Since the magnification of the Black Lives Matter movement in June 2020, there has\u00a0been a surge in the production of diversity statements across all academic disciplines. Amongst\u00a0these disciplines have been mathematics departments, which have historically been dominated\u00a0by straight white cis men. On one hand, this has resulted in an increase in the conversations\u00a0surrounding recruitment of diverse candidates for faculty, graduate and undergraduate positions.\u00a0However, on another there has been a lack of conversation surrounding retention. In this post, I\u00a0focus mainly on the implications of retention for underrepresented graduate students, however\u00a0there are undoubtedly more conversations that need to happen within the field of mathematics.<\/p>\n
For most graduate students, school requirements are often just the tip of the iceberg.\u00a0Many of them have their own responsibilities, be it families, second-jobs or their primary\u00a0research. Most graduate students experience some level of stress with managing their time\u00a0between these different roles, and generally there is some wiggle room for students. For\u00a0marginalized students there is often more stacked in this \u201ctypical\u201d plate. Some examples are\u00a0students who are on hormones, students with chronic illnesses, neurodivergent students and\u00a0BIPOC students (especially in predominately-white spaces). Requiring marginalized students to\u00a0produce and operate at the same frequency as their counterparts is where many departments\u00a0often fall short.<\/p>\n
Professors often use an \u201cequality\u201d approach to their teaching. This is where they provide\u00a0the same set of rules for all students, but equality is not enough to retain diversity. This is where\u00a0equity comes into play. Professors need to recognize the value in molding requirements for\u00a0students. Expecting a student to function at 100% when they have a chronic illness is unrealistic\u00a0and this is just one example. For students who are regularly trying to make it through the day\u00a0without experiencing a micro-aggression, focusing on an in class exam can understandably be\u00a0incredibly difficult. However, the chances of being allowed to reschedule or retake the exam are\u00a0often non-existent, especially by professors who may not understand the gravity of the situation.\u00a0This often results in an internalization of these issues, which only stacks on all the other\u00a0requirements.<\/p>\n
Until we have environments that are empathetic and flexible to the struggles of\u00a0underrepresented students, realistically there will be no sustainable retention and consequently\u00a0recruitment of diverse voices. Expecting underrepresented students to function in a system built\u00a0only for cis white men is impractical and there has to be a uniform shift in the field of\u00a0mathematics, at a graduate level and otherwise, for students to prosper.<\/p>\n
To read more about this I recommend looking into trauma-informed teaching and\u00a0learning. Writings on this topic include various techniques professors, teachers and students\u00a0can take to allow students to prosper, while recognizing their various backgrounds and potential\u00a0traumas.<\/em><\/p>\n