Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The Psychology Department’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is based on the University’s diversity and inclusion principles:
● Respect the dignity of every person.
● Build a Notre Dame community in which all can flourish.
● Live in solidarity with all, particularly the most vulnerable.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Psychology Department enhances the educational experience for everyone. Support for diversity, equity, and inclusion promotes a climate of intellectual curiosity, the open exchange of ideas, and acquisition of knowledge and understanding about people and issues within and outside of the academic setting.
Therefore, the Department of Psychology is committed to promoting a broad-based, collective understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion, thereby establishing and maintaining a climate that values our faculty, students, and staff and supports their goals and the mission of the Department and the University. The commitment to creating and maintaining a climate supportive of diversity, equity, and inclusion enhances the education and training of students to pursue careers in diverse work settings and enhances the environment in which faculty teach and conduct research.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
The members of the current Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee are available as resources. The 2022-2023 members are as follows:
Faculty: Jennifer Hames, Ross Jacobucci, Dan Lapsley, Taylor Nicoletti, Nathan Rose, Ke-Hai Yuan,
Graduate Students: Kerri-Anne Bell, Jessica Carney, Cat Gargano, Melissa Hall, Seham Kafafi, EK Lu, Vevette Yang, Janie Park, Yeonsoo Park,
Everyone listed above is available to answer questions from prospective students concerning the department’s commitment for upholding a diverse, equitable, and inclusive climate.
The DEI committee is open to all members of the department community. Please contact Dan Lapsley at danlapsley@nd.edu if you would like to join our meetings.
Department Climate
The goal of the Psychology Department is to cultivate an atmosphere that is not only challenging intellectually but also supportive and respectful of every individual, student, faculty, and staff member in our community of every culture, ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, socio-economic background, and ability. The norms in our department are the inclusion of people from different backgrounds, engagement with different points of view, and open discussion of ideas.
These processes are a collective responsibility, and as such, the Psychology Department is dedicated to maintaining a respectful and inclusive environment for all.
We do not condone any offensive incidents that cause discomfort or create an intimidating, hostile, offensive, or demeaning environment such as, but not limited to, acts of sexual or non-sexual harassment, racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, intolerance of differences. Thus, we have provided a number of courses of actions that one might take in response to such interactions, as enumerated below.
Procedures for Handling Serious Concerns and Transgressions
Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion also commits us to resolve any breach of this commitment by any member of the department or University community.
Students who have a serious concern or who have experienced a transgression of the department’s DEI policy are encouraged to discuss the matter with the department chair (Cindy Bergeman or James Brockmole), the Director of Graduate Studies (Brad Gibson) or chair of the DEI committee (Daniel Lapsley), or any member of the DEI committee noted above, in order to review options for reporting and resolving the issue.
The first step towards resolving an issue might be a conversation with the alleged transgressor. This could be done one-on-one, or as a group (if multiple individuals found the situation offensive) or with an ally (e.g., one of individuals listed above). In some situations, this might suffice for bringing about a satisfactory resolution.
If informal resolution is not possible then the University provides University-level options. The University’s complete list of diversity-related resources includes the policy on Sexual and Discriminatory Harassment, and the process for reporting violations of the policy. One mechanism is Speak-Up (speakup.nd.edu) where students can file a report concerning alleged incidents of sexual assault, discrimination, or harassment.
The University is committed to responding quickly and thoroughly to all reports of sexual and discriminatory harassment, and for enforcing its Non-Retaliation Policy.
List of DEI and Other Resources for Students, Faculty and Staff
This link includes a list of valuable university, college, department, local and professional resources concerning DEI policies and procedures.
The Center for Student Support and Care is dedicated to providing all Notre Dame students with individualized care that promotes academic and personal well-being.
An Interactive Wellness Tool provides guidance on where to get help for a wide range of issues.