Overview
The EPMSDC aspires to help the U.C. Davis community achieve its goal of enhancing educational excellence through diversity by pursuing its mission on the student level within the field of environmental study. By providing an area of primary focus, we can ensure that future environmental professionals and academics are diversity leaders, rather than followers, in affecting positive change in the world.
The EPMSDC embraces the broad definition of diversity (including, but not limited to, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and age) and works to create an environment where all people are treated with dignity, respect and kindness. The EPMSDC is dedicated to recognizing and breaking down systemic inequalities that have intersectional effects on the UC Davis EPM student body. We wish to create a community that is open to collaboration, with the primary goal of equality and equity in opportunities, learning and leadership on our campus. We aspire to recognize, appreciate and celebrate diversity inside and outside of the workplace by encouraging and promoting diversity in staffing, faculty, student admissions and speakers.
As a ground level organization, we can provide an important student perspective to issues of diversity that may be less relevant among higher levels of administration. To take the student diversity perspective into greater administrative consideration would be a great demonstration of solidarity with students as we pursue the school’s diversity goals together. The next generation of leaders in the field of environmental policy will train in the EPM program, it is important to allow them the opportunity to have a more diverse educational experience that will follow them into the rest of their careers and lives.
As members of the EPMSDC, we formally commit to being accountable for our own progress and adjusting actions as needed. As the EPMSDC grows, we will formally and regularly (quarterly) communicate our progress via open forums, the EPM website, email and meetings. We will provide opportunities for open comments and feedback using these or similar pathways.