In order to thrive, create, and succeed, it is crucial that every member of our academic community feel secure and welcome. As a university, we have a unique responsibility to address issues like sexual harassment and microaggressions, to promote a welcoming environment and encourage intellectual growth for all. Back in 2015, Ben Keller (a fellow graduate student at the time) and I developed a new program for the prevention of sexual violence and sexual harassment issues for the EECS department at UC Berkeley, which ultimately became a requirement for all incoming graduate students. In this talk, I'll present a condensed version of this, where we'll discuss common harassment issues that underrepresented minorities often face and how we can combat these to promote a supportive community here at Illinois.
