Calques is happy to share this message from our departmental Climate Committee:
Hello all:
As the Fall semester draws to a close, we thought it fitting to offer here in Calques a brief summary of the positive outcomes of our weekly climate meetings on behalf of our departmental community:
We issued a report to the department which included our analysis and visualization of the results of the most recent department Climate Survey, which was carried out in May 2021. This report also contained a set of recommendations, including concrete responses to several key concerns raised in past surveys, which we hope will continue to improve our departmental climate.
In response to concerns about desk/office space assignments for graduate students that were brought to our attention early on in the semester, we solicited information that enabled us to improve desk/office assignments for students in the coming spring semester. In addition, based on feedback we received via a topical survey that we sent to all graduate students, we developed a set of recommendations and criteria regarding management of graduate student desk/office assignments in the future.
In response to recurring concerns about opacity in department policies and procedures that have been voiced in past departmental climate surveys, we are developing an FAQ resource for our departmental website, to be launched early next semester, that will address a wide range of questions. To solicit input to the development of this resource, we created a living document where members of the department can contribute their own questions.
Through various channels (including regular office hours) we were available to discuss climate-related topics with our peers — and we will continue to be available next semester!
With best wishes for winter break,
Tzintia Montaño Ramírez, Raksit Lau-Preechathammarach, Noah Hermalin, Line Mikkelsen, and Christine Beier
AY 2021-2022 Climate Committee