Widespread, sustainable change will require a transformation of the culture and climate at DU and in the STEM departments. MERISTEM’s Heal group will work to bring light to issues affecting historically excluded faculty (HEF) and promote healing through both acknowledging the problems and taking concrete steps to address them.
We are working to ensure that DEI competency is a part of the annual evaluations of chairs, directors, and deans across the University. This explicitly holds leadership in all departments and colleges accountable for prioritizing DEI work. MERISTEM Heal is working to couple the evaluations with clear communication about ways to satisfy institutional expectations.
MERISTEM’s Heal group will develop mechanisms for oversight of hiring and promotion activities in order to promote best practices and support teams with the resources they need to make equitable decisions. To learn more about MERISTEM programs related to hiring, see the Grow page.
In discussing their needs as part of preparing the grant application, STEM faculty noted the lack of a way to report and seek redress for issues that do not rise to the level of a Title IX complaint. They found that there was no way for faculty to confidentially report microaggressions or other expressions of gender, racial, or other bias to a neutral third party. MERISTEM Heal will work to facilitate change by creating a mechanism for faculty to report such incidents with a goal of education and positive resolution.
“I realized that at its heart what we needed was healing. That was the necessary cultural shift.”
Anna Sher, MERISTEM ADVANCE grant Co-PI and Professor of Biology at DU
Equal Opportunity & Title IX
The Office of Equal Opportunity & Title IX provides support and assistance to DU faculty, staff, and students in order to create an environment of equal opportunity and address discrimination. Title IX specifically applies to community members impacted by gender-based discrimination, harassment, and violence. Equal Opportunity deals with discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin and ancestry, age, religion and creed, disability, genetic information, and veteran and military status.
Go to the graduate admission application to submit your information. For information on admission requirements, visit the graduate academic programs page and locate your program of interest.
