, 2020 to discuss how these different worldviews have helped her in her work addressing socio-ecological problems of today. The talk was sponsored by the ESF Women’s Caucus and the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment.

The lecture, titled “Co-creating Indigenous Futures: Finding My Place as a Haudenosaunee Woman in Academia, Land Sovereignty and Healing Justice”, began with the Haudenosaunee thanksgiving address, an expression of gratitude for all that supports life – from the sun to the plants to the animals to the soils. Morningstar encouraged the audience to envision where we find peace in nature, and center ourselves on that image. She then guided us into recognizing the ways that our relationships with land have been damaged over the years, and how we can learn to heal those broken relationships. Morningstar’s life work has focused on this mission, and she approaches it from both a social and a biological perspective. In her many different roles, she says she is always grounded in service to community.

As an herbalist at Sky World Apothecary + Farm, Morningstar develops relationships with plants and uses their gifts to help people heal. As an academic, Morningstar works with Global Water Futures, bridging western and traditional ecological knowledge in water research projects. And as an activist, Morningstar works with the North East Farmer’s of Color Land Trust to help return land to people who have been denied it for generations - specifically black, indigenous, and people of color (BI-POC). She noted that in the United States, BI-POC farmers and stewards own less than 1% of farm land. Morningtar encouraged us to recognize how historical injustices are continued today, and that we must actively work to correct them.

Throughout her talk, Morningstar helped the audience diagnose the ecogrief we may be feeling about the state of the world today. As environmentally-minded citizens, many of us feel the heavy weight of climate change upon us and the loss of beloved ecosystems. In addition to ecogrief, she also described the psychological toll of ethnostress - losing one’s sense of place in the world. These harms weigh especially heavy on indigenous people who have been cut off from their land and culture due to colonization, boarding schools, and land theft. Morningstar’s work to heal these wounds has led her to working for both ecological restoration as well as restorative social justice. 

Morningstar’s lecture ended by asking us to envision once again our wild place of peace, centering us on a vision of a healthy future. Despite the many environmental and social wounds we carry today, she showed us that there are also many paths for healing. To learn more about her work, you can visit her personal website and blog (www.skyworldapothecary.com), her research at Global Water Futures (https://gwf.usask.ca/projects-facilities/indigenous-projects.php), and the work of the North East Farmers of Color Land Trust (https://nefoclandtrust.org/)

              For more information about the ESF Women’s Caucus, and upcoming speakers, please visit: https:/www.esf.edu/womenscaucus.

As part of the requirements for FOR797 Perspectives on Career and Gender, students share responsibility for reporting on presentations in the Women in Scientific and Environmental Professions Speaker Series. The preceding was prepared by By Lauren Tarr (Environmental Science, PhD).

WiSE Professionals resumes with Co-Creating Indigenous Futures, March 4, 4pm

Co-Creating Indigenous Futures: Finding My Place as a Haudenosaunee Woman in Academia, Land Sovereignty, and Healing Justice, March 4, 4pm, Gateway Event Center

Abstract: Stephanie Morningstar, Oneida (Turtle Clan), discusses the evolution of her work as a student, activist, earth-worker, herbalist, and Indigenous Knowledge Mobilizer within her community, the academy, and institutions to advance land, food, water, and non-human sovereignty as a step toward decolonization. We will explore the intersections and legacy of settler colonialism through stories of how intergenerational trauma, racialization, and systemic racism compound health disparities; and how land and access to land is directly implicated in the extractive economies and ideologies that have led to the current climate crisis. This brief glimpse into the life of one singular story in a greater constellation of climate activists, front-line land and water defenders, medicine makers, researchers, farmers, healers, and emergent strategists is intended to activate and share a multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary approach to building community-driven, meaningful, equitable solutions and adaptations to our current shared legacy of colonization and how we can collectively heal together toward a radically beautiful future.

Bio: Stephanie Morningstar (OnΛyota'a:ka – Oneida, Turtle clan, Haudenosaunee Confederacy) is an Herbalist, soil and seed steward, scholar, student, and Earth Worker dedicated to decolonizing and liberating minds, hearts, and land- one plant, person, ecosystem, and non-human being at a time. Stephanie grows medicines and food for front line activists and communities of color at Sky World Apothecary & Farm. She serves as a Leadership Council member for the New England Women’s Herbal Conference and the International Herb Symposium where she has collectively worked to decolonize learning spaces for her community. She is the Co-Coordinator of the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust where she works to liberate land and resituate Indigenous and Diasporic peoples’ roles, responsibilities, and covenants to the land as a direct response to land dispossession, health disparities, and the ongoing climate crisis. Stephanie is also an Indigenous Knowledge Mobilization Specialist for Global Water Futures, where she helps Indigenous-led projects to advance the understanding of traditional knowledge and western knowledge indicators by working together to research and aid in water governance, food security, sediment restoration, water security, climate change and human and ecosystem health in Indigenous communities. She is in love with a beautiful human named Noel, who she has shared her life with for over 10 years. They currently live on Dish With One Spoon Wampum Agreement territory, also known as Niagara, Ontario. 

This program is cross-listed with the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment.

For more information about the Women in Scientific and Environmental Professions Speaker Series, contact Heather Engelman, engelman@esf.edu or 315-470-4752

Information on menstrual products in more ESF restrooms

Shared via "CampusNews"

Dear ESF Campus Community,

Over winter break, the Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Committee worked with the Facilities Department to provide free menstrual products in every restroom on campus. These products have previously been available in women’s restrooms, but have now been placed in men’s and all-gender restrooms as well. A list of locations of women’s, all-gender, single-occupant, and accessible restrooms is available from the ESF Women’s Caucus: https://www.esf.edu/womenscaucus/documents/bathrooms.pdf.

The reasoning behind placing menstrual products in all restrooms is simple: there are people on our campus who find themselves in need of these products, and they should have easy access to them. The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) states that all restrooms may be used by any person regardless of gender identity or expression. Women are not the only people who menstruate, and people of all genders should be able to access menstrual health products in any restroom they enter.  The products are in small bins with lids, and can be easily avoided by those who are not in need of them.

One question that has been posed to the Committee is whether these products should be limited to the all-gender restrooms on campus. All-gender restrooms are very limited on campus; some buildings don’t have any, or lack quickly navigable paths to those in other buildings.  Timing access to these products when needed for ¼ of each month can be a challenge.  If any period is extra heavy, or a person also has a mobility challenge or an extra time constrained schedule, the difficulty to reach an all-gender restroom would be far greater. Many folks who menstruate have preferred products and will only be using what’s in the baskets when they don’t have time or funds to get what works best for them. Lacking access to these products can negatively impact access to education and to work.

The IDE Committee is proud to be part of this initiative to promote equitable access to necessary health products for our entire campus community.

For more information on this and other inclusion, diversity, and equity initiatives, please visit www.esf.edu/ide. Additional information and resources regarding GENDA can be found via the New York Transgender Advocacy Group website at https://www.nytag.org/genda. Any questions, concerns, or ideas can be addressed to [revised contact: Heather Engelman, engelman@esf.edu]. 

Best,

Jules Findlay (they/them)

Coordinator of Education Abroad

Office of International Education

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

9 Old Greenhouse · 1 Forestry Drive · Syracuse, NY 13210

https://www.esf.edu/studyabroad/

Coffee/Tea Breaks for Networking/brainstorming/Open Discussion resumes 10/28

Block out Oct 28, Nov 11, and Dec 2, all 12:45-2:15 (pop in, or stay, as your schedule permits).  324 Bray for Oct and Dec dates, 314 for November. 

Discuss issues facing women in your field, role, or intersection with any other identity.   Which populations are on solid footing?  Which need more support?

Some (all?) of you might be thinking “I (or my students) don’t have time to lounge mid-day.”  Of course not!  But short breaks help individuals regroup and gain fresh perspectives, and diversity of thought is beneficial for problem solving.  Networking and group mentoring are recommended to remove power differentials, and makes for some rich discussions.    And don’t forget about the research  that stress responses in women are moderated by social supports (tend and befriend vs fight or flight).  Or that while sexual coercion and unwanted sexual attention may have waned, gender harassment is pervasive (and campuses that let that fly tend to have higher rates of those more egregious issues).

So take a break with us; it’s good for you (and business, too).