Introduction to the Resource Guide

Introduction 

As many universities and institutions are seeking to promote diversity and inclusion, many start with good intentions to train and support historically underrepresented and marginalized groups. In an effort to ensure that good intentions better translate into effective practices, this Resource Guide is designed to provide an entry point of resources for meeting the needs of GCC member constituents from historically marginalized communities and populations, as well as the broader graduate student/postdoctoral fellow community. 

Our organization is lacking racial and ethnic diversity. According to the 2018-19 GCC membership survey, 88% of GCC members identified as White; 8% Asian or Asian American/Canadian; 3% Black or African American; and 1% Native American, Alaska Native or Indigenous Person. In response to a question about Hispanic or Latino (sic) identity, 96% of GCC members identified as Neither Hispanic or Latino while only 3% identified as Hispanic or Latino. In other words, we are a majority White organization working largely at Historically White Institutions (HWIs). While we must work to enhance the diversity of the professional development staff serving graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, we can, at minimum, train our current population of professionals to understand the unique perspectives and experiences of people from historically marginalized communities in order to provide effective, successful advising and programming. Our guide shares best practices in supporting students from a range of historically marginalized backgrounds, and is organized by social identity groups. However, please note that we do not intend the guide to imply a single axis of identity for our students and postdocs - we encourage practitioners to consider intersecting identities and tailor approaches to the whole student.

Studies show that, while shared cultural background is not the only factor to consider, student mentees tend to report more substantive experience with mentors and advisors who share cultural, language, and extracurricular interests (Welch, Reddick). However, there is a dearth of representation of historically underrepresented groups in graduate professional and career development staff roles, as described in the GCC demographic data shared above. Unfortunately, this often results in a sincere lack of understanding of the experiences of students with different cultural backgrounds, negatively impacting the efficacy of the professional and career development guidance offered to students. Understanding an individual’s intersecting identities, and how these intersections result in compounding oppressions, can be a valuable tool to help professional and career development staff and administrators from different cultural backgrounds to empathize and enhance discovery of students’ and postdoctoral fellows’ unique talents and assets. As defined by Dr. Kimberle Crenshaw, “intersectionality is a lens through which you can see where power comes and collides, where it interlocks and intersects. It's not simply that there's a race problem here, a gender problem here, and a class or LBGTQ problem there” (Crenshaw 1989). Not meant to be a catch-all phrase, intersectionality specifically refers to the compounded impacts on people who are subject to multiple forms of discrimination.

The GCC Diversity Committee is committed to equity, inclusion and diversity. As such, we are committed to actions and activities that confront and diminish all forms of discrimation, especially anti-Black racism. This Resource Guide provides our community with the opportunity to be proactive in continually educating ourselves on issues of racism, heterosexism, sexism, nationalism, etc. and to use this knowledge to work towards ameliorating the long-standing social, economic, and political inequities in graduate professional and career development.

Created by Dr. Devin Horton | University of California, Davis

How to use the GCC Resource Guide 

As of this writing, the push for diverse, equitable, and inclusive spaces is strong within graduate education. The GCC’s Diversity Committee believes creating these spaces for our most vulnerable populations is everyone’s responsibility and, thus, hopes to instill a long-term commitment to these initiatives. 

This resource guide provides the learning materials and best practices to allow GCC members the opportunity to intentionally commit to and lead in this important space.  However, the guide’s effectiveness requires a growth mindset. The following DEI steps and common mistakes aim to help move you through this resource in the manner most suited to where you are and where your trainees and partners need you to be. 

Approaching the guide:

1. Define where you are. Before clicking on links, take a personal inventory on what you don’t know. Myriad assessments exist to help with this, including the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) (personal) and the Multicultural Organizational Development Checklist for Student Affairs (professional). 

2. Start slowly and focus on depth. No one can know everything about DEI initiatives, nor can they learn it in one day, week, month…. Choose 1-2 areas of focus in the beginning. Reflect on your learnings, both personally and with each other. Let the process take time. Development models also exist to help you move through the process at pace ideal for you; one example is the Multicultural Organizational Development Model.

3. Commit to taking action. Reading and reflecting is only a start. Intentional actions have more impact and role model allyship. While this requires taking some risks, remember the vulnerabilities our marginalized trainees and partners experience every day. Mistakes are part of the process; they do not mean we are bad people.

4. Find a partner. Facilitators, coaches, and mentors support our growth mindset by allowing us to test out new ideas, ask difficult questions, and learn from our mistakes. Find a trusted partner and develop into this space together.

Common mistakes:

1. DEI is a process – not a checklist. Attending discussion groups or using resources without reflection or acting is check-off behavior and does not lead to change. 

2. Focusing only on what feels comfortable. Lean into this material, even when it is uncomfortable. That is how we grow.

3. Expecting an “end point.” We are constantly learning and will continue to do so – that’s part of the process.

4. Trending. Reading the latest book or attending the newest training is exciting. From these trends, pull out 1-2 pieces of information and approaches that you can commit to for long-term change.

5. Keeping your struggles to yourself. You will make mistakes, that’s ok. Talk about it and learn from it with trusted confidants.

6. Making your growth the responsibility of your “Black friend.” Obviously talking to a very close friend with a different identity than you is fine. Talking to an acquaintance with a different identity simply because they are different is not. Doing so because you want them to confirm you are not a bad person is especially burdensome. If you are not sure of the boundaries of your relationship you probably aren’t close enough. Or ask, listen, and thank them for their feedback.

The GCC Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resource Guide is a starting place, not an exhaustive list of resources. It is up to you to continue your growth beyond the work herein. As you do, please share new opportunities and resources with the GCC Diversity Committee. This is a living document contributing to the betterment of our trainee and partners’ experiences. We look forward to growing with you. 

Created by Stephanie Eberle, M.Ed. | Stanford University