Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

This committee is charged with improving the School’s culture and climate and making equity, diversity and inclusion ongoing commitments at the Brown School. Goals and initiatives include:

• Adopting inclusive recruitment, hiring, and retention/advancement practices. 
• Increasing diversity among faculty, administration, staff, and students at the Brown School. 
• Increasing academic capacity for American Indian studies at the Brown School. 
• Fostering a climate for diversity, inclusion and equity at the Brown School. 
• Institutionalizing diversity training and resources for Brown School leadership. 
• Connecting equity, diversity and inclusion and commitment to the St. Louis community. 
• Making equity, diversity and inclusion on‐going commitments at the Brown School.
• Modeling a positive, diverse academic life for Washington University.

The Brown School recognizes the complexity of diversity and inclusion and affirms the many perspectives that are held by our community. In line with the stated values of social work and public health professions, we hold social justice and equity as guiding principles in our quest for diversity and inclusion at the Brown School. At a minimum, we believe that any definition of diversity must include the following considerations:

1. Diversity as a fact. One need only consider the tremendous biodiversity of the natural world to appreciate the vast variety of life, including human beings. Diversity is not something that we humans manufacture, but it is something that we must work to appreciate, foster and safeguard.
2. Diversity and inclusion as verbs. Because diversity must be appreciated and fostered, we consider inclusion to be a conscious activity that must inform all of the work that we do. We also appreciate what diversity and inclusion allow us to do, as it enriches our teaching, research, and service to the world.
3. Diversity and inclusion as historically situated. We recognize that our work to respect diversity and to include all in our community has roots in a history that has privileged certain groups while excluding others. We also recognize the present-day legacy of this history and work to address its detrimental effects through our teaching, practice, research, and service. 
4. Diversity and inclusion as a reflection of power. The relative power afforded to individuals and groups within our community and in the larger society makes us vigilant to advance the voices and needs of the marginalized. We seek to use our power wisely to ensure that our School takes full advantage of all its members’ talents and perspectives.

*This definition crafted and approved by the Brown School Diversity, Inclusion & Equity Committee (now known as the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee), 2013.

About the Brown School Committee for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Current Members (2019-2020 Academic Year)

This committee is charged with serving as a means for improving the School’s culture and climate for diversity and making diversity and inclusion on-going commitments at the Brown School. Goals and initiatives include:

• Inclusive recruitment, hiring, retention and advancement practices
• Increased diversity among faculty, administrators and staff, and the student body at the Brown School
• Institutionalized diversity training and resources for Brown School leadership
• Connection of diversity and inclusion commitment to the St. Louis community
• Development as a model for effective diversity and inclusion policies and practices

Committee Appointments

Faculty, staff, and student representatives are to be nominated or self-nominated and elected to the committee by their peers. In an effort to maintain continuity and avoid complete rotation, committee members will serve minimum, staggered terms:

• The Chair will serve a minimum 3-year term;
• Faculty and staff will serve minimum  2 – 3 year terms;
• Students will serve minimum 1 – 2 years terms;
• There are no limits to serving multiple terms.

Contact the Diversity Committee

Have a question, idea, or suggestion for the committee? Email diversity@brownschool.wustl.edu

Visit the Center for Diversity & Inclusion website

The Brown School is committed to nurturing a spirit of diversity within our students throughout the entire program. During New Student Orientation, students participate in required workshops designed to develop a student’s mutual understanding of the values and principles of diversity, expose students to the perspectives and responses of diverse communities, and foster dialogue on diversity and social justice topics. 

Throughout their time at the Brown School, administrators will inform students via email of campus-based and local opportunities to engage in diversity and inclusion programming. Students are encouraged to continue their own personal and professional development regarding diversity, inclusion and equity.

The Preferred Name Policy at Washington University in St. Louis lets students on the Danforth Campus change their names in most university information systems without pursuing a legal name change. By allowing students to use a preferred name, the University hopes to give students an empowering, safe and nondiscriminatory university experience. Reasons for name changes may include transgender or gender nonconforming identities, international students or other students desire to adopt an English language name, students known by names that are different from their legal names, or students who have popular names who wish to use a different one.  More information about this policy can be found here.

Students can add a preferred name to their record through WebSTAC. 

Washington University recognizes the individual student’s choice in observing religious holidays that occur during periods when classes are scheduled. Students are encouraged to arrange with their instructors to make up work missed as a result of religious observance, and instructors are asked to make every reasonable effort to accommodate such requests.​

Washington University in St. Louis values diversity, inclusion, and human dignity and strives to foster an environment in which all community members are respected and able to take part in academic, co-curricular and social activities.

What Is a Bias Incident?

A bias incident is any discriminatory or hurtful act that appears to be or is perceived by the victim to be motivated by race, ethnicity, age, national origin, sex, disability, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran status or socioeconomic status. To be considered an incident, the act is not required to be a crime under any federal, state, or local statute nor does it have to violate University policy.

The University has developed a system through which students, faculty, staff, and community members who have experienced or witnessed incidents of bias, prejudice, or discrimination involving a student can report their experiences to the University’s Bias Report and Support System (BRSS) team.

The BRSS team will:

• Support students who have witnessed or been the target of bias-related incidents.
• Refer community members to appropriate University and local resources, and educate reporters on what to expect from each resource.
• Inform the University community about the frequency and nature of bias incidents through quarterly summary reports in order to drive discussion around making Washington University more diverse and inclusive. 

More information on the BRSS and the on-line reporting form can be found here. 

Visit the WUSTL Diversity Website website.