Initial Publication Date: October 21, 2024

Considerations for Work in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

SERC as an organization is committed to institutional change and improving instructional practices in service to broadening participation in STEM fields and improving student success in and out of the classroom. Sometimes this work fits under the umbrella of DEI, an acronym that has been increasingly difficult for educators working in political environments where anti-DEI law and policy is reshaping campuses. SERC will continue to partner with people improving STEM education in their own context, whatever that is. And the changing landscape has caused us to be thoughtful about how we approach some of our partnerships to make sure we are doing what is best to support our collaborators.

As with many organizations, our strategies in this area are evolving. We are actively working on figuring out how to work well in this rapidly changing space. Below are some considerations and strategies to keep in mind as our community navigates the important work of improving student outcomes. Check back, and we'll update our page as we have new ideas. If you have an idea to share, please reach out.

As you're doing your own work

As you navigate your own DEI work, be conscientious about not only your own situation, but also the situations of others - those that you work with directly, as well as potential audiences for your work. Investigate what constraints colleagues may be working under. Consider how to pivot the focus of your collaboration to allow partners to be transparent about their participation and stay within the bounds of their employment.

In this constantly-evolving environment, be aware of who might be impacted by legislation prohibiting DEI or affirmative action work and how they are impacted. A tool you can use to do this is The Chronicle of Higher Education, which is tracking DEI legislation across the US and which institutions are affected by the dismantling of DEI efforts.

Also consider privacy and be cognizant of how communication can be collected, used, and shared by third parties or taken out of context. For instance, being aware of meeting tools like those that record identifying info or IP addresses of participants, as well as AI note taking, chat, or captions tools that collect information that may be stored or shared by private companies.

In addition, be considerate of your colleagues working in other environments. Consider that,

  • other people may not be able to associate their names with work you are doing.
  • email can be part of public record and subject to freedom of information requests, so use caution when sending out messages.
  • words can be taken out of context.
  • online meeting platforms like Zoom automatically record participants' data, including names they have entered and IP addresses. It is not always clear what is done with this data and/or how it is stored or shared.
  • AI bots in meetings may be helpful for note-taking, but may also have privacy considerations that make it problematic. It is not always clear if and how this information is collected and shared by the AI companies. Additionally, chat and captioning in online meetings may be stored by the meeting platform, and as above, it is not always clear if or how this is being used or shared.

Strategies for working in DEI hostile environments

As we navigate the changing landscape, some strategies for working in anti-DEI environments include:

  • creating partnerships with others on campus, whether that be with others in your department, other departments, administration, student groups, and/or others.
  • figuring out what is allowed and focusing your energy and efforts there.
  • working in the spaces of student success, mental health and accessibility. What is good for one set of students is likely good for many groups of students. 
  • partner with professional organizations, particularly national ones, or private institutions that are not under the same constraints as public institutions may be. 
  • Learn more strategies from this Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion in STEMM Organizations webinar from SACNAS

Privacy at SERC

We here at SERC continue to be committed to supporting open discourse. Our partners have always had the opportunity to work in private spaces to support the development of intellectual property, emerging ideas that are not yet ready for public viewing, and to have difficult conversations. We continue to provide these password protected spaces (e.g. private workspaces) for our partners. However, there are limits on what we can ensure for privacy, and we must work within legal constraints. See our Privacy Statement for more information.