Issue 14 | Winter 2016
DECADE Press
A n O pen Call for School- Based Councils:
Foster ing Safe Spaces
by Dana M urphy
IN THIS ISSUE
UCI FACULTY SPOTLIGHT:
DR. NICOLE MITCHELL
SPEAKER SERIES
WINTER SOCIAL
DIVERSITY INITIATIVES: A
SELECTION
JOURNAL CLUB REFLECTION
ABOUT DECADE
Diverse Educational Community
and Doctoral Experience
(DECADE) aimsto increase
the number of women and
underrepresented minorities
receivingdoctoral degreesat UCI.
CONTACT US
You can reach Wujun K e,
2015-2016 Edi t or for t he
DECADE Press, at
wujunk @uci .edu
DECADE Community meetings are open to all graduate students.
Meetings are facilitated by graduate students and are creative and
thoughtful extensions of our research-oriented lives. Most
importantly, these meetings allow graduate students to speak about
their experiences in a safe and judgment-free zone.
These are the kinds of supportive environments the DECADE Student
Council would like all graduate students to experience. Creating a
DECADE school-based council is an opportunity to demonstrate how
the discourse of diversity betters academic environments for all.
Taking some time to try to understand, and not ignore, your
colleagues experiences strengthens your academic community in a
way that benefits not just others, but yourself as well.
The DECADE Student Council is seeking graduate
students to help create and sustain school-based
councils that provide a safe space for graduate
Bri ng DECADE
students to discuss issues they may be facing,
t o your
promote opportunities for graduate students to
depart ment
implement programming regarding diversity,
promote more substantial dialogue between
graduate students, faculty, and staff, and build
and sustain an inclusive school-wide culture for all.
There are many ways to accomplish these goals. First, it is important
to reflect on your department and school?s needs. What are your
department and school doing well for graduate students? What may
be improved? What aspects of DECADE would prove most beneficial
for your colleagues? Successful school-based councils provide
regular, well-advertised meetings for graduate students. They are
transparent in their goals, their leadership is fluid,
Continued on Page 2
2
I n t er est ed? Get i n vol ved.
Fi ve School s current l y
have DECADE
School -Based Counci l s:
Art s, Humani t i es,
Bi ol ogi cal Sci ences,
Engi neeri ng, and
Educat i on.
Cont act an organi zer t o f i nd
out how you can cont ri but e
t o your School -based counci l .
The Cl aire Trevor School of t he Art s & The School of
Humanit ies
Sonia Desai? ([email protected])
Dan Abrams ([email protected])?
Erica Maria Cheung ([email protected])
Wujun Ke ([email protected])
Henry Lem ([email protected])
Dana Murphy ([email protected])
The Francisco J. Ayal a School of Biol ogical Sciences
Phoebe Valdez ([email protected])
Michael Diaz ([email protected])
?
The Henry Samuel i School of Engineering
Laia Ferrer ([email protected])
OPEN CALL Continued from Page 1
and they remain observant of new ways to
help graduate students. They maintain
commitment to the recruitment and
retention of minority and women doctoral
students.
This article is also a call for proactive
Faculty Mentor involvement in
school-based councils. If you are currently
serving as a DECADE Faculty Mentor, or will
be serving next year, the DECADE Student
Council encourages you to reach out to
your graduate students and let them know
the best way to approach you if they need
support. Many graduate students do not
know that DECADE mentors exist, and some
who do are unsure how to begin a
conversation. The DECADE Student Council
would like to help you build a legacy of
mentoring excellence.
For any inquiries on how to create or
strengthen a school-based council, you may
email the DECADE Campus Coordinator.
Each year, the Campus Coordinator updates
the list of current school-based councils
and is responsible for supporting councils.
The Campus Coordinator also facilitates the
Campus Coordination Committee, which
consists of DECADE graduate students who
serve as liaison members between DECADE
and the home department/ school.
? Dana Murphy, 2015-16 DECADE Campus
Coordinator, [email protected]
Julius Edson ([email protected])
The School of Educat ion
Veronica Newhart ([email protected])
Melissa Powell ([email protected])?
Connie Kang ([email protected])?
Don't see your School
represent ed? Tal k wi t h
your peer s and consi der
foundi ng your own.
3
W inter Social 2016
ASKDECADE
ADVICECOLUMN
Q:
Sometimes I don?t feel like I belong in my
department, even though I work hard as a
graduate student and make an effort to
engage with faculty and other graduate
students. Why do I feel this way? What are
some resources that might help me cope with
this feeling?
A:
Photos by Erica Cheung
On a chilly night in February, DECADE
members gathered at the Palo Verde
Clubhouse for drinks, Costco pizza, and some
much-needed socializing. Thanks for coming
out and be sure to join us next year!
All graduate students experience feelings of
isolation and self-doubt during the course of
their studies. Such feelings are common to a
condition known as impostor syndrome,
which are expressed in feelings of doubt
despite evidence of excellence. I recommend
you talk with your advisor or another mentor
you are comfortable discussing these feelings
with. Remember that these feelings are only
temporary: you have been capable and still
remain capable of doing excellent,
meaningful work. You might also consider
scheduling an appointment with one of the
academic counselors at Graduate Division and
also check out next quarter?s workshop on
impostor syndrome at the Graduate Resource
Center.
Al l graduat e
st udent s
experi ence
feel i ngs of
i sol at i on and
sel f -doubt
4
Endless
Possibilities:
Advi ce f rom ADVANCE
Equi t y Advi sor Ni col e
M i t chel l
by Nayna Sanat hara
Professor Nicole Mitchell is the
Claire Trevor School of the Arts
ADVANCE Equity Advisor and
improvisational flutist, composer
and professor in the Integrated
Composition, Improvisation and
Technology (ICIT) graduate
program within the School of Music
at UC-Irvine.
Professor Mitchell moved with her
family from Syracuse, New York, to
Anaheim, California at the age of
eight. Her family was one of the
few African American families in
the neighborhood. Mitchell found
it difficult to fit in. She describes
growing up black in Anaheim as a
constant battle with kids at school
and individuals in the community.
Formally trained in piano and
violin, Mitchell learned to play the
flute in eighth grade and found
refuge in playing music. Music
allowed for ?endless possibilities?
to create a space full of joy and
safety, for exploration and
adventure free from the prejudice
and the daily hostility she faced.
Mitchell began her career in music
at UCSD after realizing her skill in
musical improvisation. She then
transferred to Oberlin College
and refined her skills over the
next few years, playing jazz
flute in the streets of Chicago
and New Orleans. Later, she
finished her bachelor?s degree
at Chicago State University and
master?s degree from Northern
Illinois University. In Chicago,
she found a sense of community
with like-minded artists and a
rich and varied music scene that
nurtured her creative genius.
During these years, she also
taught music at several
institutions in the Chicago area
before joining UCI in 2011.
Mitchell?s experience and years
of pedagogy have informed her
mentoring style. Within UCI?s ICIT
community, she encourages
students to be supportive of each
other's ideas and inspired by
diverse approaches. She feels that
it is critically important for grad
students to know their identity
"M itchell?s advice is for
graduate students to
remember their core
principles"
outside of the university and, at
the same time, for the university
to understand that Claire Trevor
students are artists here to build
on their skills. As the organizer for
the recent ICIT Black Urban Music
Conference on Feb. 27th-28th, she
invited students and staff to come
together in celebration of Black
History Month.
Mitchell?s advice is for graduate
students to remember their core
principles and not waver in face of
the many challenges that will
confront them throughout
graduate school. She recalls a
scenario during her graduate
school training when her jazz
teachers did not recognize her
work as jazz. They told her that
they weren?t going to pass her if
she continued playing that way.
Mitchell?s improvisational
language, something she had been
cultivating for some time, did not
align with her mentors?aesthetic.
In the end, her teachers saw the
light: although her aesthetic was
different; the quality of her work
was undeniable. Their
transformation reaffirmed her
belief in the importance of
inclusive excellence. She
encourages students to express
their aesthetic by striving for
excellence and quality in their
work.
Continued on Page 5
5
Continued from Page 4
Another word of wisdom she offers to
students is being open to accepting
feedback. Often, feedback about one?s
work can create stress and anxiety that
hinders productivity. She suggests
expressing work without judgment first
and then refining the work later.
Mitchell encourages students to see
feedback as an opportunity for growth.
She did so and it allowed her to pursue
endless possibilities.
Pivot al m om ents:
A Ref l ect i on on t he Wi nt er 2016 Speaker
Seri es
by Stephanie A. Pullés
How do low-income and first-generation minority students achieve
educational success and, against all odds, make it into the upper
echelons of higher education? This was the question that spurred Dr.
Roberta Espinoza?s research on the educational trajectories of
disadvantaged and underrepresented students. During this quarter?s
DECADE Speaker Series, Dr. Espinoza spoke about the obstacles
underrepresented students face in obtaining their educational
aspirations and the importance of strong faculty-student relationships
in creating successful pathways to college and beyond.
Dr. Espinoza is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Pitzer College, a
social justice-oriented liberal arts college belonging to the prestigious
Claremont consortium. Dr. Espinoza?s research began while she was a
doctoral student at the University of California, Berkeley. As a
low-income Latina at a top doctoral program in her field, she was struck
by the heterogeneity she witnessed in her peers?academic trajectories
to the peak of the educational ladder. She became interested in how
one?s trajectory, whether replete with obstacles or relatively
unobstructed, influenced the opportunities, coping strategies, and,
ultimately, success in the journey through academia. Dr. Espinoza then
investigated the early educational experiences in K-12 that determine
whether a student has a smooth or unsteady pathway to higher
education.
In her research on the successful educational trajectories of minority
and low-income students, Dr. Espinoza uncovered a unique pattern in
the educational histories of those students who had made it through to
college: formal and informal interventions by educators that drove
students on the path to academic success. Her subsequent research
continued to examine the mechanisms through which these
interventions led to dramatic changes in individuals?educational
trajectories, making college, and even a doctoral education, a
possibility. She also found that early and frequent interventions had
the greatest impact on the ultimate trajectories of students. These
academic interventions, which Dr. Espinoza call ?Pivotal Moments?, are
born from strong mentoring relationships and are characterized by a
three-step process: (1) the establishment of trust between the pivotal
Continued on Page 6
6
SPEAKER SERIES Continued from Page 5
moment educator and student; (2)
persistent advocacy and mentoring by the
educator on behalf of the student; and (3)
the transmission of knowledge necessary
to achieve success in academic settings.
Through the presence and intervention of a
pivotal moment educator, low-income
minority students gain the confidence,
emotional support, and professional skills
necessary to successfully be admitted to
(and eventually graduate from) college.
By the end of the talk, the audience ? filled
with graduate students and faculty ? was
presented with the tools to employ this
Pivotal Moments framework in order to act
as strong advocates for our increasingly
diverse undergraduate and graduate
student population. The implications of Dr.
Espinoza?s research were very much aligned
with the mission and goals of DECADE: to
provide the institutional support for
underrepresented groups to thrive in
academia. For educators who share the
belief that college should be an option for
any student regardless of their background,
Dr. Espinoza?s Pivotal Moments framework
provides guidance on how we can empower
low-income minority students in their
journeys through academia.
A Selection of D iversit y
I nitiatives
by M ohammed Al i
UCI DECADE is one among many graduate diversity
programs at accredited universities across the United
States. In this article, I summarize some of the key
services diversity programs offer across a sample of
three US institutions. This article is not meant to be
representative of the scope of graduate diversity and
retention programs across the United States. Rather, I
hope that the services outlined here can serve as
inspirations for planning the future growth of DECADE.
University of Chicago
M en of Color Forums and Women of Color Netw ork
Gatherings provide opportunities for graduate students
students to dialogue around topics that impact men of
color and w omen of color. Each forum provides a
venue for students to create a community w ith their
peers and meet faculty and staff of color from across
the institution.
Rutgers University
University of California, Davis
Graduate Academic Achievement and Advocacy Program
(GAAAP) is a student-initiated, student-run program to
empow er and retain underrepresented graduate
students. GAAAP organizes w riting w orkshops, retreats,
mixers, and a graduate-undergraduate mentoring
program.
SUPER Grad is a pipeline program that links
w ith Rutgers?Research in Science and
Engineering Summer Undergraduate Program.
RISE is designed particularly for students from
underrepresented backgrounds and/or primarily
undergraduate institutions w ho are interested in
graduate research in the STEM fields. The
purpose of SUPER Grad is to identify and
encourage the top alumni of RISE to continue
their graduate studies at Rutgers w ith a
first-year graduate fellow ship.
7
A D VA N CE- ing
Gender Equit y at UCI
A D iscussion of the 2016 W inter
Jour nal Club A r ticle
by M artín Jacinto
Despite growing demographic trends and
institutional changes in university hiring
practices across the country, departments
across the UCI campus still see a dearth of
female faculty members. DECADE?s Winter
Journal Club brought together students and
faculty to discuss Stepan-Norris and Kerrissey?s
2015 article ?Enhancing Gender Equity in
Academia: Lessons from the ADVANCE
Program.? Answering the question, what is the
efficacy of institutional efforts aimed at
increasing women faculty members at
UC-Irvine?, the article examined the
effectiveness of UCI ADVANCE, a campus-wide
program aimed at fortifying women?s presence
and advancement in STEM disciplines. The
discussion was moderated by Dr. Susan Coutin,
Professor of Criminology, and attended by Dr.
Doug Haynes, the ADVANCE Program Director
and Vice Provost for Equity, Diversity, and
Inclusion.
In 2011, UCI
received a
National
Science
Foundation
(NSF)
Institutional
Transformation Grant of $3.5 million to
increase the presence of female tenure-track
faculty in STEM departments. According to Dr.
W hat is the efficacy of
institutional efforts aimed at
increasing women faculty
members at UC- I rvine?
Haynes, the generous grant from the NSF was
?the first time that primary funding agencies
recognized the problem of women?s
underrepresentation in most fields?. The
ADVANCE program was embedded across all 10
UC campuses and its presence is correlated
with a steady increase in female faculty in UCI
(see Figure 1). However, identifying the causal
mechanisms of the program that results in
increase of women?s presence in STEM fields
across UCI remained unclear. Stepan-Norris and
Kerrissey seek to determine what elements of
the ADVANCE program are instrumental in the
increase of women?s representation and,
paradoxically, the increase of separations
(departure of women faculty).
The study found that the ADVANCE Program?s
efficacy stems from the presence of Equity
Advisors. Equity Advisors are senior faculty
Continued on Page 8
8
ADVANCE Continued from Page 7
D iversit y Fellow ships
Are you interested in funding your graduate
education? Check out the following fellowships and
funding opportunities offered by UCI Graduate
Division:
The Facul t y Ment or Program (FMP) Fel l owship is
designed to increase the number of students who
complete their Ph.D. degree and successfully
acquire a faculty appointment. Nominees must be
current UCI Ph.D. students who are not at the
dissertation stage and have not yet advanced to
candidacy. The call for applications will go out in
early March. Please visit the Graduate Division
website for more information.
The President ?s Dissert at ion Year (PDY) Fel l owship
is intended for students in their final year of
graduate study and are planning to pursue teaching
and research appointments after their dissertation
fellowship year. Nominees must prove they will be
able to file their dissertation by the summer
dissertation filing deadline at the end of the award
year. Call for applications will go out in early
March. Please visit the Graduate Division website
for more information.
DECADE St udent Travel Awards are available for
current UCI graduate students who actively
participate in DECADE. Students are encouraged to
apply for funds to support their domestic travel to
professional development or research conferences.
Awards of up to $1,000 are available. For
application information, please visit the DECADE
website.
members selected on the basis of their
?commitment to gender equity, interpersonal
skills, ability to collaborate with the dean?s
leadership team, and devote 10 percent of their
time to the ADVANCE effort? (Stepan-Norris and
Kerrissey, 2015: 2). Moreover, the institutional
transformation of UCI resulted in the development
of systems to hold departments accountable for
their hiring decisions. Nevertheless, the growth of
women?s presence in STEM fields within UCI has
grown in conjunction with a rise in separations (see
Figure 2).
The journal club
sparked discussions
Equi t y Advi sor s are
around diversity in
seni or f acul t y sel ect ed
academia. Some
on t he basi s of t hei r
students spoke
commi t ment t o gender
equi t y
about the next steps
that ADVANCE can take
going forward, such as
looking at racial and ethnic
representation as well as gender equity. Another
student noted how universities?diversity
statements and job advertisements can affect the
demographics of those who apply. Overall, the
discussion in our Winter Journal Club reflected on
the importance of continued commitment to
promoting the admission and retention of diverse
scholars.