Mission
The Department of Psychology at Tulane University affirms our ongoing commitment to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion in our department community, research, curriculum, professional training, and program assessment.
Equity refers to fair treatment, opportunity, and advancement for all people while seeking to identify and remove barriers that have historically prevented the full participation of all groups of people1. Equity necessitates equal access to resources and support within learning environments and community spaces. We recognize that improving equity requires attention to both procedural and distributive justice within our department and broader communities. Furthermore, creating equity requires understanding the root causes of outcome disparities.
The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. Individual differences may also lie at the intersection of these identities, statuses, and ideologies. We are committed to creating learning environments and community spaces that accept, respect, and embrace all individual members of the department.
Inclusion entails building a culture of belonging that actively invites participation and contribution from all people2. We believe every person’s voice has value and recognize that we must strive to create balance despite power differentials across members of the department. We also believe that no one person can or should be called upon to represent their entire group or community.
Finally, we further affirm that embracing equity, diversity, and inclusion is the cornerstone of our department climate. Achieving equity, diversity, and inclusion is a critical goal in the recruitment and retainment of faculty, students, and staff, and essential to the advancement of research, training, and community outreach and partnerships.
1Our definition of equity is derived from the work of Code for America: https://www.codeforamerica.org/diversity
2Our definition of inclusion is derived from the Ford Foundation: https://www.fordfoundation.org/about/people/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/
Goals
The Tulane University Department of Psychology Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee was initially created in December 2017 to uphold the work of the department’s diversity mission by introducing and maintaining a culture of inclusion with incoming and current graduate students and faculty, by actively seeking out and disseminating opportunities for diversity-focused department events, by promoting visibility of diversity-focused research, community, and teaching in the department, and by addressing concerns and suggestions about the diversity climate of the department.
In the September 2023, the EDI committee was transformed into an EDI Council. The goal of the EDI council is to broadly infuse EDI goals into our department’s standing committees.
Council Members
Council members comprise a faculty representative from each of the following standing committees: Graduate Training, Undergraduate Studies, PhD Admissions, MS Admissions, Colloquium, and Communication committee. In addition, graduate student members of the Graduate Training, Colloquium, Communication committee are also council members. Finally, a staff member from the Communication committee is also a member. All members of our community are invited to our council meetings.
Institutional Partners
The Tulane University Department of Psychology Diversity and Inclusion Committee is proud to partner with related institutional centers and initiatives including:
- The Center for Academic Equity
- The Goldman Center for Student Accessibility
- The Newcomb College Institute
- The Carolyn Barber Pierre Center for Intercultural Life
- The Presidential Commission on Equity and Tulane Values
- The Tulane Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
- The Office of Institutional Equity
- Title IX
Research
The Department of Psychology is committed to embedding diversity in our research. This commitment includes the inclusion of research participants who identify as members of diverse socioeconomic, ethnic, racial, linguistic, national, religious, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, culture, and ability groups. This commitment also includes examination of the factors that exacerbate and mitigate group disparities and discrimination. Examples of relevant research by Developmental, School, Social, and Health Psychology faculty can be found here.
Public Policy and National Organization Statements
Our national organizations (e.g., the American Psychological Association) periodically issue public statements, briefs, and reports on issues relevant to our diversity mission. See relevant organizations for more information.
Reporting Bias and Discrimination
You are encouraged to report bias, discrimination, or any other concerns regarding equity, diversity, and inclusion in the Department of Psychology here. You can report anonymously, or non-anonymously on behalf of yourself or someone else. Tulane University takes all reports seriously but they may be limited in their ability to respond to anonymous reports. For more information about anonymous vs. non-anonymous reporting, please click here. Reporting bias is a courageous act, and it involves the re-living of difficult experiences. Retaliation against people who report bias and discrimination is also violation of Tulane policies and should be reported. There is more information available about reporting bias and discrimination on several of our partner websites including:
Navigating Conflict
Conflict occurs whenever two or more people perceive that their goals are mutually incompatible or when a disagreement between individuals creates a perceived threat to their needs. Conflict is inevitable and a normal part of human life. However, when people experience challenges navigating conflict it can create barriers to equity and inclusion. If you are having a conflict with someone within the department, the following information may be of assistance:
- If it is safe to do so, try to resolve the situation yourself through a conversation with the person
- Consultation with trusted faculty members and/or peers (in or outside of the program/dept.) may help you prepare for this conversation.
- You may want to consult with someone at Tulane's Conflict Resolution Program
- You can also check out this Tulane resource or this article for tips to help you prepare for this conversation.
- If the conversation is not effective, you can have a conversation with the person’s supervisor as indicated in the following table
| If the conflict is with... | Contact... | If unresolved, you can follow up with... |
|---|---|---|
| A course instructor for a course you are enrolled in | Department Chair, Laurie O’Brien | SSE Dean of Graduate Studies, Janarthanan Jayawickramarajah |
| A course instructor for whom you TA | Department Chair, see above | SSE Dean of Graduate Studies, see above) or SSE Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Beth Wee |
| A research advisor | 4+1 Coordinator (4+1 students; Julie Alvarez) School Psyc Program Director (school psychology PhD students; Courtney Baker) Chair of Graduate Training (psyc science students; Stacy Overstreet) | Department Chair (see above) |
| A Tulane practicum supervisor | School Psyc Program Director, Courtney Baker | Department Chair (see above) |
| An on-site practicum supervisor | Small Group Supervisor | School Psyc Program Director (see above) |
| A student and you are also a student | Faculty member most relevant to your problematic interaction | Department Chair (see above) |
| A student and you are a faculty member | Research Advisor of the student | Department Chair (see above) |
| A staff member | Department Chair (see above) | |
| A faculty member and you are a faculty member or staff | Department Chair (see above) | SSE Dean, Hridesh Rajan |
- If conversations are not effective, you can activate a formal appeal or grievance procedure
- You may also file a named or anonymous complaint with the University, which gets triaged to the appropriate unit/department
- The Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies also identifies helpful resources or supports at the University level.
- You can report concerns related to Title IX/sexual misconduct here.
