Yafate Desta
Pronouns: He/him
Research Mentor(s): Meaghan Pearson
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Education and Psychology / Other
Program:
Authors: Yafate Desta, Meaghan Pearson
Session: Session 7: 4:40 pm – 5:30 pm
Poster: 22
Abstract
STEM departments at historically white universities have been creating barriers for STEM students especially those from underrepresented minority groups. The structures placed into these institutions have led for only those who identify as White to benefit while leaving the underrepresented racial groups to feel as though their needs are not being adequately met. Through the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion statements posted by the public midwestern university selected for this study, this study examined how DEI initiatives have been implemented through an engineering department at the university and what kind of tangible results have occurred as a result of these DEI initiatives. I plan to use 10 interviews consisting of students, faculty and administration from an engineering department to understand the experiences and insights on how effective DEI initiatives are for URM undergraduate students. Qualitative analytic procedures were used to analyze the interviews. The result suggest that students and faculty feel as though the DEI efforts have not been implemented enough to support students stemming from underrepresented racial backgrounds. This study adds on to previous research of the negative experiences on minoritized STEM students. This study showcases how ideals set by the University are not being uniformly met.
