Some thoughts after attending the terrific #WEBDiversitySummit organized by @caleconwomen. For me, one main takeaway was the informational disadvantage facing female, minority, and many international grad students.
It is hard for faculty to remember how little grad students know about the generally-unspoken rules of grad school and about how they can be successful as junior economists.
How and when do you choose an advisor? How many faculty members should you talk to regularly? What can you reasonably expect from them? What should you hide from them? How should you behave in seminars? How do you referee a paper? How do you respond to an R&R?
The questions are infinite, but its not clear who to ask, whether it's OK to ask, and anyway everyone but you obviously knows the answers already.
Informal conversations with faculty are important pathways to knowledge, and that implies that women, minorities, and many intl grad students are handicapped in the information-gathering game. Inevitably, we are likely to socialize/chat/play sports more w those like ourselves.
What can we do, and what can grad students do for themselves? Let's start with what economics depts and grad advisors can do.
1. Supplement informal mechanisms with formal ones that provide all students with a base level of information and support. Hold info sessions on issues affecting each cohort—first years, lost 3rd years, and year-before-the-market as well as job candidates.
Bottom line: You should meet collectively with your grad students more than you do now.
2. Sponsor events that get faculty and students together. Many of them should not involve alcohol.
3. Encourage students to set up, and maintain, a grad student association that can provide them with a collective voice. That association should be representative of the student body. Listen to them.
4. Make sure important information is readily available to students: Eg. how to access mental health services and where to find confidential resources for reporting sexual harassment or assault.
Graduate students: 1. Ask questions. Ask them collectively, via a grad association, or individually. Post them on EconSpark aeaweb.org/forum/. Understand that the faculty don’t, in general, know what you don’t know.
2. Expect more. 3. Help one another. 4. Provide input to department external reviews. 5. For those who attended #WEBDiversitySummit, build on this network and spread it further.
I welcome other suggestions. Looking forward to seeing more info posted on the #WEBDiversitySummit site at calwomenofecon.weebly.com/summit-for-div…. Watch @caleconwomen for news.
