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FROM THE REP

Diversity Efforts and TOS­—My Perspective

This month, I’d like to give all of you, as Student Members of TOS, a little view into the Society’s inner workings, via the Council and committees. So that you know where I’m coming from­—I personally stand in solidarity with protestors and the Black Lives Matter movement, and I strive to use my positions to promote diversity efforts and to amplify Black voices. This applies to my positions as a PhD student at WHOI, the president of the Society for Women in Marine Science (SWMS), and as Student Rep to the TOS Council. I want you to tell me when I make a mistake, and I want you to tell me how to advocate on your behalf to the TOS Council.

We had a Council meeting a couple of weeks ago. Among other things, we discussed new positions to be added to the TOS Council, changes that we need to make to bylaws, how to move forward with the strategic plan, and how the COVID-19 pandemic is feeding into gender-biased publication rates. After that call, I was disappointed with myself that I hadn’t brought up how TOS planned to respond to calls for increased equity for Black people in academia. So, when the statement from the three TOS Presidents (President-Elect Andone Lavery, Current President Martin Visbeck, and Past President Alan Mix) came out, I was surprised but heartened. My experience at WHOI is that our leadership does not take it upon themselves to speak up about race and identity issues without being prompted by younger or less powerful members of the community.

In the 18 months that I’ve been the TOS Student Rep, I have seen the Council take an inclusive approach to many tasks. The Council considered it imperative that the Ethics Committee have non-white members. We have overhauled our awards process to make it less biased and more inclusive. As often as possible, we issue open calls to the membership for nominations, input, and leadership roles.

As of Tuesday, June 16, 2020, an ad hoc committee has begun to craft a plan for examining The Oceanography Society through a lens of “JEDI,” or justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. We will draft a charge for a formal TOS committee and make that available for comment to all members.

Student members make up a huge proportion of TOS membership—your voice matters and you have power. Please get in touch with me if you want to get involved. You can join a committee, submit comments, suggest content or formatting changes for this newsletter, help with social media content, or even help me plan virtual events for TOS students. TOS is a small and nimble organization, and the leadership responds to comments from members.

— Chrissy