HHMI grant provides opportunity for underrepresented student groups
A new grant from the Howard Huges Mental Institution works to better include various groups of inadequately represented students in campus curriculum.
CSB+SJU has received a milestone accomplishment in the form of the Inclusive and Excellence 3 grant. This grant, provided by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), totals $505,000 and supports including students from underrepresented communities in the campus curriculum, especially the sciences.
HHMI is an organization that seeks to aid in education and the sciences, with a focus on inclusive learning, equitable research and innovations that help cultures thrive in the scientific community, where they believe all should be able to grow, learn, and adapt regardless of their personal background.
For over thirty years, the HHMI has sought to increase involvement and diversity on school campuses across the United States to fight for racial justice and end many diversity and inclusion issues. The grant was given to CSB+SJU because both campuses demonstrated a constant effort to progress racial issues and promote diversity in all aspects of campus life.
This grant has resulted in a group of CSB+SJU professors who communicate with other universities to receive feedback and learn support methods for potential challenges faced by students from minority groups. This team comprises several professors from campus, including Kyhl Lyndgaard, Amanda Macht Jantzer, Deborah Pembleton, Laura Taylor, Annette Raigoza and Jen Schaefer.
“Our greatest hope is that all students may thrive and feel they belong here,” Lyndgaard and Macht Jantzer said via an email interview.
Together, this cohort is seeking to fix many issues related to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice and Access (DEIJA) so CSB+SJU promotes an atmosphere where all students feel they belong. Each member of the group has attended several workshops to increase their understanding of DEIJA issues alongside student mental health, equity and transgender allyship. Every member also partakes in several meetings to study, share and develop ideas for the betterment of the campus.
Scientific research is a fundamental aspect of human nature that has supplied all persons with countless innovations that drastically improve their quality of life. However, it has become far easier for some scientists from specific groups to receive backing from the scientific community, while others who belong to small minorities can struggle to receive the proper money, education and skill that goes into publishing a scientific discovery. This has caused this fundamental aspect of the human condition to be gatekept from others that seek to receive enough resources to conduct the research they desire. Organizations such as HHMI believe that the more diverse scientists become, the more diverse their discoveries and results will be to the benefit of all.
However, these problems are not for a solitary team of professionals to take care of, but rather every student on college campuses in the country. Students should remember that others might be facing challenges that are not apparent to them and broaden their mindset when it comes to the college experience for others. Making sure other voices are heard, especially from underrepresented groups, is paramount in creating a schooling system that provides a safe and friendly learning environment for all. Active participation to counteract the issue is necessary for all students in order to make a change, rather than simply doing nothing and believing ourselves to not be a part of the issue. Seemingly simple decisions we make now can lead to momentous impacts in the future. A raised voice now could mean a breakthrough later.