UWASLA Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee

Mission Statement

The UWASLA JEDI committee is a student-led organization seeking to foster a more just, equitable, diverse and inclusive environment within the UW landscape architecture department, in support of our students, faculty and staff. We are committed to dismantling harmful systemic inequities and racial injustices in the academic setting with the goal of moving towards an actively anti-racist department.

From the CBE Mission Statement:

Diversity is a range of human identities, including but not limited to age, creed, culture, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, national origin, physical ability or attributes, political beliefs, race, religious or ethical values system, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, and veteran status.

Equity is understanding how historical and structural legacies shape contemporary societal realities (e.g. citizenship, education, immigration, migration, public policy, and religion), recognizing when such legacies maintain specific power and privilege shape these realities, and restoring balance when policy and societal application does not work to the benefit of all in our communities.

Inclusion is the active engagement, involvement and empowerment of our diverse community, where the inherent worth and dignity of our full community is recognized.

Initiatives

Syllabus Talks: Quarterly meetings with students and faculty to discuss how specific syllabi can be more equitable and just, regarding course readings, objectives, topics, structure, etc.
Book/Article Clubs: Each quarter starts off with shorter-form article clubs or longer-form book clubs that explore EDI issues and how they relate to the UWLA department (past discussions: Black Landscapes Matter, Addiction in Public Space, How To Be An Anti-racist, Disability and Landscape Architecture)
Spaces for BIPOC students: Affinity groups for students of color in a predominantly white community can be integral to the success of BIPOC students by reducing isolation, identifying issues, sharing successes, and hosting honest cross-cultural dialogues about the everyday school experience.
Conflict Reporting/Resolution: Establishment of best practices for managing conflicts that occur in the classroom and how to navigate differences of power
Website Improvement: Yearly update of committee information and resources