The Mathematics Department is committed to creating an environment in which every student, faculty, and staff member can thrive professionally. In particular, the Department has a zero-tolerance policy for harassment (including either Title IX violations and violations of the codes of conduct for students and faculty.). There are several committees and/or organizations at Rutgers to which community members can bring concerns.
The joint Graduate Student-Faculty Climate Committee (membership below). deals with concerns about professional environment in the graduate program, and fosters dialogue between graduate students and faculty aimed at ensuring that every member of the community can realize their professional potential while at Rutgers. Appointment to the committee for interested volunteers is at the discretion of the Chair; please contact the chair if you are willing to serve.
The Diversity and Inclusion Faculty Committee (see below for membership) is charged with providing suggestions and resources that will help the department become a more welcoming and nurturing environment for faculty and students from all backgrounds, including those from under-represented groups, and improve recruiting and mentoring of faculty and students; and advising the undergraduate and graduate directors to help instructors conduct their classroom in more inclusive way.
1. Procedure for concerns. Members of the Rutgers mathematics community who have concerns or suggestions are encouraged to speak to a member of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee, the Climate Committee, the Graduate or Undergraduate Vice-Chairs, or the Department Chair, or the University resources listed below as appropriate. Note that if the concern involves prohibited conduct, such as sexual harrassment, discrimination on the basis of a protected category, or creation of a hostile working environment, then most department staff will be obligated to report the concern to the university's Title IX office, who will then determine whether the reported conduct might represent Title IX harassment, harassment in violation of the student or faculty codes of conduct, or otherwise. In these cases persons with concerns may or may not wish to speak first to an advisor who is entitled to keep the concern confidential, available at https://nbtitleix.rutgers.edu/resources/faqs-student-complainants-and-respondents.
The investigation of any harassment concern (depending on the roles of the individuals involved) may be handled either by the Office of Student Affairs Compliance & Title IX or by the Office of Employment Equity. Which office concerns should be reported to depends on whether the accused individual is a student, employee, or third party (e.g., contractors, vendors, interns, volunteers), and whether the conduct occurred within the scope of their employment. Generally, the Office of Employment Equity (OEE) handles complaints against faculty, staff, and third parties, including salaried student employees, such as teaching and graduate assistants, where the conduct occurred within the scope of their employment. The scope of the Office of Employment Equity’s services include complaints arising under the University’s Discrimination and Harassment, Workplace Violence, Sexual Misconduct Under Title IX and Conscientious Employee Protection policies. For more information about the Office of Employment Equity, including information about their policies, the process for submitting a complaint, and resources, please visit their website. The Office of Student Affairs Compliance & Title IX handles complaints against students on the New Brunswick Campus, generally including graduate and post-doctoral fellows. If you have questions regarding where to report your concerns, you may contact the Office of Employment Equity at 848-932-3973, or email . For more information about the Title IX Office, including information about their policies, the process for submitting a report, and resources, please visit their website.
2. Resources for pregnancy and parental leave for TAs/GAs and full-time faculty. Under the current contracts (2020) Rutgers offers paid leave of up to eight weeks for a parent to have parental leave after the child is born or when a child is adopted, regardless of gender, marital status/domestic partnership, or sexual orientation. Additionally, the birth mother receives six to eight weeks of paid recuperative leave.
3. Resources on bias in letters of recommendation:
- Recommendation letters reflect gender bias
- Gender and letters of recommendation for academia: agentic and communal differences
- 4. Resources on bias in hiring
- How To Minimize Unconscious Bias During Recruitment
- 7 Practical Ways to Reduce Bias in Your Hiring Process
- Committees with implicit biases promote fewer women when they do not believe gender bias exists
- Is Gender Bias Really Impacting The Hiring Of Women In STEM
- https://diversity.ucsf.edu/resources/strategies-address-unconscious-bias
- 6 Ways to Eliminate Gender Bias in the Workplace
- Description and Prescription: How Gender Stereotypes Prevent Women’s Ascent Up the Organizational Ladder. Regarding necessity for specific hiring criteria.
- https://bit.ly/2Y1fh98 No Credit Where Credit Is Due: Attributional Rationalization of Women’s Success in Male–Female Teams
- Tutorials for Change; Gender Schemas and Science Careers
5. Other resources:
- LGBTQIA Resources
- Social Justice Center at Rutgers : http://socialjustice.rutgers.edu/resources/
- Trans and Nonbinary specific resources: http://socialjustice.rutgers.edu/trans-ru/
- Menu of workshops by-request: http://socialjustice.rutgers.edu/safer-space-training-program/request-a-training-workshop-or-presentation/
- DICE Divisional Resources
- LinkedIn Learning Courses: https://diversity.rutgers.edu/LinkedIn_Learning
- Faculty Diversity Collaborative: https://diversity.rutgers.edu/fdc-explore
- Standing workshops from the Tyler Clementi Center for Diversity Education & Bias Prevention: https://nbdiversity.rutgers.edu/educational-workshops
- Interpersonal Violence Resources
- Rutgers CARES workshop from VPVA: http://vpva.rutgers.edu/rucares/
- VPVA Menu ("Need Help?") http://vpva.rutgers.edu/i-am-facultystaff/i-am-concerned-about-a-student/
- New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault: https://njcasa.org/our-work/
- RAINN National support organization https://www.rainn.org/articles/sexual-harassment
- Rutgers page on sexual harassment: https://sexualharassment.rutgers.edu/about-us/action-collaborative-preventing-sexual-harassment-higher-education
6. Committee on Diversity and Inclusion
Christopher Woodward, Chair <>;
Fioralba Cakoni <>;
Paul Feehan <>;
Stephen Miller <>;
Dima Sinapova <>
Sheila Tabanli <>
7. Joint Graduate Student-Faculty Committee on Department Climate
The Mathematics Climate committee focuses on improving the professional interaction in the department and removing obstacles for graduate students and faculty members from all backgrounds to thrive in the Department. The current committee membership includes Lucy Martinez, Sriram Raghunath, Brittany Gelb, Dima Sinapova, Paul Feehan, and Chris Woodward (chair)
Fri 9/22/2023 7:24 AM
