TTU Centennial signage displayed on campus. Photo by Melanie Escalante.
The President’s Excellence in Gender Equity Awards at Texas Tech highlight staff and faculty members who display efforts in promoting gender equity at all academic levels across the university.
Archie Pitsilides, outreach committee chair for the Gender Equity Council and member of the Title IX committee, said in the five years he has served on the council, the success of the program is apparent in the many letters of support from supervisors, students and community members collected in the nomination process.
“You kind of look at yourself and you’re thinking, ‘What have I been doing this last year?’ because all these great people have been doing so many good things,” Pitsilides said. “You see all of that in those letters.”
An ideal candidate is someone who has initiatives for the entire population on campus and aims for equity across all genders on the spectrum, Aimee Cameron, member of both the outreach and employment committee for the Gender Equity Council, said.
“We have [transgender] students on campus and we have to make sure that this is a safe and inviting place for them, just like everyone else,” Cameron said.
To achieve equitability there must be opportunity, Pitsilides said. Certain groups or individuals might not always have exposure to opportunities — equity is ensuring those groups or individuals have access as needed.
In recent years… the innocuous-sounding notion of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has been manipulated to push policies that expressly favor some demographic groups to the detriment of others,” the governor’s memo read.
“Indeed, rather than increasing diversity in the workplace, these DEI initiatives are having the opposite effect and are being advanced in ways that proactively encourage discrimination in the workplace. Illegally adding DEI requirements as a screening tool in hiring practices or using DEI as a condition of employment leads to the exclusion and alienation of individuals from the workplace.”
Following criticism toward Tech’s biology department’s hiring practices, TTU’s Office of Communications and Marketing released a written statement on Feb. 7 announcing that they will review hiring practices across all colleges and departments, withdrawing the use of DEI policies if identified. The award program has not been affected by the statement, as any changes are probably more apparent in human resources policy, Cameron said.
Looking through the Administration Building archway towards the Student Union Building. Photo by Melanie Escalante.
“I can’t really speak to the things going on with HR, and you know, with other departments but I don’t think it’s difficult for hiring committees to be mindful when they’re searching for candidates to make sure that they look at a candidate overall, ” Cameron said. “There’s so much that can be considered alongside some of the other things that I think folks tend to look at.”
With Tech being a Hispanic-Serving Institution, Cameron said that representation matters to the students and community.
Students need role models that mirror them whether it is through appearance or sharing a similar background. As the program manager for the Women’s and Gender Studies Department, Cameron said she has received feedback from students who feel there are only certain spaces on campus where they are truly comfortable.
“I feel like I’m here at Texas Tech, and I would say the majority of my colleagues here at Texas Tech are here because we care about students and the student experience, and want to make it accessible to everyone,” Cameron said. “You welcome every student equally, respect them and care for them, and try to give every single student what they need.”
The deadline for nominations is March 10 at 5 p.m. and must include a cover page, letter of nomination, supporting letters and further material. Nominations should be submitted to emailatgec@ttu.edu. Full-time staff and faculty members awarded will receive a $1,000 stipend as well as an invitation to the awards ceremony on April 10.
About Reece Nations
