Diversity Statement
The 'ACCelerating Equity & Success in SCUBA diving' program at UC Santa Cruz welcomes and celebrates the range of students' identities, preferences, and expressions. We are committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for students, instructors, and volunteers.
We also adhere to UCSC's anti-discriminatory practices throughout field prep, courses, and research.
Our Principles
The University of California, Santa Cruz expressly prohibits students from engaging in conduct constituting unlawful discrimination, harassment or bias. ACCESS diving team leaders, instructors, volunteers, staff, and students must be committed to providing an atmosphere for learning and exploring that respects diversity and supports inclusivity. We need to work together to build this community of learning. Participants will be expected to:
be open to and interested in the views of others
consider the possibility that your views may change over the course of the experience
honor the unique life experiences of your colleagues
appreciate the opportunity that we have to learn from each other
listen to each other’s opinions and communicate in a respectful manner
keep confidential discussions that the community has of a personal (or professional) nature
The Potential for Difficult Conversations
Through the various hands-on experiences offered by the ACCESS diving program, there may arise opportunities to explore challenging, high-stakes issues in the form of teach-in conversations with students, staff, and faculty.
In fact, one of the broader goals of the ACCESS diving program is to increase peoples' comfort and willingness to engage with each other on difficult conversations related to issues of diving and water access, such as issues of marginalization, social justice, politics, economics, and so on. These conversations may not always be easy. We may sometimes make mistakes in the words that we choose or the quality of our listening. Other times, we may need to practice skills like patience, courage, and imagination to meaningfully engage with one another.
Ultimately, the intent of these conversations will be to deepen our understanding of others, which will allow us to make the most of being in a community with people of many backgrounds and lived experiences. We must always practice respect for others in the process!
How to Report an Incident of Hate or Bias
The University of California, Santa Cruz is committed to maintaining an objective, civil, diverse and supportive community, free of coercion, bias, hate, intimidation, dehumanization or exploitation. The Hate/Bias Response Team is a group of administrators who support and guide students seeking assistance in determining how to handle a bias incident involving another student, a staff member, or a faculty member. To report an incident of hate or bias, please use the following form: Hate/Bias Report Form.