ToyiaSims,interimTitleIXCoordinator, led a powerful and
informative discussion on Title IX and its role in preventing sexual harassmentatSUNYCollegeofEnvironmentalScienceandForestry(ESF)onApril8,2025, as part of the college's
Perspectives of Career and Gender course in-class conversation
section available to other student and faculty. The discussion
was solely led by Sims.
Sims’s presentation
offered a clear overview of Title IX, a federal law that prohibits sex-based
discriminationineducation.SheexplainedhowESFimplementsTitleIXpoliciestocreateasafe
and inclusive learning and working environment. Through a combination of legal
explanation, real-world examples, and discussion-based engagement, Sims
highlighted the pathways available for students, faculty, and staff to report
concerns, seek resources, and access support services confidentially.
The discussion
emphasized the preventative aspects of Title IX compliance, including mandatorytraining,awarenesscampaigns,andresponsiveinstitutionalprocessesthatprotect the rights and well-being of all
campus members, while also allowing room for students to verbalize their questions and concerns about how Title IX operates.
The discussion
ended with questions from Sims that highlighted the things we learned during
the conversation of not just about Title IX, but also harassment and discomfort
in professional settings,andhowtoidentify,seeksupport,andtakestepstowardresolutionandhealingwithin a safe and respectful campus
environment.
Toyia
Sims earned a BA from Columbia College in 2002. She has been SeniorPersonnelAssociatewithinESF's Human Resources office since 2023.
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 4th 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 ourNondiscriminationPolicy.
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”
Dr. Claudia Benitez-Nelson, professor in the Department of Earth Ocean and the Environment, University of South Carolina, presented Nutrient Cycling, Storm water runoff, and Communicating Science to the Public on Tuesday, March 1, 2022 via Zoom as part of SUNY ESF’s Women in Scientific and Environmental Professions Spring Seminar Series. This seminar was sponsored by ESF Women’s Caucus.
Dr. Benitez-Nelson research focuses on the biogeochemical cycling of phosphorus and carbon, largely in marine environments, and how these elements are influenced by natural and anthropogenic processes. During the seminar she discussed her most recent research on inland and coastal nutrient cycling in relation to planning for stormwater surges.
Benitez-Nelson's team sought to establish the rate of sediment accumulation in stormwater ponds, determine the role these ponds play in the regional cycling of carbon and nutrients, and to identify the sources of organic matter to pond sediments in different growing urban areas in the Waccamaw watershed. “This was for us a real opportunity to truly connect more closely with the communities that we were working in” said Benitez-Nelson when explaining how their findings would benefit the homeowners close to the ponds. Her findings suggest that Particulate Organic Matter (POM) is a better proxy for liability than Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM) and may control Biological Organic Matter (BOD) loads. Her lab continues research on different topics related to aquatic organic matter.
Benitez-Nelson is often asked how she “starts to have these conversations about not just pollution, urbanization, sustainability, but talking about climate and how climate change is influencing where people are living their lives.” She shared that she is part of Science Moms, a non-partisan group of climate scientists, who also happen to be mothers, that “really talk about climate, the need collective action” as well as mitigation efforts, particularly in conversation with other mothers, for the benefit of all their children.
Dr. Benitez-Nelson received B.S. in chemistry and oceanography from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. in oceanography from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute/Massachusetts Institute of Technology Joint Program. She has an extensive publication record which includes lead authored pieces in both Science and Nature. Dr. Benitez-Nelson also serves as Associate Dean, for Instruction, Community Engagement and Research.
For more information about the WiSE Professions Series, please visit http://www.esf.edu/womenscaucus. For upcoming lectures, 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 Natasha M. Torres Ríos, MSc student, Sustainable Resources Management Department.
Rebecca Hoda-Kearse, Title IX coordinator at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF), spoke to the graduate student seminar “Perspectives on Career and Gender” on March 8, 2022 to start the conversation of harassment and whistle-blowing that face all institutions. Hoda-Kearse spoke about how Title IX is used to prevent gender discrimination, which states that “on the basis of sex” no person shall be discriminated against from any educational programs. She continued to talk about other grounds harassment may start on such as quid pro quo in unequal power differences. Under her facilitation, students shared experiences that happened to themselves or others they know that had experienced harassment or discrimination. All students and facilitators were able to recall at least one moment of harassment.
SUNY ESF has many options for reporting Title IX violations. This can be done by talking directly to Hoda-Kearse or virtually though the “Resilient Oaks App" or at https://www.esf.edu/ide/bias.htm. Reporters can remain anonymous.
Hoda-Kearse is the Title IX Coordinator and Affirmative Action Officer at SUNY ESF, overseeing Title IX issues and reporting for the campus as well as discrimination related complaints including sexual harassment. She works closely with many offices including the offices of Student Life, Human Resources, and Inclusion, Diversity and Equity.
Note: Hoda-Kearse's was promoted to ESF's inagural Executive People Officer very soon after this presentation! ESF's Title IX responsibilities remain under this umbrella, but Jules Findlay is Interim Affirmative Action Officer, serving in that capacity in addition to their duties in International Education. Read more about this new campus position at https://www.esf.edu/communications/view2.asp?newsID=9974.
As part of the course requirements for FOR797 Perspectives on Career and Gender, students share responsibility of reporting on class discussions as well as on the speakers in the campus-wide Women in Scientific and Environmental Professions Speaker Series. The preceding was prepared by Katie McLaughlin, Sustainable Resources Management, M.S. May 2023.
As Director of Transportation and Drainage Operations for the City of Houston, Veronica O. Davis is responsible for maintaining and improving infrastructure across 671 square miles. She chatted with ESF on Earth Day about challenges in designing roadways for equitable transit through her lens as a civil engineer passionate about transportation and community development.
Houston is the 4th largest city. Its physically large, but is not contiguous because of its growth through annexation. Houston's road system and bike lane are used to channel rainwater to prevent property drainage. Both are swept to prevent debris blocking drains.
Houston is seeking not just infrastructure, but "really good infrastructure" through better public transit and measures "to live with water. Houston's highest point is only 100' above sea level. So, biking is easy, but drainage is difficult." The city has a big goal of 25 miles/yr of "High Comfort Bike Lanes" plus 50 miles of sidewalk. These lanes are also called "protective bike lanes", which are bide, protected from traffic by a buffer, and have dedicated travel lanes. Her office benefits from an "enterprise fund" from a drainage fee on water bills, sales tax on Metro, rather than on the general budget. She also notes that they benefit from dedicated crews, working to expand their capacity. Botanists are consulted to choose plants suitable for the ebbs and flows along drainage paths.
Half of roadways are concreate, rather than asphalt, which is cooler. The city also uses cool pavements, which are gray and permeable, which helps with both heat retention and drainage. Other ways to make biking safer include reducing instances of speeding through better designed roads. Coupling bike lanes with better public transit also improves bikability, as it helps address "what happens if I need to go far?"
For students nearing graduation, Davis notes that there are lots of opportunities in Houston.
Ms Davis has 20 years of experience in engineering and transportation planning. She co-founded Nspiregreen in Washington DC, which manages Community, Multimodal Transportation, and Environmental planning and consulting. While at Nspiregreen, she led the Vision Zero Action Plans for Washington, DC and the City of Alexandria. She also co-founded Black Women Bike, an organization and movement that builds community and interest in biking among black women. She was named a Champion of Change by the White House (2012) for these accomplishments and advocacy. Davis earned a Bachelor of Science from University of Maryland College Park and a Master of Engineering and a Master of Regional and Urban Planning, Land Use and Environmental Planning from Cornell University.
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
Whistle-blowing and gender-based harassment issues face virtually every institution, and SUNY-ESF is no different. Rebecca Hoda-Kearse knows this intimately due to her role as the Title IX Coordinator at ESF where she oversees campus-wide reports of harassment. She met with the graduate student seminar “Perspectives on Career and Gender” last Wednesday, March 17 to kick off series of in-class guest speakers and facilitate a conversation about gender discrimination. Hoda-Kearse spoke about Title IX legislation in place to prevent against gender discrimination, which states that no person shall be discriminated against or excluded from any educational program “on the basis of sex.” She went on to introduce the problem of structural power differences between men and other genders, and explained how unequal power relationships can become fertile ground for harassment (such as quid pro quo). Students then shared many personal experiences with discrimination, harassment, and assault. Unsurprisingly, everyone in the conversation had either experienced or knew someone personally who had experienced harassment. It was noted that men are rarely named as the most common perpetrators of violence and harassment - instead, actions are often referred to passively, i.e. “violence against women.”
At SUNY-ESF, students and employees have many options for reporting Title IX violations, including directly to Hoda-Kearse or through the “Resilient Oaks App." Reporters can choose to remain anonymous.
Hoda-Kearse is the Title IX Coordinator and Affirmative Action Officer at SUNY-ESF, working closely with the Offices of Student Life, Human Resources, and Inclusion, Diversity and Equity. She oversees Title IX issues and reporting for the campus and manages discrimination-related complaints including sexual harassment.
Next up!
Next in the speaker series hosted by the Gender and Career seminar will be an installment of the campus-wide Women in Scientific and Environmental Professions (WiSE Professions) Speaker Sereis. Melissa Cronin from UC-Santa Cruz will be discussing an innovative, interactive fieldwork bystander intervention training titled “Building A Better Fieldwork Future” she developed in collaboration with Dr. Roxanne Beltran and Dr. Erika Zavaleta of UCSC. All those who plan or participate in fieldwork, or are interested in fieldwork are encouraged to attend - registration is available 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 by Leah Prudent, graduate research assistant and PhD student, SUNY-ESF Department of Sustainable Forest Resources.
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.
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
ESF's Environmental & Social Justice Lecture Series continues Tuesday, Mar 3, at 11am in ESF's Gateway Center, with "The Environmental Implications of Interstate 81."
Lanessa Chaplin, Project Counsel for the NY Civil Liberties Union will catch us up on "Past, Present and Future Plans for I-81" and facilitate the discussion.
Lunch provided
Co-sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs, the President’s Office, the Undergraduate Student Association and the Department of Environmental Studies
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
The National Academy of Sciences now has a way to expel harassers, as well as perpetrators of scientific misconduct, reported Megan Theilking of Statnews “Under the new amendment announced [June 3, 2019], NAS will allow people to present evidence that a member of the
prestigious scientific organization has violated its code of conduct, which
prohibits discrimination, harassment, and scientific misconduct. The 17-person
governing council will then vote on whether to expel that member. Up until now,
there hasn’t been a way to revoke lifetime membership.”
NAS itself reports “the amendment was approved by a large margin,
with 84% voting for the amendment.”
In Adventures
at the Science-Policy Interface, Dr. Brooke Hemming, Sr. Physical
Scientist, United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), gave the “lecture
I wished I’d heard as a graduate student.” Dr. Hemming discussed the role scientists play in public
policy, developed through her exemplary work with the interdisciplinary team
charged with establishing the scientific foundation for “criteria”
air pollutant limits via synthesis of data with emergent understanding of atmospheric
science and the acute and long-term impacts of exposure to human health and
ecosystems. But she also used the Thursday, March 28, 2019 Women in Scientific and Environmental
Professions lecture to outline different science career paths and
preparatory opportunities.
Dr. Hemming first discussed four main
career areas for a professional in the sciences: 1) academic research, 2)
non-profit research, assessment, and advocacy, 3) government research and/or
assessment, and 4) government policy analysis and/or development. On the
subject of her career area (government research and/or assessment), she
acknowledged that her projects and deadlines are pre-determined for her, and
that her work is subject to considerable public scrutiny because she is a
public servant.
Dr. Hemming offered the advice that
when choosing a career path, ask yourself three things:
1)What are your talents and skills?
2)What do you want to be doing on most
days of your week?
3)Own who you are, what you have to
offer, and what you need to be happy before you start making major career
decisions.
Dr. Hemming advised those interested
in environmental policy is to learn the issues of most concern to science
advocates, and to take advantage of education-oriented opportunities to work
directly with policymakers.
Dr. Hemming went on to talk about an
organization she has previously worked, the American Association for the
Advancement of Science (AAAS), and her time as an Environmental Science and
Policy Fellow at the organization. Over the course of her time at the AAAS, she
visited countries like Mexico and Russia to meet with members of government and
local scientists to discuss the state of the climate in those countries.
The next part of Dr. Hemming’s lecture
was on the role of the EPA in policy formulation, which includes: 1) responding
to Congress and 2) assessing & reporting on the state of the science
relevant to environmental policy. She described the role of Congress as having
the power to confirm the EPA leadership, set budgets for the EPA, and create
new offices within the agency. She gave an example of a report to Congress she
had worked on, regarding assessment of black carbon particulate matter.
The National Center for Environmental
Assessment (NCEA) is the division of the EPA that primarily handles assessment
of the science relevant to environmental policy. As a member of the NCEA staff,
Dr. Hemming works to provide the interface between 3 groups employed in the
fields of policy and science: 1) researchers in other parts of the EPA’s Office
of Research and Development, 2) the larger scientific community who generate
new findings and data that inform policy, and 3) the regulators in the EPA’s
regional offices (e.g. the Office of Air and Radiation) who use that data to
make decisions to protect public health and the environment. She went on to
describe the Clean Air Act of 1970, which called for upper limits on ambient
concentrations of 6 criteria air pollutants (ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides,
particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and lead), and its influence on her work.
Dr. Hemming’s office publishes its work as Integrated Science Assessments
(ISAs) that summarize the most policy-relevant science, particularly regarding
assessment of risk to human health, and the ISAs are made available to the
public online.
Dr. Hemming concluded her lecture by
providing a list of important skills that she believes are not usually
developed in graduate school, but that are essential for entering the workforce:
1)humility (being willing to learn from your co-workers)
2)collaborative
problem-solving (as collaboration is required for all
“fully-effective solutions”)
3)self-awareness (knowing your own shortcomings, and how they affect your
interactions with co-workers and shareholders)
4)listening to
your shareholders and partners
(“listen dynamically”, be engaged, sympathetic)
5)work-life
balancing (realizing that although graduate
school doesn’t encourage a balanced life, you need to find a way to set aside
time to take care of yourself)
Since 2002, Dr. Brooke Hemming has
worked in Air Quality assessment at the Research Triangle Park campus of the US
EPA. Her training began at a community college, continued at UC Berkeley and
work at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Her doctoral research at
Stanford University was conducted at the NASA-Ames Research Center and the
Molecular Physics Laboratory at SRI International. Her post-doc in atmospheric
aerosol thermodynamics was completed at the CA Institute of Technology, and was
followed by a fellowship at AAAS.Since
joining the EPA, she has received multiple awards for her work on NAAQS
reviews, and a gold medal for her leadership and co-authorship of the assessments
that formed the basis of the Carbon Dioxide Endangerment finding that CO2
is a harmful pollutant. She is the editor of a new book series, Climate and Policy, under the Anthem
Press Environmental and Sustainability Initiative, and has served for several
years as a technical advisor on the Department of Defense Strategic
Environmental Research Program Resource Conservation and Resiliency Technical Committee,
and as an advisor on the North Carolina State Climate Change and Society
Program Advisory Board. She has also served as a science advisor to Paperhand
Puppet Intervention.
Dr. Hemming’s lecture was co-sponsored
by ESF’s Department of Chemistry and the ESF Women’s Caucus. For more
information about the Women in Scientific and Environmental Professions Lecture
Series, the upcoming (4/25) presentation by Denise Breitberg, Smithsonian
Ecological Research Center, please visit: https://www.esf.edu/womenscaucus/speakers.htm.
As part of the
requirements for FOR496/497 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 Anuli Onwumelu, a MS student in the Forest and
Natural Resources Management’s Ecology and Ecosystems program of study.
Consistent with ESF's commitment to diversity and to better
accommodate our campus' demographics, changes to existing toilet room
designations are proposed. We recognize that the change noted below do not
completely address this issue either here on our main campus or at our regional
properties. This is an additional step towards improvements; additional changes
will follow. The change is proposed, for implementation this coming week.
Marshall Hall
Marshall
Hall was constructed in the 1930's with a higher number of men's toilet
facilities reflective of the disproportionate number of men on campus at that
time. As a measure to create a balance indicative of the current ESF main
campus demographic, the following change is proposed in Marshall Hall: The
existing men's room on the 2nd floor will be designated as women's
rooms effective March 18th, 2019.
Temporary informative signage will be installed at the restroom approximately
one week ahead of the change, and maintained until occupants and visitors to
the building become accustomed to these new designations.
Recommendations for bathroom and requests made by both undergraduate and
graduate students, as well as other faculty and staff members, are the major
catalysts for this change. There are additional measures in design to create
ADA-compliant, single-occupant, gender-inclusive toilet rooms.
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.htm.
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. A
Climate Campus survey to First Year and Senior class students as well as to
staff will be sent out. These surveys will serve as a way to measure the
perceptions of campus climate.
SUNY-ESF is committed to fostering a diverse community of outstanding
faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational
opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities,
without regard to an individual's race, color, national origin, religion,
creed, age, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial
status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status,
domestic violence victim status, or criminal conviction. Employees, students,
applicants or other members of the College community (including but not limited
to vendors, visitors, and guests) may not be subjected to harassment that is
prohibited by law, or treated adversely or retaliated against based upon a
protected characteristic.
Questions and comments regarding these initiatives should be directed to Gary
Peden in Facilities at gspeden@esf.edu or 315-470-4907.
Gary S. Peden, A.I.A.
Director of Facilities Planning,
Design and Construction
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
1 Forestry Dr., Syracuse, NY 13210-2778
[contact information removed; Mr. Peden is now retired]
Amy I. McLaughlin
Title IX Coordinator and Affirmative Action Officer
Email: titleix@esf.edu
[personal contact information removed; Ms. McLaughlin is still in SUNY, but no longer at ESF]
ACORNS Voices
will be heard. The Climate Surveys will assess climate around diversity, equity
and inclusion and we need your VOICE!
Launching March 15th and running through March 31st, first year, senior, and
staff surveys will be available in your inbox soon.
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
…[M]ore rapid and sustained progress … is jeopardized by the persistence of sexual harassment and its adverse impact on women’s careers in … colleges and universities.
On November 9, 2018, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine offered a convocation on developing and implementing policies, procedures, and practices to prevent sexual harassment in academia. Building on the recommendations in the recent report Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Science, Engineering, and Medicine, this event brough together academic leaders, Title IX and diversity officers, ombudsmen, researchers in sexual harassment, and leaders from professional societies, foundations, and federal agencies to discuss strategies and share promising practices. Summary of, and images from, the webcast sessions follow.
Opening
Remarks from National Academies Leadership
Frazier Benya, Senior Program
Officer
NSF
was lead sponsor, joined by NASA, NIH, NIST and others, representatives from
many here today as funders also have role to play.Encourage to strive to create a culture where
it stopped before it starts.
Victor Dzau, President, NAM
Academies
bring together experts to evidence-based advice. Report has already spurred
action among a number of organizations.Each of the Academies is now examining its own policies and procedures
and defining codes of conduct.Report
found that issues aren’t limited, absolutlely must change to prevent women from
continued to be bullied out of carreer paths, and to protect integretity of institutions.IF take a public health approach, need to
address culture and climate that allow SH to continue.Medical encourages that some discomfort is to
be expected, therefore reluctance to come forward.
Dan Mote, NAE.Engineering has long struggled to find
talented people to study.To this end,
working to increase recruitment of women, but progress has been too slow. SH is
a serious impediment, plus morally reprehensible in the first place.Cannot reach full potentional in engineerring
or are pushed out all together.Must
implement system wide change.Firmness
on this matter is mandatory for future of engineering.IEEE Spectrum Op-Ed, enthusiatic endorsed by
editorial team.“Will and need to make
substational changes are here, so lets do it. “
Myth Busting: responding to
the most common misperception[s] about sexual harassment
Kathryn Clancy, Associate Prof. of Anthropology, U Illinois; Lilia
Cortina, Prof. of Psychology & Women’s Studies, UMich; Vicki Magley, Professor
of Psychology, UConn
Myth:misplaced romantic feeling,
physical SH is worst type
Sexual harassment (SH) omes
in three forms:
sexual coercion (SC), e.g., quid pro quo, stereotypical “sleep with
me or fired”
unwanted sexual attention (USA), i.e., touching, hugging, repeated
requests for dates or kisses, sometimes assault
gender harassment (GH), “a
broad range of verbal and nonverbal behaviors not aimed at sexual cooperation
but that convey insulting, hostile, and degrading attitudes” that convey that women don’t belong or
aren’t smart enough to succeed, also sabotage.
Not about romance or conquest. About contempt.
Only 37% of women faculty
hadn’t experienced any SH in the two years prior to survey.Most experienced some type of GH.GH is the most common form of SH encountered
by women students.GH rates vary by discipline,
and medicine encourters most.Engineering experinces more sexist GH.Think of it like an iceberg (see image).Put
downs (and out), not come ons. SH because based on sex or gender.Is it true that verbal harassment is not
nearly as “bad” as physical?None of
assumptions held up to scientific scrutiny (See Figure 2).
While SC and USA lead to
more lawsuits and bad publicity, they are low frequency.GH is pervasive.
Myth:SH is no big deal, but
false accusations are a big deal (see next paragraph for this part).
Can’t you just suck it
up?No.Rude behaviors of malicious intent are directed more at women
of
color.Low level, unchallenged behaviors
have a massive cumulative effect.Looked at impact of being the “only.”We have to hire more…., but have to keep up our standards?Implies the Other person there is not =>
internal gaslighting. Uncertainty permeates.When not the Only, develop meta awareness and cognition that it’s not
them.Students ARE standing up for faculty
and checking in on them, but what does that say about the institution that they
are the only ones that do?
Fig 2. Impact of gender harassment on health and satisfaction.
Myth: False accusations are a really big deal.They do happen, but do so in every type of
crime.Why do we care so much more about
false accusations here?How much effort
is put into questioning credibility of robbery victims?2-8% of reports are false, while 14-40% of
men are sexually harassed in the workplace, so men are far more likely to be a victim of harassment themselves than to be
falsely accused!!!
False reporting red
flags:know accuser, have prior
relationships, no severe, young victim, inconsistent details.What science tells us is that these are
normative!
When over worry about false
reports, results in poorer mentoring—leads to closed door meetings, failure to
engage students, one on one conversations, treating women differently.Can also make you a bad administrator, as
bad risk management to avoid perpetrator lawsuits rather than future victim
lawsuits.
Myths:there are Magic bullets
to try to fix the situations
Harassment Reporting:If institution gets it right, investigates
perfectly, then will end SH affliction!So, if really happened, will report, and no negative ramifications-not
scary, or hard.Research doesn’t
support.In reality, SH reporting is a
LAST resort.Most likely to Avoid, seek
social support, relabel, appease harassers, self-blame, endure, deny.Across 20 years:formal reporting remains about 6%.Hasn’t increased with empowerment of women,
so should we focus here?Research on
labeling of SH experiences.Assume people
are naming behavior as SH, but most are not.Does labeling matter?Yes (see Fig 3), but focusing
on the experiences is more important that reporting or the label.Relevant facts:both professional and social
retaliation (see Table).Fear of retaliation is the #1
reason not to report.
Fig. 3
Relevant
Fact:Reporting can breed retaliation
Professional
Retaliation
Social Retaliation
Given less favorable job duties
Shunned or excluded by others at work
Unfairly demoted
Slighted or ignored by others at work
Denied a promotion I deserved
Gossiped about in an unkind way
Denied an opportunity for training I deserved
Threatened
Given unfair poor job performance appraisals
Criticized for complaining about the situation
Transferred to a less desirable job
Blamed for the situation
Considered a troublemaker
Cortina &Magley (2003, Jn Occupational Health Psy)
(Note: table
text has been transcribed from a photo)
Myth:training is the other
silver bullet. Because WE care, our training works. Because
we have low reports, must be working. One and done! Lots of
support for training, Very little
published on training efficacy. Training
increases certainty, but not percentage of correct responses to knowledge
questions. Only one question that
trained people did do better: on
legality. Untrained people are more
likely to say “I don’t know.” Trained
were more certain that they answered right, even though they scored the same. They are slightly more likely to response
that SH is trivial and expect false/exaggerated reports. What we want is for behaviors to cease.
Employee cynicism
matters.
Employees are good at
sniffing out when only directed at compliance, which affects perceptions of
tolerance.Need to work on best
approaches, assessing impact, reducing cynicism.
Questions:As long as institutions aren’t paying women
as much as men, how are men expected to respect us as much?Uncertain how to respond, because Amen.Pay inequity is an example of GH.Data based on the people still there, but
doesn’t capture those lost (lost willingly or fired in retaliation).
Reporting is necessary, but
insufficient, puts excessive burden on victims, and ignores their
(justifiable!) fears.Need to dispel
belief that it is only appropriate for most egregious acts, set appropriate
sanctions and enforce.
Labelling of behavior—“I
would never grope, etc.” without recognizing that they engage in “put down”
behaviors.Absolutely don’t want SC and
unwanted sexual attention, but also need to deal with rest of the iceberg.Remediation doesn’t need to be limited to those
things above the bar of legal definition of SH.
Trainings that allow for
more perspective taking, theater based, are more impactful than online
knowledge based.
Glad we did this first
today, as first thing need to deal with!
Need to consider retaliation aspect more—who happens to, and when. Happening as a deterrent, before and during
reporting as well as after. Institutions
haven’t figured out best practices to intervene. Much of the time its social retaliation-shut
out, shunned. And institutions don’t
know what to do about those. Example of
a successful practice: At moment of
report, management team should set up a non-retaliation plan. Not much on best practices: hope afternoon sessions (not webcast) will address.
When universities respond, there is a large swell of volunteers. And perpetrators situate themselves in on
those committees. Make look like good
apples when not. Shift framework. Workforce and pipeline development: anecdotally, hear that women can be harder
than men on bringing certain subjects forward.
Is there a real difference? Anyone is capable of harm; women also soak
up the lessons of patriarchy and culture norms.
May push women to complete studies faster and get out situation, rather
than fixing the situation. For women, 98%
of perpetrators are men. For men,
~50%. Which doesn’t bear out that women
are harder on women than men are.
Title IX coordinators are
working within a troubled construct to begin with-recommendations are
ignored.Livelihoods and careers of the
victims are on the line.Google last two
cases at Univ of Illinois, didn’t rise to legal threshold but sanctions
recommended, but were not levied.Think of Title IX—think legal, investigation,adjudication, not the
counseling concerns and mental health ramifications.PhD student—if I go forward with complaint
against renowned scientist, my own future screwed.Training slides were disheartening!If more and more training, will you still see?Look at what is significant difference.When focusing on prevention and leadership
responses, will see.Right now, going
through traumatizing experience that often doesn’t help the victim.Diffusing the power network for the student also
improves outcomes.
Moving Beyond Legal
Compliance and Toward Prevention
Lynn
Pasquerella, President, Association of American Colleges and Universities;
Lorelle Espinosa, Assistant VP, Center for Policy Research and Strategy; Lorelle
Espinosa, Vice President for Research, American Council on Education; Kimberlee
Eberle-Sudre, Director of Policy Research, Association of American Universities;
Kacy Redd, Assistant Vice President of STEM Education Policy, Association of
Public and Land-grant Universities
At
doctoral granting institutions, 20% have women presidents, considerably less
than percentage at all US colleges and universities. When you look at all
institutions, only 5% of presidents are women of color.Looking for parity by 2030, to move on action
rather than just talking about it.Do we
actually have data that women presidents do better?NSF INCLUDES research.Diversifying faculty remains a concern.
AACU.Results of undergraduate student surveys were
sobering, showing much higher rates of assault than had official reporting
mechanisms.“I don’t report because I
don’t know where to go.”
How
do organizations support change makers?APLU has been action oriented, bringing institutions together to
work.Bringing in more diverse faculty.Look at institutional culture to be more
welcoming and supportive. Hiring faculty that support that.Looking at intervention.Looking at bias training in search
committees, how are you using exit interviews.Each institution has a plan to work through.How are you connecting these?Some institutions looking at departmental
climates.Regional summits and moving
to online formats to deliver content to people wherever they are.Bring disparate leaders together to do
situational and table top discussions.Campuses are more comfortable with diversity conversations than equity,
as they don’t understand what that means. Have been looking at things as if
they don’t permeate classroom environment.Don’t want to “unnecessarily lengthen the syllabus.”People don’t see themselves as fundamentally
part of the picture.Its other people.
But It is part of the learning environment.Microaggressions—address in the moment or after class?Need strategies.LGBT+ students experienced the most
harassment.80% of schools said they “changed
it” for a specific populations.Not all
inclusive.Leadership on campus can do a
lot through rhetoric, accountability and monetarily.More we can equip graduate students with the
skills to be compassionate faculty members, those are game changers.Networks, need to be top down.Reaching into disciplinary societies.Need to include all levels in the
conversation.
Questions: Structures to address are institution
based. But experience and research show
that local institutions are not equipped to deal across all interactions. Are there opportunities among your
organizations to develop a collaborative system to investigate, something that
institutions could buy into? You are talking to many different layers. An independent entity that could adjudicate? Sounds really smart. EEOC.
Grants and agencies also hold people accountable. Think critically
important not to impose hetero/cis paradigm.
What do we do with larger community issues? Leaked memo from NYT that defines biological
sex. All of the panel organizations have
an advocacy role. Campuses can set the
tone and ensure it permeates through campus.
Modeling dialog, empowering student voices. What is the role of the Offices of General
Counsel? They can be
conservatizing. They provide info on the
law, but can also provide us with info of what we see in our job. Former General Counsel in audience shared
personal story: asked who is the client? Was fired for asking for an GC
investigation. What role has GCs played
to make sure past crimes were not shared with the public?
Try
to find institutions that are ahead of the pack, and nucleate others around
them. Are we putting as much energy into proactive measures?SH is about power.What are other places doing about relating to
SH intervention?Compounded by social
media—stalking takes multiple forms.Looking at using technology as safe forms of reportings.Calisto for example.Chat Box.Transphobia can take the form of SH, and SH is not a women’s issue but a
gender affected issue.NSF INCLUDES,
IGEN,Onus needs not to be put on people
of color or LGBT because tend to me more junior.
Thoughts
and guidance for postdocs, fellows, medical residents who aren’t easily tracked
because so many different possible titles and capacities, but not captured
under student, faculty or staff umbrellas. Many are concentrated in medical
centers.Also subject to all of
retaliation.
The Role of Federal Agencies
Kelley Bonner,
Workplace Violence Prevention & Response Program Manager, NOAA; David
Chambers, Equal Opportunity Program Manager, NASA; Rhonda Davis, Head, Office
of Diversity and Inclusion, NSF; Lawrence Tabak, Principal Deputy Director,
NIH; Rachel Gettler, General Attorney, Office of Civil Rights, Department of
Education
University
Title IX perception “Fox guarding the chicken coop.” Can go directly to any grant reporting
agency—they all have their own title IX coordinator, and can report there
within 180 days of incident and have adjudicated more fairly. But limited resources, so smart action is
“shotgun approach” to multiple agencies.
Pay equity, EEOC is the best bet instead. How to ensure harassers don’t have access? NSF director sent out to 3000+ institutions that SH would not be tolerated. Put
together a task force, and met every two weeks as launching, now
bimonthly. Went into effect in October
if there is a SH violation, and they are
unable to carry out terms of grant, working on that process now.
NIH
has Indirect and direct approaches.Indirect—extensive anti-harassment program that they hope is a model,
with option for anonymous reporting, central investigations, will issue a
survey of all NIH staff in 2019 about workplace environment. Issued a federal register note to indicate
to institution that speaks to what employees and grantees can do to
pursue. Support much needed
research. In December, will launch a
working group/advisory council on this topic.
Frazier Benya spoke to packed audience not that long ago. External
funding: always had policy that if an
individual’s status policy changes, the institution is obligated to notify the
NIH. Typically by VP of research. Reflex is to take away the grant, which has
collateral damage, particularly taking away support of the individual that reported. Work with university. Truthfully, agencies don’t make a big deal
where a PI has been removed because of legal framework issues—speaking about
someone else’s employee.
NASA
has a robust anti-harassment process.Pre-award, there is a civil rights assurance form, compliance
reviews.Indirectly, try to focus on the
environment that allows harassment to breed.Do you show gender diversity on your website?Do you also recruit at Society of Women
Engineers and Association of Women in Science? Promote promising practices as well as compliance? Title IX requires self-evaluation. Are you using GRE math score as
gateway criteria which shuts out those with tremendous experience and references, reducing diversity)?Mediation with wronged party rather than
invoking title ix "broken" investigation process could empower them while educating the aggressor. (this could work IN SOME CASES, but without also fixing other aspects of system, how to reduce retaliation?)
NIGMS
has announced that there must be an anti-harassment training and dual mentoring
to distribute power and achieve results that are more favorable.Series of initiatives to diversify the work
place in terms of gender, race and ethnicity.Improved early investigative stage.Diversifying panels—not just old white guys, but post docs, young
professionals.
What
is one thing you will invite colleges and universities to do to help efforts?
·Have Research Office communicate with Title IX office.Be intentional about culture change
efforts.Be honest and forthright.
Questions?
Do
you have policies to prevent supervisors from have sexual relationships with
supervisees? NIH does, and has a
mandatory reporting requirement. Adjudicate each situation, and if truly
consensual, readjust the reporting relationship. How do you define consensual? Getting ready to get married (really?!) Nat.
Academy staff has new training on the way.
Recommend providing flexible funding for grad students to diffuse power
structure. But not generally allowed to
pool funding. Parental leave concern: Usually can extend for a year
for family issues. Having child as a
woman, negative impact, for man, positive impact (how was he unaware of this
prior to this study). Some societies are
redefining scientific misconduct to include sexual harassment.
Reporting
has to be the silver bullet for the agencies, as otherwise they cannot act. How
do respond?Still report, but bypass the
institution.Title IX didn’t anticipate
influence of today’s social media.Tremendous strength in numbers.What if a PI or co-PI came and said we had to remove an individual
because of harassment?Not stopping at
those levels. If we hear of something through another form would follow up to
confirm safety of parties and determine if institution can still fulfil terms
of grant. Could be delayed by loss of lower levels as well, but don’t have to
notify. Accommodations could be made.
How
does anonymous reporting actually work?Hire a contract organization so there are none of our employees are involved,
and use a system of checks and balances for web forms or phone call.With an anonymous report, may not get enough
info to proceed.Reporter may come back
later, but cannot seek.With regard to
Title IX structure and review—if there are issues, does that trigger a review of
what the office should be?
Don’t
think the report highlights an “emerging threat.”Problematic behavior has been present a long
time and limiting performance.Need to
increase inclusive practices across the board to tamp down bullying,
Compliance
isn’t enough, but it has to be part of it.What can institutions be doing beyond reporting?Can be diversifying senior leadership and
throughout organizations.Ensure equity,
review every department for equity measures and tie institutional reward system
to it.
Recordings are now available at: https://vimeo.com/album/5561695 Afternoon Concurrent
sessions and closing plenary were not webcast.
