Chemistry department plans to hold implicit bias training despite on campus rumors

Last week, there was a rumor circulating that the Chemistry department decided not to hold implicit bias training this year.
After speaking with Dr. Brandy Russell of the Chemistry department, and receiving further confirmation from Dr. Scott Bur, co-chair of the Chemistry department, it has been confirmed that this statement is false. The Chemistry department still has the intention of holding implicit bias training, though as of right now it is postponed until further notice.
“There has not been any decision to not hold training, nor has there been any departmental communication with students that suggests we decided to not hold it,” Bur said.
“It has been postponed, but we don’t have a definite date set yet. We hope to offer training as soon as possible,” Bur said.
Dr. Bur shed some light onto the reason why the department is currently unable to deliver this training.
“Implicit bias training is a relatively new thing at this institution. Very few people on campus have the skill set and training to do effective implicit bias training,” Bur said.
“It was our relationship with Janet Jennings in the Center for Inclusive Excellence (CIE) that helped us offer TA (Teacher’s Assistant) training last spring. We were able to do one of the training sessions before campus shut down due to COVID-19. We had intended to do the training this fall, when we all came back to campus. Unfortunately for us, Janet took a job outside of Gustavus, and she is no longer available to work with us,” Bur said.
With the news that implicit bias training is only being postponed, students are starting to feel more at ease. Junior Hailey Magnison, who is majoring in Psychological Science and Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies shared what implicit bias training means in relation to the sciences.
“I’ll start this by stating that implicit bias training is incredibly important and I have completed training that explained this notion, and much more. Implicit bias plays a role in all factors of my life. I have just begun my journey into the Psychological Science side of my degree, which I plan to use to become a therapist. If I was not cognizant of what implicit bias is and how that could play into my job, it would be incredibly detrimental to my career,” Magnison said.
“I benefit greatly from learning about implicit bias. It helps me understand myself and how I view the world and how others view the world as well. I see absolutely no downfall to learning about implicit bias, which is why I decided to be vocal about this situation. No matter what the situation is, my main message is this: Complete Implicit Bias Training. There is no downside to learning about it,” Maginson said.
Dr. Bur also expressed the same sentiment.
“Understanding how to value the cultural wealth that each student brings is a critical part of knowing how to work with and foster the learning of any student. Like much of campus, the Chemistry Department has not been particularly diverse. As we have more students with diverse backgrounds, it becomes harder to understand the individual context of these students and easy to make assumptions. Part of the implicit bias training is to learn to recognize those biases so you can mitigate their impact. [It] is one of the first steps in building a stronger community. Without it, we continue to make false assumptions and limit the educational potential of our students,” Bur said.
Dr. Bur also brings up Drs. Bloch Qazi and Dr. Gonsar as instrumental people for these types of diversity training.
“Dr. Bloch Qazi, in her role as the Kendall Center for Engaged Learning (KCEL) associate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, trains faculty-hiring committees and other faculty committees on recognizing and minimizing implicit bias, but she is not responsible for training students. Neither Dr. Bloch Qazi nor Dr. Gonsar [has] the time to take on the role of implicit bias trainer for other departments,” Bur said.
In his explanation for the lack of immediate training, he reveals that there are efforts being made to enforce a more concrete system for training.
“With Janet’s departure, it became clear that there needed to be an institutionalized way to do this kind of training; a hodge-podge of programs led by unqualified trainers can lead to mixed messages, and ultimately do more harm than good. To this end, the President’s Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (PCDEI), with input from the Center for Inclusive Excellence (CIE) staff and Drs. Bloch Qazi and Gonsar, is developing something Chaplain Siri hopes will be introduced this spring,” Bur said.
By the end, Dr. Bur reiterates the importance of implicit bias training and future plans.
“This is an important issue, and I share students’ desires to see this training become a regular part of the Chemistry Department’s plan to address inequity and bias. I appreciate that students feel very passionately about this and are taking action to make it happen. Direct dialogue is the best way to start,” Bur said.
“The chemistry department has not made an official statement because we don’t know when a new training will be available – we just heard about the PCDEI plans on Monday. I sincerely hope, however, that this article brings awareness to the issues, and that it also helps students understand the efforts that are ongoing – in departments across campus and in the institution as a whole. Student voices are valuable, and students can and do drive real change on this campus,” Bur said.