Department DEIB Initiatives

Department faculty participate in a reading group to discuss current, research-based DEIB literature related to mathematics, computer science, and statistics.

Faculty consistently revise and rethink syllabi, change pedagogy, and adapt modes of assessment to better reflect recommended practices found in current literature. For example, faculty have adopted strategies such as foregrounding growth mindset, offering lower-stakes assessment opportunities in both electronic and in-person formats, formalizing the use of peer review, scaffolding draft stages in large projects, and assigning readings and facilitating discussions about DEIB in our fields.

The department is piloting new courses that implement both inclusive and antiracist pedagogies. The 100-level special topics class, Mathematics for Social Justice, was offered for the second time in fall 2022. This class focuses on mathematical topics such as algorithmic bias, communication and transportation networks, voting theory, income inequality, power indices, and housing and gentrification using readings, podcasts, and videos from the popular press to inform class discussions.

Similarly, the newly-developed 100-level Statistical Thinking (MTH-104) course was offered in fall 2022. It is structured for students to read and discuss biases in data collection and algorithms. The course features several guest speakers who address how data and statistics are viewed and used in other disciplines.

A revised and updated course in Discrete Mathematics (MTH-120) has been added to our curriculum and will run in fall 2023. This new course will create an alternate prerequisite (outside of Calculus) to engage in higher-level courses in the department, increasing accessibility to our courses to Muhlenberg students.

Every senior major in the department completes a Culminating Undergraduate Experience (CUE).  One option for this experience is a research-based project, designed by the student and supervised by a faculty member.  In recent years, computer science students have proposed and completed community-based CUE projects (two are described later in this document). Mathematics and statistics faculty are currently considering how to effectively implement such a CUE option for their students as well.

The department is dedicated to highlighting DEIB in our physical space.  Profiles of a diverse array of professionals whose work intersects the disciplines of our department are prominently displayed in our hallway and office spaces.  We are also making students aware of campus groups they can connect with, as well as national organizations such as Girls who Code, Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, Mathematically Gifted and Black, Lathisms, the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM), Women in Mathematics Education, and the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS).

Many department faculty serve as advisors to students clubs and organizations that either center DEIB issues or include them as part of their ongoing conversations.  These groups include the student chapter of the AWM, the Women in STEM (WiSTEM) student collective, and the Math and Computer Science clubs.

The department convened a 7-member Student Advisory group that met regularly for an entire academic year.  That group produced a detailed summary report that reflected student experiences and suggestions for the department on themes such as department climate, how we tell our department and disciplinary stories, and community inreach and outreach.  This report has become an important departmental resource that provides ideas and suggestions that inform our actions through today. In particular, the impetus to have an alternative introductory course to Calculus that will allow students to take higher-level courses in the department came from this group; as mentioned above, the new Discrete Mathematics course will serve this role.

It became clear that the effort of promoting and sustaining real change in how DEIB is approached by the department required a team effort.  The department created a DEIB Subcommittee composed of four faculty members who collaborate on initiatives and who report to the department on a regular basis.  Each discipline in the department has faculty representation in this working group.  Current faculty on this committee are William Gryc, Michael Karcher, Linda McGuire, and Hamed Yaghoobian.

As a sign of institutional support for our initiatives, the department was awarded a student research assistantship for fall  2022.  Senior Leslie Avecillas served as researcher, consultant, and support staff for the DEIB subcommittee.

Department faculty serve in many capacities on campus that also contribute to DEIB work. Examples include faculty involved in the First-Generation Student Support group and the Latine/a/o/x heritage group on campus, Comunidad. Also, several faculty completed formal training to serve as equity advocates and contribute to department and institutional search and hiring processes in that capacity.

The department continues to explore new ways to meaningfully connect with members of the local community. For example, department members recently participated in the STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) Outreach program for students from South Mountain Middle School. Faculty collaborated with Muhlenberg students to create hands-on, interactive mathematics modules for the 7th and 8th grade students who attended the event.

Affinity groups are some of the most involved student organizations on campus. Information about the 11 current groups on campus can be found at https://www.muhlenberg.edu/student-life/multicultural/. They often collaborate with departments to host events for all students at the college to enjoy and are safe spaces for students with marginalized identities to find commonality and community with peers.

The AWM student group sponsored a successful virtual Salon Series in the spring of 2021, featuring five female-identifying speakers and a joint student event with the WiSTEM club. To continue this focus on women in STEM, the AWM will sponsor two colloquia given by women professionals per academic year.

The Math Club is deliberate in inviting all campus community members to participate in events and providing spaces that encourage interactions between students and connections with faculty.

The WiSTEM student group hosts several conversations per year about issues pertaining to women in STEM.  Recent dialogues have been about the realities of stereotype threat and imposter syndrome.  The group also celebrated “STEM Day” by producing a large poster that Muhlenberg community members could sign.  That poster continues to be on display on the first floor of Trumbower.

While there is no single approach to students engaging in community-based work, there are several current projects that highlight efforts in this area.  Examples include: 

• STEM Outreach in Local Schools:  STEM Outreach is an organization that allows Muhlenberg students to lead hands-on, interactive STEM-related lessons with local public schools in Allentown, PA. Students affiliated with our department have traveled to local schools and led hands-on activities involving basic modeling and statistics.

• Students doing Community Outreach:  Department students participate in a number of other activities that involve working with students in the local K -12 system.  Examples include Jefferson Field Day and education and tutoring programs at Casa Guadalupe. 

Community service opportunities can be pursued simply out of student interest, with no particular link to academic courses.  There are also curricular structures through which a student can contribute to such projects as part of their major.  Two recent examples are:

• Communities In Schools of Eastern Pennsylvania (CISEPA) Database and Reporting Project:  Kaleb Gearinger ‘23 is working in coordination with members of CISEPA to organize and construct an easily-updatable  database storing information regarding local schools, students, case workers, and student outcomes. He is also constructing an interactive dashboard to allow CISEPA members to quickly query, view, and download reports regarding common questions about student, school, and case worker outcomes over time.  

• Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center Gala Auction Website Project:  Andrew White ‘25 is working with members of the BSLGBT Community Center to construct a website they can use to auction items for their yearly charity gala. This includes the construction of the website, as well as designing mechanisms to create new auctions, load items for auction into the system, allow the general public to bid on these items, and coordinate the distribution of items to bid winners. Additionally, Andrew is  creating documentation and providing training for the members of Bradbury-Sullivan regarding the system.