Support & Inclusion
The Graduate School is committed to fostering an inclusive, safe, & diverse culture of graduate education in the UTEP community.
June 10, 2020
Dear UTEP Graduate Students and Postdocs,
We, the administration and staff of the UTEP Graduate School, condemn inequity and discrimination. We mourn the senseless killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and so many others. As the list of casualties continues to grow, we stand with the Black community, with those in mourning, and with those fighting for a better world.
We acknowledge that a long, complex history of racism and discrimination has perpetuated structures of oppression for Black Americans and other minorities. We extend our solidarity and support to graduate students and postdocs who have been marginalized or experience bigotry and violence because of the color of their skin, religion, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, ancestry/national origin, or any other minority status.
Moreover, we know that diversity of background and experience contributes to diversity of thought and the production of knowledge to improve the human condition. Join us in our commitment to the advancement of inclusion and diversity in the academy and the broader professions. Join us in our commitment to end racism and discrimination. Join us in our commitment to improve education through socially just initiatives.
As leaders in your classrooms, labs, organizations, and institutions, graduate students and postdocs have the power and responsibility to foster inclusion and justice in those spaces. You also have the duty to educate future generations. Please take that power, responsibility, and duty seriously. We can all learn more, and we can all do more. The resources we share below might serve as a starting point as you engage with current events. Please remember to honor your well-being and to find the mentoring and support you need to be resilient, powerful agents of change.
In solidarity,
The UTEP Graduate School
Resources
Learn about structural racism:
Understanding Race ProjectAmerican Council on Education-Campus Diversity and Inclusion
AAC&U-Diversity, Equity, & Inclusive Excellence
Learn to be an anti-racist ally:
UTEP SELC on inclusion and diversityDiversity and Resilience Institute of El Paso anti-racism trainings
The Obama Foundation: Tools for Action & Engagement
Be resilient, well, and empowered:
UTEP Counseling & Psychological ServicesUTEP Equal Opportunity Office
UTEP Center for Accommodations & Support Services (CASS)
The UTEP Graduate Student Assembly (GSA)
The Graduate Student Assembly (GSA) provides a safe environment for students from various departments to meet and discuss issues unique to graduate students at UTEP. The goal of these meetings is to address immediate graduate student concerns as well as form an active association that will continue this process throughout the school year.
Discussions on Diversity
The UTEP Graduate School hosts informal conversations about diversity in higher education—both from the point of view of the challenges facing individuals from underrepresented groups and in terms of university efforts to create diverse academic communities on campus. Any graduate student or postdoc interested in this topic is welcome to attend.
Lactation & Breastfeeding Locations
UTEP currently has two lactation locations:- Family Friendly Room-
Union West, Room 112
www.utep.edu/student-affairs/selc - College of Health Science/College of Nursing Lactation Station-Room 400
For information about appointments, please call (915) 747-6738 or email wellness@utep.edu.
Support Consultations
Graduate students and Postdocs may contact The Graduate School to request assistance with challenges related to academic success, administrative issues, and inclusion and diversity. Students can contact our staff to schedule an appointment.
National Postdoctoral Association (NPA)
Click HereProvides an array of resources of interest to postdocs, their mentors, and graduate students considering a postdoctoral fellowship. These resources include a Section on Career Planning, as well as discussions of other current issues and best practices.
Career PlanningGraduate students, faculty, staff, and postdocs can apply for Affiliate membership by clicking below and using their UTEP email address.
Affiliate MembershipOther Resources
The Graduate School reminds graduate students to find balance and take advantage of support services at UTEP:
- UTEP Title IX Officers
- Rainbow Miner Initiative
- UTEP Counseling & Psychological Services
- UTEP Equal Opportunity Office
- MIlitary Student Success Center
- UTEP Center for Accommodations & Support Services (CASS)
- UTEP Student Engagement & Leadership Center (varied programming and on-campus food bank)
- UTEP Foster Homeless Adopted Resources (FHAR)
External Links:
- Chronicle of Higher Education—“Imposter Syndrome is Definitely a Thing”
- Inside Higher Ed—Diversity Matters
- American Council on Education—Campus Diversity and Inclusion
- AAC&U—Diversity, Equity, & Inclusive Excellence
- Council of Graduate Schools—Inclusiveness
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program—Diversity in STEM