Reporting Grievances

The University of Illinois and the IGB are both committed to welcoming students and employees of diverse backgrounds. Although we believe that our community should remain free from discrimination in all its forms, we are aware that such injustice is still prevalent. In an effort to support you, here are a few resources around the campus that you can use if you face discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct, or retaliation.  

Reporting grievances through:

1. Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (OVCDEI) to help in instances regarding:
   1. Complaints of Discrimination or Harassment
   2. Concerns about Negative Behavior and Campus Belonging
   3. Reporting an Incident of Sexual Misconduct
   4. Reporting a Barrier to Access
   5. Reporting to External Agencies 
2. IGB Internal Options
   1. If you are a member of the IGB, you are not alone. Use this anonymous form to reach the DEI task force, or, if you prefer, speak with a trusted colleague or a member of IGB leadership. We are here to listen to you and help you. 

Wellbeing Services

Student Affairs
This page will guide you to the ongoing efforts of the campus to help with general wellness, mental health, exercise plans, food assistance programs, and financial assistance. You will also find links to the 24-hour resources on campus, including hotlines for suicide prevention, rape advocacy and counseling services, and help for domestic violence.  

Faculty/Staff Assistance Services 
The Well-Being Services page aims to create a culture of wellness that supports healthy living, personal growth, and enhanced quality of life. The staff is dedicated to providing quality, confidential assistance to employees and their families who may be experiencing difficulties that impact their lives, including assessments, short-term counseling, crisis services and referrals to appropriate resources. This benefit free of charge to all faculty, staff, retirees and family members or significant others living in their household.  

Facilities Accommodations

Gender neutral bathrooms are available on floors 1 and 2 of the IGB gatehouse, open during the hours of 8am to12pm and 1pm to 5pm. A private lactation room for IGB-affiliated members is available by request, see the IGB reception desk for access. Baby changing stations are available in the restrooms on the concourse level. 

For additional accommodation questions or requests, please contact info-igb@illinois.edu.

Further Readings

Here is a list of articles for your personal reading or for group discussions, whether it is your friend group, family, or campus units.

Promoting diversity in scientific practices

Human genetic diversity: Lewontin's fallacy
Edwards AW. Bioessays. 2003; 25:798-801

When two tribes go to war
Dalton R. Nature. 2004; 430:500–502

Unequal representation of genetic variation across ancestry groups creates healthcare inequality in the application of precision medicine 
Petrovski S and Goldstein DB. Genome Biology. 2016; 17:157

Genomics is failing on diversity 
Popejoy AB and Fullerton SM. Nature. 2016; 538:161-164

The power of diversity 
Powell K. Nature. 2018; 558:19-22

Inclusivity for all: How to make your research group accessible 
Levine AG. Science. 2020

Science and equality of opportunity
McNutt M. PNAS. 2020; 117:16090-16091

The Illusion of Inclusion - The "All of Us" Research Program and Indigenous Peoples' DNA 
Fox K. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2020; 383:411-413

“Where do I even start?” Recommendations for faculty diversifying syllabi in ecology, evolution, and the life sciences
Perrin-Stowe TIN, Horner M, Coon JJ, Lynch LR, de Flamingh A, Alexander NB, Golebie E, Swartz TM, Bader AC, and Halsey SJ. Ecology and Evolution. 2023; 13: e9719

Equitable hiring strategies towards a diversified faculty
Cosgriff-Hernandez EM et al. Nature Biomedical Engineering. 2023; 7: 961–968

Racial equity

Racial Equity Tools Glossary 
MP Associates, Center for Assessment and Policy Development and World Trust Educational Services, 2019

African Americans in evolutionary science: where we have been, and what’s next 
Graves JL. Evolution: Education and Outreach. 2019; 12

Elevate, don’t assimilate, to revolutionize the experience of scientists who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour  
Halsey SJ, Strickland LR, Scott-Richardson M, Perrin-Stowe T, and Massenburg L. Nature Ecology and Evolution. 2020; 4: 1291–1293

Ten simple rules for building an antiracist lab
Chaudhary VB and Berhe AA. PLoS Computational Biology. 2020; 16: e1008210

Ecology and evolutionary biology must elevate BIPOC scholars
Duc Bo Massey M, Arif S, Albury C, and Cluney VA. Ecology Letters. 2021; 24:913-919

Supporting the LGBTQ+ community

How LGBT+ scientists would like to be included and welcomed in STEM workplaces 
Powell K, Terry R, and Chen S. Nature. 2020; 586: 813-816

Best practices for LGBTQ+ inclusion during ecological fieldwork: Considering safety, cis/heteronormativity and structural barriers 
Coon JJ et al. Journal of Applied Ecology. 2023; 60:393-399

Working with Indigenous communities on genomics research

A framework for enhancing ethical genomic research with Indigenous communities
Claw KG et al. Nature Communications. 2018; 9:2957

Advancing the Ethics of Paleogenomics
Bardill J et al. Science. 2018; 360: 384-385

Building relationships to shift accountability: doing paleogenomic research with Indigenous nations and Ancestors
Bader AC, Carbaugh AE, Bardill J, Malhi RS, Petzelt B, and Mitchell J. Routledge Press. 2020; 166-177

Rights, interests and expectations: Indigenous perspectives on unrestricted access to genomic data
Hudson M et al. Nature Reviews Genetics. 2020; 21:377-384