Departmental Regroup: Addressing Concerns During Times of Uncertainty

Topic: addressing concerns during the uncertainties in federal funding and DEI-related work. This article includes meeting memo and next steps. 

Editor: Ariel Li. Notes provided by co-chairs Jovani Azpeitia and Carol Lu.

The DSC has circulated a survey in the past two weeks in response to the changing federal funding situations currently that are affecting our community. Our goal was to gauge the attitudes and thoughts from mostly graduate students, who are directly affected by funding (through their advisors). This was particularly relevant given the defunding of many DEI related projects and grants through federal avenues. 

Our survey posted the following question: Which of these topics do you have questions and/or concerns about regarding recent federal budget cuts and how they may be impacting the UW Psychology Department?

• Internal grants/RAships

• Conference travel

• Purchasing refreshments for gatherings/seminars

• Individual labs

• DSC

• Administration

• International student Visas

• No questions/concerns

Students responses showed that many were concerned in how these funding changes would affect the Diversity Steering Committee. There were also concerns in terms of internal grants, RAships, conference travel, purchasing refreshments, individual labs, administration, international student visas.

We also posted an open ended question. Response from students showed concern and questions towards how upper management in university and department are being affected by these federal funding issues, and how they impact departmental budgets. Students are also expressed their concern in how working groups and teams in the DSC will change after this.

From meetings and student responses, one of the most important takeaways was the lack of communication between departmental administration and students. Most of the news was being passed down from advisor to students, and information that is passed down through emails that are reaching the chair and faculty were not being transferred onto students. Students expressed a need for more frequent communication, and more transparency in how these federal changes may potentially affect students and individual labs.

From the DSC general meeting, we discussed all of the above concerns with participating faculty and staff. We will continue to gather concerns and questions that arise as the situation changes from week to week. Some concerns that were directly answered was:

1. The DSC will not change in its purpose and its current working groups and tasks. The DSC continues to be an important part of the department and will continue to do so following the guidelines from the university and the department.

2. Faculty and departmental leadership will arrange meetings and open discussion/Q&A sessions where students can drop in and express concerns and get some answers directly from the admin

3. If DEI research funding has been collected, the department has a resource (Online Research Participation Program) that can be utilized for free as long as you are a student or researcher in the department or affiliated/supervised by someone in the department.

4. Department will relay information from emails that are passed from university upper management (for example, emails from Dean Harris will be relayed to students with takeaway and important points highlighted), so students can be in the loop of news as they pop up.

5. At the moment, gift funds are not being affected at all (emergency funds, Bolles, summer RAship, grocery cards).

6. Department understands that there are concerns with international student visas being revoked. We will watch out for relevant information from ISSS to make sure our students are being protected and supported.

The co-chairs and the leadership in the department will continue to be the liaison between faculty and department administration and provide support as much as possible.

For lingering questions, please feel free to reach out to the DSC co-chairs.