Washington University in St. Louis
IN-39: Sustainability Office Diversity Program

For interns, we recruit from a wide variety of places and through partnerships to cast as wide a net as possible. Our roster usually has at least 50% POC from a variety of backgrounds and demographics. We also have a standardized interview and interview questions/script to ensure each applicant has an equal experience.

We take a similar approach to hiring staff, though we hire staff much less frequently. We have a long and growing list of places where we post and circulate openings, specifically targeting beyond the sustainability circle and higher ed circle. We also work with HR to monitor our applicant pool to blindly see the % of POC at each elimination round; if we don't hit our minimum %, we open it back up. We have a policy that guides this process.

OOS staff are required to take the “Understanding and Analyzing Systemic Racism” training provided by Crossroads Antiracism Organizing and Training and are encouraged to seek annual DEI professional development; staff have attended: Day of Dialogue & Action, HBCU Climate Change Conference, AASHE conferences, a 3-day workshop on DEI and sustainability, and numerous webinars.

We have developed an event policy that mandates speakers, panels and presenters mirror the demographics of our region and encourages specific representation from historically under-represented groups.
- We partner with the Office of Student Success (support services for un-represented, low income, and first-gen students) on our Move Out donation program to recirculate donated items.
- We partnered with the Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) to host a 4-day orientation program for incoming students
- We invited the CDI to provide a training session at our pre-school year retreat for sustainability leaders
- We are participating with the Office of Religious, Spiritual & Ethical Life to host a lecture by Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, an interfaith leader focused on environmental justice and sustainability for earth day
- We regularly work with the Supplier Diversity office to advance mutually-supportive RFPs, contract reviews, and purchasing policies.
- Our monthly+ newsletter typically contains content connected to DEI news, events, etc.
- Etc.

We are a small team, but this responsibility is seen as critical for each staff person. We take turns leading on different projects and initiatives, but all are expected to incorporate into the work that they do on a regular basis.