Advocates and Allies

In 2015, RIT created the Advocates and Allies program through funding from the National Science Foundation Grant No. 1500604 titled, “Engaging Male Colleagues in Institutional Transformation for the Advancement of Women Faculty.” The Advocates and Allies project at RIT is based on an innovative approach designed by North Dakota State University to involve faculty men intentionally in the transformation of departmental cultures and practices. Our method, based on the NDSU approach, is specifically designed for academic settings to support men faculty, in consultation with women faculty, in gender-equity efforts and includes two essential components:

1. Recognize the implicit and explicit intersectional manifestations of gendered discrimination
2. Effectively and systematically generate individual behaviors and institutional policies that interrupt inequities and foster gender justice.
    

The mission of the Advocates and Allies program is:

1. Introduce men to knowledge, skills, and strategies to effect positive personal, departmental, and institutional change
2. Emphasize men working with other men while maintaining accountability to women
3. Build a supportive network of men allies who are committed to gender equity 

Nearly 100 RIT faculty men have attended Ally training and taken action, primarily within their own department. Common actions taken include:

• Speaking up at meetings regarding gender diversity and equity
• Act as an active bystander to support an inclusive, civil work environment
• Invite women colleagues to collaborate on research
• Nominate women colleagues for awards
• Serve on a committee as a gender equity proponent in place of their women colleagues to reduce the inequity of service loads
   

Advocates are faculty men who support faculty women by working toward improving gender diversity and equity. These advocates have a strong commitment to supporting women faculty in their department, colleges, and the university. They are aware of institutional dynamics and structural bias while showing an interest in learning about issues of discrimination and privilege in the workplace. The advocates are active and effective proponents of gender diversity and equity.

• Faculty men with a strong commitment and record of supporting women faculty in their department, colleges, and the university
• Active and effective proponents of gender diversity and equity
• Committed to increasing their understanding of gender bias and its impact on the academic careers of women.
• Expected to have an awareness of the dynamics of institutional and structural bias and privilege and be interested in learning about issues of discrimination and privilege in the workplace.
• A group that meets regularly (monthly) and works toward specific goals and outcomes, discusses recommended readings and case studies and is involved in the development and delivery of training programs for male faculty who are interested in becoming Allies.

Here are suggested actions that one can take to be an ally for women faculty:

• Tell women (and men) faculty that you are an ally
• Ask women faculty about their experience with departmental climate, and listen to their answer
• Ensure women faculty members have equal opportunity to speak during meetings
• Ensure women faculty are invited to informal departmental gatherings
• Talk to women faculty about their research
• Nominate qualified women for awards, honors, and positions
• Volunteer to serve on promotion, tenure, faculty search, and other committees with specific purpose of being an ally for gender equity
   

Upcoming workshops

Recent Past Events

Poster and Guides

• Advocates and Allies Poster
• Gender Diversity: A Guide for Higher Education Faculty (A. Smerbeck)
• Overview of Advocates and Allies (North Dakota State University)
• Solving the Equation: The Variables for Women’s Success in Engineering and Computing (AAUW) 

Bias and Gender Diversity Quick Reads 

• 10 Things All Allies Need To Know (Jamie Utt)
• 14 Advocacy Tips (Roger Green, ASEE)
• Diminished by Discrimination We Scarcely See (Meg Urry)
• Engaging Men in Gender Initiatives (Jeanine Prime, Corinne A. Moss-Racusin, Heather Foust- Cummings, Catalyst)
• Exposing Hidden Bias at Google (Farhad Manjoo)
• Gendered Skepticism (Colleen Flaherty)
• How Not to be a Jerk to Women in STEM (Megan Patterson)
• Is the Professor Bossy or Brilliant? (Claire Cain Miller)
• Male Advocate and Allies Promoting Gender Diversity in Technology Workplaces (National Center for Women & Information Technology’s (NCWIT’s) Workforce Alliance)
• Old Boys Lab: Where Are The Women (Jane C. Hu)
• Online Students Give Instructors Higher Marks If They Think Instructors Are Men (Lillian MacNell)
• Q&A With Carol S. Dweck (Vikas Baja)
• Quality of Evidence Revealing Gender Bias (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America)
• Science Faculty Subtle Gender Biases Favor Male Students (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America)
• Searching For Excellence and Diversity (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
• Turning Down Endowed Lectureship (Jonathan A. Eisen)
• What Men Have to Do With It (International Center for Research on Women)
• When Talking About Bias Backfires (Adam Grant)