The Department of Environmental Sciences is committed to creating an environment of mutual respect by welcoming participation of students, staff, and faculty from all groups regardless of race, culture, age, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, national origin, citizenship status, language, physical or mental difference, religion, sex, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, subculture, geographic region, and more. To serve all parts of the community equitably, this commitment is critical to sustaining the social fabric of our department, UCR, and the State of California. We, therefore, pledge to work towards equitable treatment and accessibility in our policies and procedures. We recognize that historically marginalized groups are underrepresented within the sciences, and we commit to move towards remedying underrepresentation within our teaching, training, hiring, and outreach. This is particularly relevant for environmental sciences, as our field often reveals structural inequities in environmental impacts related to human activities, such as communities experiencing a higher burden of pollution. Moreover, we recognize that 1) the diversity of California’s population has been, and continues to be, the source of innovative ideas and creative accomplishments throughout the state’s history, and that 2) the University of California was built on the mandate of making higher education available to all. We promise to fulfill that mandate to the best of our abilities through our Department’s words, actions, and policies.
