Tools To Applying DEIJ Principles

The following is the land acknowledgement developed by the AIR DEIJ Committee. We envision that this land acknowledgement will be revisited annually and updated as needed. 

Arizona Institute for Resilience (AIR) at the University of Arizona sits on the ancestral homelands of the Tohono O’odham and Pascua Yaqui/Yoeme people whose relationships with this land continue to this day. We offer gratitude to the land and the people who have stewarded it for generations, and commit to sustaining relationships that recognize and acknowledge the people, cultures, and histories that make up our community. 

We encourage each AIR program to develop their own land acknowledgment that recognizes the land and people of places they work and situates these relationships in their missions and values. The core components we suggest including in your acknowledgement are relationships to the land, responsibility, gratitude, and commitment moving forward.

University of Arizona Land Acknowledgment

The following is the land acknowledgement for the University of Arizona. They request that when using the land acknowledgement statement, it be used in its entirety only. However, if space does not permit the full statement, please link to it in this format: The University of Arizona Land Acknowledgement. Additionally, learn more about the work that went into developing this statement.

We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples. Today, Arizona is home to 22 federally recognized tribes, with Tucson being home to the O’odham and the Yaqui. Committed to diversity and inclusion, the University strives to build sustainable relationships with sovereign Native Nations and Indigenous communities through education offerings, partnerships, and community service.

Note about the use of italics: Many people and organizations italicize land acknowledgments when presented digitally. However, italicized text can be more difficult for folks to read, so avoid italicizing text. Learn more about creating accessible text.

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You are welcome to begin employing the practice of land acknowledgement with the University's land acknowledgment statement. We encourage you to tailor a statement specific to your program, with a consideration of the following themes: responsibility, gratitude, commitment, and relationships to land.

Written Materials

Consider including the University's statement, AIR's land acknowledgement, or your tailored land acknowledgement as an AIR program on all written materials such as reports, flyers, brochures, handouts, or other printed items.

Presentations and Gatherings

Consider including the University's statement, AIR's land acknowledgement, or your tailored land acknowledgement as an AIR program as a formal introductory slide, as part of opening remarks/introduction, or in another way determined by the hosts or presenters of the event. Consider presenting the land acknowledgement in the context of your event.

This example from a presentation on State of the Tucson Food System 2021 Report Panel is by Dr. Gigi Owen, Climate Assessment for the Southwest, Eden Kinkaid, School of Geography, Development, and Environment, Dr. Laurel Bellante, Center for Regional Food Studies, and Sean Maccabe, School of Landscape Architecture and Planning. Their land acknowledgement is on the second slide, after the title slide.

Email Signatures

The presence of land acknowledgements in email signatures has increased across the university. If you feel that including the University's statement, AIR's land acknowledgement, or your tailored land acknowledgement as an AIR program within your email signature is helpful or meaningful to you and your work, we encourage you to include it within your email signature. 

Find some thoughts about this practice in this reflection on “Why do we include an Indigenous statement in our email signatures and open meetings with Indigenous land acknowledgements?” from Athabasca University.

AIR Program Websites

Consider including the University's statement, AIR's land acknowledgement, or your tailored land acknowledgement as an AIR program on the home and/or about pages of your website, by the “part of AIR” statement.

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In planning to give a verbal land acknowledgement, practice the pronunciation of the Indigenous names in your statement. If you are unfamiliar with the pronunciation, look for videos or audio recordings in which folks from that nation say those names. For example, in this video from the Tohono O’odham Nation, multiple folks pronounce Tohono O’odham, like former Vice-Chairman Verlon Jose at timestamp 1:49. Refrain from asking the Indigenous people in your circles to teach you how to pronounce these names. Take the initiative to learn through accessible means first. Consider asking non-Indigenous colleagues who might know the proper pronunciation.

Whenever giving or participating in a land acknowledgement, remember to reflect and consider your work beyond acknowledgement. 

Note about the use of italics: Many people and organizations italicize land acknowledgments when presented digitally. However, italicized text can be more difficult for folks to read, so avoid italicizing text. Learn more about creating accessible text.

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A key question to reflect on before giving a land acknowledgement at an event or including a land acknowledgement in written materials is this: what is actively anti-colonial or anti-racist about the product (event, written material, etc.) that the land acknowledgement is a part of? In reflecting on the importance of acknowledging the land you work on, think about the connections between the work you are doing or have done and the land you are on. Then, strongly consider articulating those connections in your acknowledgement statement. This is a more active and engaged way to acknowledge the land and those with long-held relationships to the land. Finally, we encourage you to engage in dialogue with colleagues as to why we choose to acknowledge the land we work on and how we approach this practice.

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These resources identify elements to evaluate and prioritize when preparing a more inclusive position description.

References from Higher Education (including UArizona)

UArizona Recruitment Resources

UArizona Human Resources offers resources on recruitment, which are aimed at "supporting fair and consistent hiring practices, sourcing and growing talent, and fostering diversity and inclusion across campus.” They also offer a Guide to Successful Searches. The sections “A Few Words About Equal Employment Opportunity, Affirmative Action and Diversity” and “Diversity Commitments" in the guide have information on "diversity language in postings."

Tips for Recruiting a Diverse Faculty 

This list of recruitment tips is from the UArizona Office of Institutional Equity. Be on the lookout for future related resources from Human Resources and the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs.

Position Descriptions and Job Posting Guidelines

This webpage from the University of Washington's Human Resources lists dos and don’ts of position descriptions and job postings.

How-tos and Dos/Don’ts for Improving

How to Write More Inclusive Job Descriptions

This resource from Monster details writing tips “to ensure every qualified candidate feels welcome to apply.” 

6 Must-Know Tips for Writing Inclusive Job Descriptions

This resource from Harver contextualizes the need for inclusive job descriptions and outlines considerations and tips on how to write them. 

5 Must-Do’s for Writing Inclusive Job Descriptions

This resource from LinkedIn outlines tips for writing more inclusive job descriptions. 

Sample Position Description and Tips

This webpage from the University of Washington's Human Resources provides an example of a position description and tips for preparing one of your own.

Tools to Check Yourself and Your Job Descriptions

Gender Decoder

This web-based tool is useful in analyzing job descriptions for gender bias. This is how it works: “This tool checks job adverts for the appearance of any [words that research suggests is masculine- and feminine-coded], then calculates the relative proportion of masculine-coded and feminine-coded words to reach an overall verdict on the gender-coding of the [job] advert[isement].” 

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Social Media

Arizona Environment

Arizona Institute for Resilience (AIR) hosts the Arizona Environment social media accounts. This is one place to advertise open positions. The social media accounts include:

• Instagram: @uazenvironment, or visit the page.
• Twitter: @uazenvironment, or visit the page. 
• Facebook: Arizona Institute for Resilience, @uazenvironment, or visit the page.

UArizona Internal Resources

Advertising for a Position

This webpage from UArizona Human Resources lists publications for advertising jobs. These advertising resources are listed in categories, including a diversity category.

Jobs Boards

Diversity Recruitment Links [to job boards and institutions to recruit from]

This document from Case Western Reserve University lists a number of diversity recruitment websites, organized by discipline.

List of Job Boards

• Diversity Working: “This job board boasts that it is the largest online diversity job board.” 
• Hire Autism: “A job board for folks on the autism spectrum.” 
• Hire Purpose: “A job board for veterans, service members and military spouses.” 
• Recruit Disability: “A job board for folks who have disabilities.”
• 70 Million Jobs: “A job board for folks who have a criminal record.”
  • Note from University of Arizona Policy Number HR-401, under “Compliance and Responsibilities:" “The Division of Human Resources coordinates all criminal and motor vehicle records checks and the resulting reports. In considering whether to hire a finalist who has been convicted of a criminal offense, the University will consider the following factors: (1) The relevance of a criminal conviction to job duties, (2) The date of the most recent offense and employment history since the commission of the crime, (3) The nature of the offense, (4) The accuracy of the information the finalist provided on pre-employment forms, (5) If the felony occurred when the individual was a minor, consideration will be given to whether the minor was treated as an adult for purposes of prosecution.” 
• Diversity.com: "trusted and affordable source for recruiting and hiring diverse managers, professionals, executives, faculty and technicians."
• Professional Diversity Network: “Companies recruiting talented Diverse professionals.”
• Black Career Network: “Companies recruiting African American professionals.”
• Military 2 Career: “Companies who value unique military skills to work with them.” 
• Pro Able: “Companies recruiting disabled professionals.”
• Asian Career Network: “Companies recruiting Asian American talented professionals.”
• Women’s Career Channel: “Companies recruiting skilled professional [women].”
• Out Professional Network: “Companies who recruit talented LGBTQ professionals.” 
• iHispano: “Companies recruiting talented Hispanic professionals.”
• Hispanic/Latino Professionals Association (HLPA) Job Board: “Each year the HLPA matches the Nation's Top Hispanic/Latino Talent with America's Best organizations by identifying and listing quality organizations who are currently hiring and have a commitment to Diversity & The Hispanic/Latino Community.” 
• Pink Jobs: "LGBT-friendly job roles from pro-equality partners"
• VetJobs: “We offer personalized, 1-on-1  job placement support, career exploration, and employment training at no cost to our applicants or our employer partners, whether you are active (Active Duty, Reserves, or National Guard) or have completed service (Separated or Retired) ​ we work with all branches of the military.”
• PRISM: "a unique recruitment and job search tool that matches institutions that care about diversity with ethnically and racially diverse talent eager to work in higher education."
• Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) Career Center: "A comprehensive job site for paid employment including postdoctoral fellowships."
• American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) Career Hub: "Posting jobs on the AISES website enables employers to advertise opportunities within their organizations to AISES’ top-talent membership of professionals, students, educators, and others in the STEM fields."
• LGBTQIA+ Outdoor / Environmental Job Board: "This job board is a google form that Queer people (creators, influencers, athletes, artists, marketers, models, community organizers, non-profits, graphic designers, photographers, videographers, writers and more) can fill out that will generate a job board google sheet for brands/clients to see and hire Queer people from. Created by @pattiegonia on Instagram." 
  • Post a job or get hired (for jobseekers).

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Student Cultural Clubs and Cultural and Resource Centers

You are welcome to try advertising positions through student cultural clubs as well as the Cultural and Resource Centers. Find a list of cultural clubs and centers at the University of Arizona.

Inclusion & Multicultural Engagement (IME) Listservs & Social Media

Inclusion & Multicultural Engagement (IME) houses the nine Cultural and Resource Centers (Adalberto and Ana Guerrero Student Center; African American Student Affairs; Asian Pacific American Student Affairs; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer+ Resource Center; Native American Student Affairs; Women and Gender Resource Center; Immigrant Student Resource Center; Common Ground Alliance Project; Masculinities in the Mix Initiative). IME has a listserv that goes out to all professional staff and graduate assistants. Posting your job announcement to this staff listserv will encourage staff to share it out on their own center listservs. These center listervs often include faculty and staff from across the university who have attended center programs in the past.

Additionally, since students are most frequently engaging with the Cultural and Resource Centers through social media, you might consider creating and including a .jpg flier that Cultural and Resource Centers could post on their social media. View an example of a .jpg flyer that one of the Cultural Centers posted to their social media.

Contact: Jane Pizzolato, Director, Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at janep@arizona.edu.

Institute for LGBTQ+ Studies

The Institute for LGBTQ+ Studies has a weekly newsletter, which often includes opportunities. You are welcome to send things to Sarah Maaske at smaaske@arizona.edu and then they can disperse them to the preferable medium of communication.

Their social media accounts include:

• Instagram: @ilgbt_uofa, or view their page. 
• Facebook: @ilgbtuofa, or view their page. 

Thrive Center

The Thrive Center and all of its programs serve underrepresented and historically marginalized student populations. The Director, Michelle McKelvey mfig@arizona.edu, and the Associate Directors, Teejay Brown etbrown@arizona.edu and Patrick Bryan wbryan@arizona.edu, are the people to reach out to with your job announcement and any .jpg fliers. They will make sure the position is advertised widely to their students.

Handshake

Post a position on Handshake, which is a student recruiting platform managed by UArizona Student Engagement and Career Development.

Associated Students of the University of Arizona (ASUA)

The Diversity Executive Directors of the Associated Students of the University of Arizona (ASUA) strive to ensure that the University of Arizona is an inclusive academic community that all students can access, and in which all students can achieve their potential through full participation in the classroom, academic support programs, leadership opportunities, and clubs and organizations. The ASUA Diversity Executive Directors are ASUA’s foremost executives in ensuring unity throughout our diverse campus. 

Instagram: @ASUAToday, or visit their page.

Contact: asua@email.arizona.edu

Disability Cultural Center (DCC) newsletter

The Disability Cultural Center of the Disability Resource Center has a newsletter through which they regularly share opportunities with students. 

Instagram: @UADisabilityCulture, or view their profile.

Contact: disabilityculture@email.arizona.edu

Native American Student Affairs (NASA) newsletter

If you would like any of your events or programs promoted, email a flyer (formatted as a .jpg) to nasalistserv@gmail.com. For additional assistance with the NASA E-newsletter, social media, or website, contact Denise Morales, NASA Coordinator, at mordenise@arizona.edu.

Immigrant Student Resource Center (ISRC) newsletter

View the Immigrant Student Resource Center newsletter. If you would like any of your events or programs promoted, email Matt at mtmatera@arizona.edu.

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Some applicants may be deterred from applying if they lack some of the experience called for in a job description or have never applied to a job like the one you are advertising. Consider adding notes such as these in your descriptions, especially at the beginning of the required experience, training, skills, and education sections. 

• “If you are applying to [position] and have not done [example of tasks that can be learned on the job], we encourage you to still apply.” 
• “Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications as described in a job description. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background and qualifications for the role.”

The following are more resources to consider including in your position postings to enhance equity in the application process.

Examples of resumes and cover letters specific to internship/fellowship calls for applicants as reference

Be inclusive when putting out a call for applications for internships or fellowships. Not all students or applicants will have experience/resources for writing cover letters or crafting resumes. If you are asking for specific elements to be included as part of an application, provide examples or resources that will help make every applicant successful.

For example, if you are asking for a resume and expect to see volunteer experiences in addition to paid employment, ask for that on your call for applications. If you are asking for a detailed CV, provide an example of a successful sample CV with the kinds of experience, publications, or other information you would want to see from applicants.  

Take the time to lay out what you're looking for, and to help applicants who may not have all the resources that others have. This practice will evidence your values as an organization and build pathways for more applications from diverse populations.

UArizona Student Engagement and Career Development resources 

This website is a collection of resources from UArizona Student Engagement and Career Development. Resources for crafting resume include:

• Getting Started with Your Resume 
• The Purpose of a Resume (video)
• Practice Writing Bullet Points to Effectively Describe Your Experience
• Choosing Categories for your Resume (video)
• Resume Checklist
  • Document

    DEIJ_SECD-Resume-Checklist.pdf
• Tailoring Your Resume 
• Sample Resumes by Type 
• Two Page Resume example
  • Document

    DEIJ_SECD-Two-Page-Resume.pdf
• Jobscan: matches the words between your resume and the job description
• Tips for Submitting Your Resume Online
  • Document

    DEIJ_SECD_Tips-Submit-Resume-Online.pdf
• Six Easy Methods of Tracking Your Accomplishments (video)
• Get Resume Ready (workshop video) 

Resources for crafting cover letters include:

• Writing a Cover Letter
• Cover Letter Checklist
  • Document

    DEIJ_SECD_CL-Checklist.pdf
• Sample Cover Letter Based on Job Description
  • Document

    DEIJ_SECD_Cover-Letter-Tailored-Job-Description.pdf
• Quick Tips for Writing a Cover Letter (video)

Resources for references and letters of recommendation include:

• 8 Recs for Recs: The Do’s & Don’t of Asking for a Recommendation

Other resources for student positions

Student Employee Diversity Forum Series

This forum series, hosted by the University of Wisconsin: Madison, is "an opportunity to exchange ideas while engaging in a variety of topics on diversity, identity, and inclusion.” This is a program at another university that might produce helpful resources. 

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Resource List: Equity Work

This list of resources from UArizona Faculty Affairs includes resources on Hiring, Inclusive Faculty Groups, Retention, Promotion and Tenure, Professional Development, and Faculty Wellness. They also have a webpage on proactive recruitment.

Tips for Recruiting a Diverse Faculty

This list of recruitment tips is from the UArizona Office of Institutional Equity.

Tools for evaluating applicants

This resource from the University of Washington's Human Resources page lists recommendations on evaluating responses to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) -focused questions and prompts. The resource includes “samples of DEI-focused questions and guidelines of a “quality” answer” and “additional sample DEI-focused interview questions.”

Checklist for interviewing/hiring committees

This resource from the University of Washington's Human Resources page lists considerations for hiring committees throughout the search process to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Staff Diversity Hiring Toolkit

This diversity toolkit for staff at the University of Washington includes resources on policies, planning, hiring, outreach, candidate review and selection, and onboarding and retention.

Recruitment Lifecycle: Considerations for an Inclusive Recruitment Process

This resource from the University of Wisconsin-Madison lists important considerations for maintaining an inclusive hiring process.

"Questioning Assumptions"

This journal article speaks to the assumptions we make in fostering a diverse workplace. From the abstract: “questioning our assumptions, a first step in addressing difficult scientific problems, is needed to develop a more inclusive scientific workforce.”

Citation: Poodry, C. A., & Asai, D. J. (2018). Questioning Assumptions. CBE Life Sciences Education, 17(3). https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.18-02-0024

“7 Proactive Strategies to Recruit a More Diverse Workforce”

This article from Bamboo HR reviews recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce.

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To find more resources on recruitment, keep up to date with new resources from UArizona Human Resources and the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. Both of these areas have taken up interest in recruiting a diverse faculty, formerly led by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Also try searching the websites of career development organizations, like LinkedIn, that may be developing sections for DEIJ resources. For example, LinkedIn has a resource list on Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging.

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A newsletter is sent by one entity on a regular schedule with regular content, or types of content (announcements, events, resources, scholarships, paid opportunities). These groups would likely be happy to share your opportunity with their community through their newsletters.

UArizona (internal newsletters)

These newsletters at UArizona actively indicate that they are willing to share DEIJ opportunities through their newsletters. 

AIRWaves

Submit information to the AIR biweekly newsletter. Opportunities can be anything from stories and program updates to DEIJ opportunities. 

Weekly Wave 

Send potential announcements for inclusion in the Water Resources Research Center’s Weekly Wave/Summer Wave publications to wrrc@email.arizona.edu. 

Native American Student Affairs (NASA) newsletter

If you would like any of your events or programs promoted, email a flyer (formatted as a .jpg) to nasalistserv@gmail.com. For additional assistance with the NASA E-newsletter, social media, or website, contact Denise Morales, NASA Coordinator, at mordenise@arizona.edu. 

Disability Cultural Center newsletter

If you would like to have your flyer or upcoming event included in their newsletter, please email them at disabilityculture@arizona.edu and include an image description if applicable. Learn more about image descriptions. 

LGBTQ Affairs newsletter

LGBTQ Affairs sends a newsletter around the 1st and 15th of every month during the academic year that includes upcoming events on campus and in the community, opportunities, scholarships, and more. If you have an event or something you would like to share in their newsletter, please send an email to ualgbtqnewsletter@gmail.com with content, flyers, or images that you would like included.

Immigrant Student Resource Center (ISRC) newsletter

View the Immigrant Student Resource Center newsletter. If you would like any of your events or programs promoted, email Matt at mtmatera@arizona.edu.

MES Weekly

This website is an active listing of job and internship openings, environmental events, interesting workshops/conferences, and scholarships for students, staff, faculty, and alumni of the Graduate Program on the Environment at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. It is also open to the general public. If you have an opportunity you would like to share on the blog or have any questions, contact them.

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Listservs are email lists that many people can send emails to whenever there is something to be shared. These do not operate on a regular schedule. The groups that maintain these listservs would likely be happy to share your opportunity with their community. 

• Graduate students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS)
  • <Cals-Students-Graduate>
  • Contact: Kirsten Limesand, limesank@arizona.edu
• Graduate students in the School of Natural Resources & the Environment (SNRE)
  • <SNREGrads>
  • Contact: Ashley Stewart, akstewart@arizona.edu
• Undergraduate students in the School of Natural Resources & the Environment (SNRE)
  • <SNREUngr>
  • Contact: Ashley Stewart, akstewart@arizona.edu
• Student trainees, team members, and community partners associated with the Indigenous Food, Energy, and Water Sovereignty and Security (Indige-FEWSS) Traineeship
  • <Indige-FEWSS>
  • To share your announcement or opportunity, email indigefewss@list.arizona.edu. 
  • Contact: Cara Duncan, caraduncan@arizona.edu
• Students affiliated with/interested in the Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions (CCASS)
  • <CCASS_Students>
  • Contact person: Amanda Leinberger, aleinberger@email.arizona.edu
• National Research Traineeship (NRT) updates and opportunities
  • <NRT_UA>
  • This is a UA internal list to share National Research Traineeship updates and opportunities with Indige-FEWSS Trainees and Core Faculty.
  • Contact: Cara Duncan, caraduncan@arizona.edu
• Division of Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Sciences and Cooperative Extension (ALVSCE) Diversity & Inclusion Council Events
  • <ALVSCE-DI-Events>
  • Contact: inclusive@cals.arizona.edu
• LGBTQ+ Resources Center Listserv
  • Contact: ualgbtq@gmail.com or (520) 621-7585 

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To ensure equity of review in hiring, consider incorporating these practices with your hiring committee: 

1. Clearly outline the expectations of the position understood by hiring committee
2. Rank the importance of certain requirements/preferred qualifications that are agreed on by whole committee
3. Create a rubric for initial review and for interviewing candidates
4. Include DEIJ questions during candidate interviews

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UArizona Applicant Resources

This webpage maintained by UArizona Recruitment and Outreach is a web-based "toolbox" full of "tools and FAQs to help you navigate UArizona's application process."

UArizona Student Engagement & Career Development (SECD) Resources

UArizona Student Engagement & Career Development (SECD) offers a huge number of resources to help students "leverage their application materials to convey their strengths and experiences." Among these resources are the following:

• Getting Started With Your Resume
• Tailoring Your Resume
• Writing A Cover Letter
• Interviewing

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For reference writers: Avoiding gender bias in reference writing

This resource from the UArizona Commission on the Status of Women offers some advice on ways to remove unconscious gender bias from our writing, especially when preparing letters of reference.

Gender-Inclusive Language

This webpage from the Writing Center at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill "will help you make decisions about using gendered language in your writing."

Bias-Free Language Guidelines

These guidelines from the American Psychological Association (APA) "contain both general guidelines for writing about people without bias across a range of topics and specific guidelines that address the individual characteristics of age, disability, gender, participation in research, racial and ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality. These guidelines and recommendations were crafted by panels of experts on APA’s bias-free language committees.”

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Resources for Diverse Populations from Georgetown University

These web-based resource lists from Georgetown University are collections of career resources for students that hold specific identities.

• Career Resources for Students of Color
• Career Resources for LGBTQ Students
• Career Resources for International Students
• Career Resources for Students with Disabilities
• Career Resources for Undocumented Students
• Career Resources for Veterans
• Career Resources for Women

Identity Specific Career Resources from Willamette University

These identity-specific career webpages from Willamette University aim to "assist students with career resources, advice, and insights into their career development process. As many identities intersect, we encourage you to review as many of these pages as you find helpful."

• Career Resources for DACA and Undocumented Students
• Career Resources for First-Generation College Students
• Career Resources for LGBTQ+ Students
• Career Resources for Students of Color
• Career Resources for Students with Disabilities
• Career Resources for Transfer Students, Non-traditional Students, and Student Veterans

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To find more resources that enhance equity in the application process, keep up to date with new resources from UArizona Student Engagement and Career Development. Also try searching the websites of career development organizations, like LinkedIn, that may be developing sections for DEIJ resources. For example, LinkedIn has a resource list on Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging.

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Strategies for developing a more detailed approach for applying DEIJ principles include: 

• Establishing an intentional strategy for engaging and amplifying underrepresented communities
• Ensuring that the approach used builds trust and lasting relationships
• Flexibility with delay, as this extra time can and should be put towards ensuring proper planning and support from the outset

Prepare for funders or project reviewers to ask questions about how your project evidences commitment to DEIJ. The following is an example of a DEIJ-specific question that can be asked: 

To what extent does the project address diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice? This can be achieved through a project which is designed to create more just and equitable outcomes for all community members and include a diverse range of participants or stakeholders. Or, it can be achieved by thoughtfully explaining the challenges impeding the project from addressing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. Note: diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice are separate concepts that should be addressed individually.

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Securing Racial Justice Grants webinar

The following is the description of this webinar recording from Grants Plus: "Foundations are making grants to address racism, inequality, and injustice. How can your organization find these funding opportunities and make the most compelling case in grant proposals for your work to advance racial equity? View the webinar recording to learn how funders are supporting this work, what they expect of grantees, and how your organization can successfully compete for funding." Find more information on their website.

Check Your Labels: Race, Identity, and Power in Grant Writing webinar

The following is the description of this webinar recording from Grants Plus: "Grant writing requires making choices about language. How do the labels we choose either empower or disempower the individuals and groups our institutions serve? In a widely-circulated recent Op-Ed, nonprofit fundraiser Carlton Ford calls on us to find alternatives to terms like “underserved” and “underrepresented,” which can too often be our shorthand in grant proposals for talking about minority communities – but, Mr. Ford asks, “Whom do we serve by labeling an entire community as ‘under’ anything?” It’s time we examine and challenge the common tendency in grant writing to rely on ubiquitous phrases and careless jargon that fails to honor the complexity and diversity of people. Join our team at Grants Plus—and our special guest Mr. Ford—for a spirited exploration of language at the intersection of race and gender. Together we will discover new terminology that will uplift our grant writing and each other." Find more information on their website.

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Broader Impacts

This webpage from UArizona Research Innovation and Impact (RII) is to "help UA faculty and researchers develop strong knowledge of the broader impacts requirements as well as present some ideas on developing a competitive broader impacts statement. The page will continue to expand as additional resources are identified."

NSF 101: Five tips for your Broader Impacts statement

This webpage from the National Science Foundation (NSF) describes "five tips from NSF program officers to help you with your Broader Impacts statement."

Societal Impacts webinar

Drs. Alison Meadow and Gigi Owen from the Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS) hosted this recorded webinar on Societal Impacts.

Planning and Evaluating the Societal Impacts of Climate Change Research Projects: A guidebook for natural and physical scientists looking to make a difference

This societal impacts guidebook, by Drs. Alison Meadow and Gigi Owen, seeks "to illuminate the path toward greater societal impact, with a particular focus on this work within the natural and physical sciences."

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Advancing Research Impacts in Society (ARIS) is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). These resources are all from ARIS and speak to developing Broader Impacts statements according to NSF expectations.

National Science Foundation (NSF) Proposal Preparation Instructions

On this webpage from the National Science Foundation (NSF) are the proposal preparation instructions for NSF project proposals. The hyperlink will take you directly to the section on Broader Impacts, which describes their expectations for writing the statement for your proposal. 

Perspectives on Broader Impacts

This booklet from the National Science Foundation (NSF) offers reflections from the Broader Impacts Infrastructure Summit, held in Arlington, Virginia, in April 2014. It details "discussions on broader impacts focused on institutional collaboration, guidance, and accountability."

Broader Impacts: Improving Society

This website is the main webpage on Broader Impacts by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The 2010 User-Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation

This National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported handbook was "developed to provide project directors and principal investigators working with NSF with a basic guide for evaluating NSF's educational projects. It is aimed at people who need to learn more about both the value of evaluation and how to design and carry out an evaluation, rather than those who already have a solid base of experience in the field. It builds on firmly established principles, blending technical knowledge and common sense to meet the special needs of NSF and its stakeholders."

Citation: Frechtling, J. (2002). The 2002 User-Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation.

Achieving Broader Impacts in the National Science Foundation, Division of Environmental Biology

This journal article by Watts et al. (2015) examines "both the mechanics of the Broader Impacts Criterion and the policy setting within which it has been implemented" with the aim to "contribute to efforts to clarify the broader impacts concept and improve its effectiveness."

Citation: Watts, S. M., George, M. D., & Levey, D. J. (2015). Achieving broader impacts in the national science foundation, division of environmental biology. BioScience, 65(4), 397-407.

Broader Impacts Guiding Principles and Questions for National Science Foundation Proposals

"The National Association for Broader Impacts (NABI) Broader Impacts Working Group has developed a guiding document for the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) broader impacts (BI) criterion. The purpose of this document is to assist NSF program managers, proposal reviewers, and review panels in evaluating the BI component of NSF proposals and to assist proposers with developing their broader impact plans. This document is intended to provide a means for consistency in the way review panels evaluate and rate proposed BI plans."

Implications of the NSF Broader Impacts Statement for Broadening Participation: An Inclusive Strategy in Framework for Evaluating Impacts of Broadening Participation Projects

In Chapter 3 (pages 33 to 41) of Framework for Evaluating Impacts of Broadening Participation Projects: Report from a National Science Foundation Workshop, Donna J. Nelson and Fitzgerald Bramwell "offer specific suggestions for actions that can be taken by NSF grantees and staff to address [the] concern" regarding the lack of a "requirement for grantees to include or gather data on participation by underrepresented groups in most NSF programs."

Citation: Clewell, B. & Fortenberry, N. (Eds.). (Jun 30, 2009). Framework for Evaluating Impacts of Broadening Participation Projects.

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To find more resources on drafting broader impacts, explore the websites of organizations like Advancing Research Impacts in Society (ARIS). You can also try engaging in conversation with your colleagues about the strategies and resources they may consult in this process.

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Incorporating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Your Grant-Making Process: A List of Potential Actions

This resource from Arabella Advisors is a list of opportunities for "grant-making organizations that want to incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion into their grant making."

Equity in Practice

This resource from Arabella Advisors is a two-part series on "how leading funders are turning talk into action to achieve more equitable grant-making practices." Part 1: A Closer Look at Transparency "considers the issues of transparent processes and decision making" and Part 2: A Closer Look at Risk Management "explores the connections between equity and responsible risk management practices."

Guide to Equitable Language in Grant Writing

This resource from Grants Plus offers guidance on "challenging ourselves, our colleagues, and even our funders to use language that empowers, rather than disempowers, the people and groups our organizations engage and serve.”

Find more of their resources on racial justice grants.

Grant Making with a Racial Equity Lens

In this resource from GrantCraft, "grantmakers explain why a focus on racial equity gives them a powerful “lens” for understanding and advancing their work. Drawing on firsthand experiences, the guide offers advice on promoting and deepening your foundation’s commitment to racial equity, both internally and in the programs you support."

Funding Indigenous Peoples: Strategies for Support

In this resource from GrantCraft, they reflect on "how funders collaborate with and bring support to Indigenous communities around the world. Through examples from a diverse range of foundations, [they] explore how grantmakers work with Indigenous peoples, the approaches they take, and the practices they find effective. This guide relies on information from over 25 interviews, a GrantCraft survey, and existing resources. A definitions page offers explanation of key terms in the report. Information derived from historic events or other published work is compiled in the closing section.”

Funding for Inclusion: Women and Girls in the Equation

This resource from GrantCraft "reflects on how gender considerations are being addressed in European foundation programmes, processes, and procedures, and it provides a wealth of practical examples and recommendations to inspire other foundations to do so.” This resource is geographically focused on Europe. This discussion guide has questions pertaining to Funding for Inclusion: Women and Girls in the Equation.

Grant Making with a Gender Lens

In this resource from GrantCraft, "grantmakers and grantees describe the experience of using a "gender lens" in their work. They explain what gender analysis is and isn't - and why it can help shape more effective programs and organizations. The guide also takes a closer look at how gender analysis has led to new thinking in fields as diverse as public health, international development, juvenile justice, and youth services."

Note: This resource might not interrupt the societal gender binary.

"Racial inequity in grant funding from the US National Institutes of Health"

The authors of this journal article review reports and responses to the issue of "grant applications submitted to the National Institutes of Health in the US by African-American or Black Principal Investigators (PIs) [being] less likely to be funded than applications submitted by white PIs." They "also make recommendations on how the NIH can address racial disparities in grant funding and call on scientists to advocate for equity in federal grant funding."

Citation: Taffe, M. A., & Gilpin, N. W. (2021). Racial inequity in grant funding from the US National Institutes of Health. ELife, 10. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65697

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Guidance on Considering Environmental Justice During the Development of Regulatory Actions

This resource from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) "was created to ensure understanding and foster consistency with efforts across the EPA’s programs and regions to consider environmental justice and make a visible difference in America’s communities. The guidance is a step-by-step guide that helps EPA staff ask questions and evaluate environmental justice considerations at key points in the rulemaking process. It helps EPA staff determine whether actions raise possible environmental justice concerns and encourages public participation in the rulemaking process."

EPA Policy on Environmental Justice for Working with Federally-Recognized Tribes and Indigenous Peoples

This resource from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) is " designed to better clarify and integrate environmental justice principles in a consistent manner in the Agency’s work with federally recognized tribes and Indigenous peoples. This Policy is composed of 17 principles which, when implemented individually and together, can help improve the administration of EPA’s programs, support the fair and effective implementation of federal environmental laws, and provide protection from disproportionate impacts and significant risks to human health and the environment."

Building More Inclusive Organizations Initiative: Evaluation Report

This evaluation report from the Environmental Education and Training Partnership was "designed to capture the concerns and problem-solving processes of organizations as they worked toward becoming more inclusive."

"Evaluation and Analyses of Cultural Diversity Training With Environmental Educators"

In this journal article, Alma R. Galván and Lisa LaRocque review the outomces of Environmental Education and Training Partnership Cultural Diversity Workshops aimed at increasing "individuals’ awareness, knowledge, and intentions toward increasing culturally sensitivity." Responses from participants "indicate significant changes in individuals’ levels of awareness and understanding. However, the strategies used for enhancing participants’ levels of understanding do not translate to the organizational level where change is needed to make environmental education relevant and effective when interacting with others holding different worldviews."

Citation: Galván, A. R., & LaRocque, L. (2010). Evaluation and analyses of cultural diversity training with environmental educators. Applied Environmental Education and Communication, 9(4), 262-275.

"Pursuing Sustainability with Social Equity Goals"

This article by Katherine Takai "demonstrates the strategies to consider for integrating social equity into local government activities."

"Advancing Social Equity as an Integral Dimension of Sustainability in Local Communities"

In this journal article, the authors "describe the current activities, leading practices, and achievements of communities that seek to achieve true sustainability". They define sustainability as "measures to protect and enhance the environment, the economy, and equity for current residents and future generations."

Citation: Svara, J., Watt, T., & Takai, K. (2015). Advancing social equity as an integral dimension of sustainability in local communities. Cityscape, 17(2), 139-166.

Environmental Justice Toolkit

This toolkit from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments offers "guidance to policymakers on incorporating social equity, cultural sensitivity, and community health considerations into air quality, climate, and energy planning."

“Expanded Ethical Principles for Research Partnership and Transdisciplinary Natural Resource Management Science”

This journal article offers "an expanded framework for ethical research partnership. This includes four principles: (1) appropriate representation, (2) self-determination, (3) reciprocity, and (4) deference, and two cross-cutting themes: (1) applications to humans and non-human actors, and (2) acquiring appropriate research skills."

Citation: Wilmer, H., Meadow, A. M., Brymer, A. B., Carroll, S. R., Ferguson, D. B., Garba, I., Greene, C., Owen, G., & Peck, D. E. (2021). Expanded Ethical Principles for Research Partnership and Transdisciplinary Natural Resource Management Science. Environmental Management, 1-15.

“Partnerships, Not Projects! Improving the Environment Through Collaborative Research and Action”

“This article describes a particular model of developing partnerships for community-based research and action that seeks to address the gaps [in knowledge about environmental impacts] and then provides an example of the model's application.”

Citation: Austin, D. E. (2004). Partnerships, Not Projects! Improving the Environment Through Collaborative Research and Action. Human Organization, 63(4), 419–430.

Community-based Approaches to Environmental Problems on the Arizona-Sonora Border

“University of Arizona Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology (BARA) researchers have worked for more than a decade on community-based projects on the U.S.-Mexico border. The goal of these projects is to involve residents and community leaders in the identification and implementation of solutions to pressing environmental problems. Applying the approach known as community-based participatory research, BARA faculty and students work with partners in local secondary and post-secondary institutions as well as in government, business and industry, and non-governmental organizations.”

Learn more

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“The Tragedy of the Tragedy of the Commons”

In this article for Scientific American, Matto Mildenberger critiques the tragedy of the commons and Garrett Hardin.

“First as Tragedy, Then as Fascism”

In this article for The Baffler, Alex Amend also critiques the tragedy of the commons and Garrett Hardin.

"‘Tragedy of the commons’ as conventional wisdom in sustainability education"

In this journal article, the authors offer "findings from a survey of instructors who teach undergraduate courses on sustainability within the USA on how Hardin’s essay is used and what the understanding is of the instructors about the essay. The results from the survey demonstrate that there is a mixed understanding of the current state of knowledge about commons governance. In particular, instructors trained in the natural sciences have more misconceptions about commons governance than instructors trained in other disciplines."

Citation: Janssen, M. A., Smith-Heisters, S., Aggarwal, R., & Schoon, M. L. (2019). ‘Tragedy of the commons’ as conventional wisdom in sustainability education. Environmental Education Research, 25(11), 1587-1604.

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"Building environmentally sustainable communities: A framework for inclusivity"

In this journal article, the authors "examine the relationship between [encouraging sustainable communities and enhancing access to opportunity for lower-income people and people of color] through a literature review and an original empirical analysis of how these goals interact at the neighborhood and metropolitan area levels. [They] also offer policy recommendations for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)."

Citation: Been, V., Cunningham, M., Ellen, I.G., Gordon, A., Parilla, J., Turner, M.A., Whitney, S.V., Yowell, A. & Zimmerman, K. (2010). Building environmentally sustainable communities: A framework for inclusivity. What works collaborative.

"Still Developing the Toolbox: Making Environmental Education Relevant for Culturally Diverse Groups"

This resource by Joanne M. Lozar Glenn offers tools and "profiles of programs and people connecting with culturally different communities—no matter how those differences are defined."

"Addressing Anti-Black Racism in Higher Education: Love Letters to Blackness and Recommendations to Those Who Say They Love Us"

In this journal article, Black members of the Journal Committed to Social Change on Race and Ethnicity (JCSCORE) editorial board offer a "love letter to Black students, faculty, staff, executive leadership in higher education, and the surrounding community to center their/our Blackness" and "actionable recommendations [that] will support you in showing that love to Black students, faculty, staff, administrators, and the community."

Citation: Beatty, C. C., Tevis, T., Acker, L., Blockett, R., & Parker, E. (2020). Addressing Anti-Black Racism in Higher Education: Love Letters to Blackness and Recommendations to Those Who Say They Love Us. JCSCORE, 6(1), 6-27.

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To find more examples and reflections on embedding DEIJ principles and language, be open to reading resources from outside your field, engage in dialogue with your colleagues about their approaches, and craft your own reflections on this practice. You can also try searching online for "diversity, equity, inclusion, justice in * field." Replace the asterisk with the field in which you are interested.

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"Five years post-DORA: Promoting best practices for research assessment"

This journal article summarizes "progress on ensuring a fair and meritocratic approach to research assessment."

Citation: Schmid, S. L. (2017). Five years post-DORA: promoting best practices for research assessment. Molecular biology of the cell, 28(22), 2941-2944.

"Signaling Safety: Characterizing Fieldwork Experiences and Their Implications for Career Trajectories"

This journal article "addresses specific tactics, such as policies, procedures, and paradigms that fieldsite directors and principal investigators can implement to improve field experiences and better achieve equal opportunity in field research settings.”

Citation: Nelson, R. G., Rutherford, J. N., Hinde, K., & Clancy, K. B. (2017). Signaling safety: Characterizing fieldwork experiences and their implications for career trajectories. American Anthropologist, 119(4), 710-722.

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To find more examples and reflections on evaluating your work from a DEIJ perspective, be open to reading resources from outside your field that engages in this practice. Also, try connecting with your colleagues to ask about their reflections and any resources they may have found useful for this practice.

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