Advocates for Diversity in Engineering (ADE) – A DEI Student Advisory Board Subteam

Mission:

“The mission of the Advocates for Diversity in Engineering (ADE): A DEI Student Advisory Board Subteam is to transform the future of tomorrow by enabling students in University of Michigan College of Engineering student organizations and the entire CoE community to reach their full potential. We were formed as a subteam of the DEI Student Advisory Board committed to exposing all students in engineering student teams, organizations, and societies of every background to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts put forth by the DEI Strategic Plan.”

Requirements for Joining:

• Must be a current University of Michigan College of Engineering Student
• Preferred participation in another Engineering Affiliated Student Organization
• Be willing to commit at least 2-5 hours per week
• Must be able to serve one academic year

If you are interested, sign up HERE!

Goals

• Collect, create, implement, and advocate for inclusive initiatives in student org spaces
• Educate the student organization community on inclusive practices and tools
• Provide support for student organizations in their DEI initiatives and challenges

Current Projects:

• SSO 2-Year DEI Plans: The purpose of this project is to evaluate how sponsored student organizations in UM’s College of Engineering plan on implementing inclusive practices within their student organization over two-year time frames. Over the 2018-2019 school year, our team evaluated over 35 student org plans and advised as necessary to improve the plans. We check in on an as-needed basis to evaluate progress on their action plans. The ultimate goal is to see an overall improvement in cultural practices in these student orgs and to help eliminate barriers to entry that some in our population are facing. 
• Increasing Inclusive Practices in the Wilson Center: The ultimate goal of this project is to embed inclusive engineering practices into the Wilson Student Team Project Center space, which houses student project teams. We are currently working with OSA and Wilson Center Staff to put a system in place for conflict resolution and improved cultural awareness through training for student leaders and employees, the development of a feedback system, and assisting with the development of a code of conduct. This project is highly impactful as it empowers students in the space to become knowledgeable in both technical and inclusive practices as they launch into their careers.
• The Visibility Project: The goal of this project is to increase the visibility of underrepresented minorities in Engineering by highlighting current students, alumni, and faculty throughout North Campus. We are pursuing this by creating and installing posters that highlight engineers who identify as minorities throughout North Campus.