About

Mission Statement

The Biological Graduate Student Association serves as both a liaison between the Department of Biological Sciences faculty and graduate students, as well as an organizer of professional development, team-building, and social activities on behalf of the DBS graduate student body.

The BGSA supports Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). We acknowledge that science has been complicit and has acted in a racist manner, including but not limited to the Tuskegee syphilis experiments, the dehumanizing treatment of Henrietta Lacks, the xenophobic classification of human races by Linneaus, and the eschewment of traditional ecological knowledge. We recognize that we still have much work to do, and the BGSA is committed to making changes where we can.

To that end, we are committed to working towards the following changes:

  1. Enhancing recruitment and retention of BIPOC students and scholars

  2. Improving teaching, mentorship, and research ethics

  3. Protecting and communicating our shared values and commitments to anti-racism

In order to achieve these goals, we understand and value the importance of ongoing conversations and listening to BIPOC voices. We document our ongoing efforts and welcome involvement from all members of our community.