Dept. of Atmospheric Sciences commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Accessibility (DEIJA)

Diversity is a core value and foundational concept in the Department of Atmospheric Science (ATMO) in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaii of Manoa (UHM).

Catalyzing the power of diversity enriches all of us by exposing us to a range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, define and deliver solutions. ATMO prepares professionals to work in an increasingly diverse and global society by promoting equity and justice for all individuals. We actively work to eliminate barriers and obstacles created by institutional discrimination.

Diversity creates opportunities for people to engage, understand and respect others whose perspectives, values, beliefs, traditions, and world views have been shaped by experiences and backgrounds that may be different from their own, particularly those from historically marginalized and underrepresented groups. These differences may include, but are not limited to: race, ethnicity, culture, religion, language, socioeconomic status, citizenship, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, and physical abilities.

Diversity-related challenges faced by the meteorological and climate fields today include the lack of equitable access to information and technology, limited participation in an increasingly digital political and economic environment, and the preservation of cultural voices.

ATMO demonstrates departmental commitment to diversity by:

• Actively recruiting and sustaining a diverse student body utilizing nontraditional pathways
• Hiring and sustaining a diverse faculty and staff, including:
• Integrating diversity-related knowledge, skills, and modalities into learning experiences inside and outside the classroom. These areas include:
  • Identifying and addressing information issues and needs of underserved populations
  • Identifying and addressing global information issues and needs of different nations
  • Enabling access to information and promoting information literacy
  • Organizing information for accessibility and empowerment
  • Designing information systems and products for all members of the community
  • Managing diverse work environments that maximize multiple perspectives
  • Conducting research in areas that have impact for a diverse population. These include such topics as:
  • Native Hawaiian an indigenous systems of knowledge
  • Information needs of marginalized populations

ATMO actively welcomes and engages students, faculty, and staff from diverse backgrounds and reflects the importance of diversity through leadership and innovation within education, research, and the information professions.

ATMO embraces diversity and recognizes our responsibility to foster an open, welcoming environment where students, faculty and staff of all backgrounds can collaboratively learn, work and serve. We value the academic, social, and broader community benefits that arise from a diverse campus and are committed to equity, inclusion and accountability.  We commit to engaging in an ongoing dialogue to thoughtfully respond to the changing realities of our increasingly interconnected world. We will continually strive to work together to address the challenges of the future in a way that removes barriers to success and promotes a culture of inclusivity, compassion and mutual respect. The competencies gained through diverse experiences across campus prepare all of our students, staff and faculty to thrive personally and professionally in a global society.

This Diversity statement is adapted from the Diversity Statements from the University of Washington’s Information School and the University of Houston.

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ATMO Code of Conduct

Preamble

The Atmospheric Sciences Department (ATMO), part of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa (UHM) is dedicated to creating a safe, supportive, enjoyable, and productive working and learning environment.

The Atmospheric Sciences Department (ATMO) Code of Conduct is a set of principles and practices for professional behavior that outlines a commitment to ethical and professional conduct among all community members, including all executives, staff, faculty, researchers, students, visitors, and volunteers. It is expected that members’ ongoing personal and professional development will promote inclusivity, professionalism, trust, respect, transparency, and communication regardless of race, sex, gender, age, ethnicity, culture, socio-economic background, sexual orientation, political viewpoints, spiritual practices, physical abilities, religion, national origin and other human condition, including intersectionality.

All individuals associated with the ATMO department are expected to aspire and adhere to the following standards of behavior (including students, faculty (as research advisors, instructors and committee members), staff):

Principles

1. Excellence, integrity, ethical behavior, and honesty in all aspects of professional work that includes, but is not limited to, research and publication practices, laboratory and field research, community engagement, social interactions and classroom policies.
2. Professional courtesy, equity, and fairness in working with others. This includes exhibiting empathy and refraining from using profanity; sexually explicit remarks or actions, denigrating remarks; using homophobic, transphobic, racial epithets, or hate-speech of any kind; or any other disrespectful behavior that contributes to an uncomfortable working environment.
3. Creating an inclusive environment that is welcoming by encouraging open and honest dialogue and addresses cultural and systemic barriers through candid discussions across hierarchical systems. Be proactive in learning about culturally sensitive issues, particularly with regard to Hawaiian and Pacific Island culture. When problematic situations arise, provide constructive feedback in a timely fashion.
4. Freedom to responsibly pursue science without interference or coercion
5. Unselfish cooperation in all department activities
6. Transparency around policies and procedures in their school, departments, labs and classrooms. This applies to grading and classroom practices, hiring and promotion processes, and professional development opportunities.
7. Legal compliance in all aspects of the department’s professional activities

Responsibilities

Student–Advisor, Student-Instructor and Student-Committee Member Relationships

The relationship between a student and the student’s advisor is a unique one in the academic environment. This relationship carries extra demands for ethical behavior. Key principles include areas of sensitivity and concern such as these recommendations for advisors:

• promote an environment that is intellectually stimulating and free of harassment;
• be supportive, equitable, accessible, encouraging, and respectful;
• recognize and respect the cultural backgrounds of students;
• be sensitive to the power imbalance in the student–advisor relationship.

Students and student advisors are encouraged to be aware of responsibilities of the advisor, the student, and the institution in regards to this relationship.

The relationship between a student and their committee member is an important part of their academic journey. Committee members should acknowledge that:

• Student’s MS or PhD proposals should be kept confidential by the committee members.
• Discussion of students’ performance, scope of the proposal should be in closed doors after the exam with all the committee members present.

Harassment, Bullying, and Discrimination

ATMO works to maintain an environment that allows science and scientific careers to flourish through respectful, inclusive, and equitable treatment of others. As a statement of principle, the department rejects discrimination and harassment by any means, based on factors such as ethnic or national origin, race, religion, citizenship, language, political or other opinion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, age, or economic class. In addition, the department opposes all forms of bullying including threatening, humiliating, coercive, or intimidating conduct that causes harm to, interferes with, or sabotages academic activity and careers. Discrimination, harassment (in any form), and bullying create a hostile environment that reduces the quality, integrity, and pace of the advancement of science by marginalizing individuals and communities. It also damages productivity and career advancement, and prevents the healthy exchange of ideas. We affirm that discrimination, harassment (including sexual harassment), or bullying in any scientific or learning environment is unacceptable, and constitutes misconduct under the ATMO Code of Conduct. Such behavior should be reported and addressed with consequences for the offender, including but not limited to sanctions or expulsion as allowed by UHM policy.

This code of conduct is adapted from the American Geophysical Union’s 2017 Scientific Integrity and Professional Ethics handbook, the University of Wyoming’s Department of Atmospheric Sciences Code of Conduct and the SOEST Code of Conduct. Last updated March 24th 2022.