The Desert Research Institute (DRI) offers a supportive, diverse, and inclusive environment for its students, faculty/staff, and visitors. The Office for Human Resources, Diversity, and Affirmative Action is responsible for administering and monitoring the Institute’s equal opportunity and diversity-related policies and procedures, pursuant to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended, Americans with Disabilities Act and other relevant federal, state and local statutes.

The office collaborates with System and Institute management, faculty, and staff to ensure that campus operations, programs and procedures comply with these requirements, as well as investigates discrimination complaints from faculty, students, and staff. The office also provides assistance to individuals who have concerns and questions regarding sexual harassment, accessibility, discrimination, recruitment and hiring processes, equal opportunity, affirmative action, and diversity.

Equal Opportunity Commitment

DRI is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action in recruitment of its employees and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, creed, national origin, veteran status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, or gender expression. DRI employs only United States citizens and aliens lawfully authorized to work in the United States. Women, under-represented groups, individuals with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply.

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibly (IDEA) Committee 

2020 Charter – IDEA Committee Charter 2020

Overview and Purpose: DRI’s mission is to excel in basic and applied research and the application of technologies to improve people’s lives in Nevada and throughout the world. Diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility are critical components within the fabric of the institute to excel in basic and applied research, solve complex environmental issues, and advance DRI’s mission. However, data show the earth sciences are among the least diverse science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields in the United States and racial diversity in PhD-level earth scientists has not improved over the past four decades. The purpose of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) committee is to help build a more diverse, inclusive, equitable, and accessible environment for all institute community members. 

Scope: This committee is targeted towards promoting the advancement and improvement of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibly at DRI as pertain to both internal and external-facing functions. The Committee will seek broad representation across the institute. For clarity, this group is not an advocacy group and will not engage in discussions on national, state, or local politics, political figures, or political movements. This group does not handle personnel issues; these must be directed to Human Resources. For topics that are actionable within HR, the Diversity Officer will be the conduit between the committee and that department.  

Objectives:  

• Promote the advancement and improvement of IDEA at DRI, including recommendations on evidence-based best practices for the advancement of IDEA. 
• Inform DRI policy related to IDEA.  
• Identify shortcomings within DRI culture and provide education, raise awareness, and recommend actionable solutions to address those shortcomings. 
• Create mechanisms that alleviate the burden of on underrepresented groups to advocate for IDEA issues (e.g., the ‘cultural taxation’ imposed on those from under-represented groups2).   
• Identify barriers for IDEA and recommend breakthrough points.   
• Support the DRI Diversity Officer by channeling ideas, providing an additional outreach mechanism to identify areas of concern and employee input on IDEA recommendations, broadly engaging faculty in professional development/training initiatives, and reviewing/providing input into the Diversity Office Strategic Plan.

DRI values a diverse workforce and reviews data annually to ensure we are reaching applicants from diverse and underrepresented groups.  We believe that a diverse workforce creates an environment that increases creativity, drives new research, and improves the workplace culture.

DRI’s strategic plan for diversity and inclusion is focused on outreach to a more diverse group of applicants as well as improving efforts to support historically underrepresented groups within DRI and NSHE.  DRI is continuously reviewing and updating this plan to ensure best practices are being implemented in order to recruit and retain a diverse group of employees dedicated to environmental research.

NSHE Diversity Data, Committees, and Summits

• NSHE Faculty and Staff Diversity Data
• NSHE Diversity and Inclusion Information

Language Accessibility

DRI provides meaningful access to our programs and activities for limited-English proficient individuals and individuals with disabilities.

Land Acknowledgement at DRI

We, of the Desert Research Institute, acknowledge that the places where we conduct science have deep ancestral ties to the Indigenous peoples who have inhabited these lands since time immemorial, and we recognize that these communities continue to thrive today. We respect traditional knowledge systems and Indigenous wisdom that originated before the Western scientific approach, and that evolved with and cannot be separated from these sacred lands. We value these knowledge systems that continue today as a way of understanding our intrinsic relationships with land, water, air, people, and ecosystems. 

 We express our gratitude for the opportunity to live and work on and in proximity to these traditional homelands. We acknowledge the original and continued sovereignty of Native nations in our region – Numu, Nuwu/Nuwuvi, Newe, and Wašiw/Wašišiw – and everywhere.

 This is our commitment to conducting science with a conscience, which includes decolonizing science and rejecting the beliefs that have led to physical and cultural removal of Indigenous peoples from their traditional homelands, so that our work is respectful, collaborative, and beneficial for all. We will listen to, include, and elevate diverse ways of cultivating knowledge, and ally with Indigenous scientists.