Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Statement
Bodega Marine Laboratory and Bodega Marine Reserve
The community comprised of University of California, Davis’s Bodega Marine Laboratory (BML) and Bodega Marine Reserve (BMR) is committed to achieving and sustaining excellence through diversity, equity, and inclusion. The essential importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion requires that we recognize and strive to rectify the exclusion of historically underrepresented groups in coastal and marine sciences and in our broader community. Deeply entrenched structural, cultural, and institutional systems have given advantages to some members of our community at the expense of others, based on features of their identity. This historical legacy of exclusion and disenfranchisement stands in opposition to our commitment to diversity and inclusion. We therefore seek to collectively identify and redress such institutional and interpersonal barriers within our community on an ongoing basis.
Resources
- Need help figuring out how to address a DEI concern at Bodega Marine Laboratory & Bodega Marine Reserve? Start here
- Read the Bodega DEI Committee Charter
- Conduct Expectations for all Residents and Visitors Bodega Marine Laboratory & Bodega Marine Reserve
As stated in UC Davis’s Principles of Community, the university, “is first and foremost an institution of learning, teaching, research, and public service. UC Davis reflects and is committed to serving the needs of a global society comprising all people and a multiplicity of identities.”1 BML and BMR’s core missions include developing innovative research, teaching, and public service programs to (a) advance a multi-disciplinary understanding of natural systems, (b) solve complex environmental problems, (c) improve the sustainability of coastal ocean ecosystems and the communities that rely on them, and (d) cultivate diverse leaders.2,3,4 These objectives cannot be met without a strong institutional commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The community comprised of BML and BMR is geographically isolated, has a core group of year-round residents with many occasional and seasonal members, and has a mix of individuals across institutional, educational, and cultural backgrounds. Given these attributes, we believe it is of the utmost importance to foster and celebrate diversity in our community to prevent insularity and to maximize inclusion.
We affirm that the best learning, teaching, research, and public service occur in a community that represents and celebrates individuals who identify across multiple axes of diversity and are drawn from diverse and intersecting social identities, such as race, ethnicity, nationality, geographic origin, citizenship, socioeconomic status, political beliefs, religion, gender, sexuality, body size and ability, appearance, family size, age, educational status, and experience. This list is not intended to be exhaustive, and the meanings and significance of these and other identities intersect and change contextually and over time. We celebrate and promote these social differences and the expression of identity they convey. We affirm they enrich our community and our work. We are committed to fostering an inclusive culture in which everyone, regardless of background and identity, is and feels appreciated and experiences a deep sense of social and professional belonging. We aim to foster a culture where diverse perspectives are regularly elicited and valued, and where new ideas are encouraged and respectfully discussed. We therefore establish that we will collectively take responsibility for and participate in supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion in our community.
We welcome, celebrate, and amplify all identities at BML and BMR.
The Bodega Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee created this statement with input from the broader BML/BMR community. It will be updated annually each spring with community input. This version was updated on Oct. 16, 2020.
- UC Davis Principles of Community
- Bodega Marine Laboratory Mission
- Bodega Marine Reserve (UC Natural Reserve System) Mission
- Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute Vision
Bodega Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee
The Bodega Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee consists of volunteers from BML and BMR who are committed to improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in the BML/BMR community. Comments or suggestions for the committee can be made by emailing co-chairs Luis Morales and Suzanne Olyarnik.
If any action by a member of the BML/BMR community is discriminatory or shows disrespect, the action can be reported to the University. Find out more about UC Davis efforts and resources related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.