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GSA Statement on Diversity and a

Challenge to the Society, Geoscience

Departments, and the Geoscience

Community at Large

Bradley D. Cramer, David W. Peate, Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA; and
Matthew R. Saltzman, School of Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA

INTRODUCTION Secondly, the call to challenge GSA to make for URM students to see themselves reflected
On 1 June 2020, the Geological Society a real difference. in the face of the professor in front of the
of America (GSA) posted the following classroom and as representative role models
message on its message board: THE PROBLEM and leaders in their field. Most of the GSA
GSA, and the geosciences in general, con- position statement on diversity is boilerplate
This past week we witnessed a sadly tinue to gloss over the fact that we remain far and lacks specific actions. It talks about
familiar scene in the United States with
the senseless death of George Floyd in behind even other STEM disciplines in our embracing diversity, but much of the docu-
Minneapolis. He joins other victims of overt diversity (Fig. 1; also see Bernard and ment focuses on geoscience education and
racism and systemic discrimination. We all Cooperdock, 2018). Whereas this was stated outreach to policy makers. The Society can
feel the pain, anger, and sadness of these in the 1 June note, nowhere in the official and should take concrete positions and
tragedies, but it is particularly acute for our
African American members, their families, GSA position statement on Diversity in the actions on diversity, equity, and inclusion and
and other People of Color. GSA stands with Geosciences Community is this fact acknowl- lead by example.
all of our colleagues facing these injustices edged. Instead, GSA pleads ignorance of the
and is committed to challenging and chang- magnitude of the problem: “There is a lack of COMMIT TO REAL CHANGE
ing the biases that lead to discriminatory quantitative and qualitative understanding of The Society and our discipline cannot
practices against People of Color.
We condemn discrimination and harass- the current status of diversity-related issues continue to overlook this issue, particularly
ment in any form, and are actively working and conditions in and associated with GSA.” as it pertains to Black, Latinx, and First
to promote the ideals and principles of our This statement is made in spite of the fact Nations communities. Even AGI, which has
position statements on Diversity in the that the National Science Foundation, the done more than any of the U.S. geoscience
Geosciences Community and Removing American Geosciences Institute (AGI), the societies to address this issue still softens
Barriers to Career Progression for Women
in the Geosciences. GSA’s Code of Ethics Journal of Geoscience Education, and even the problem: “Outside of the representation
and Professional Conduct gives process to GSA itself have been publishing data and rate of Black and African American geosci-
our vision and purpose for representing the articles for more than 40 years that point ence graduate students, the representation
best that our science can be. this out (e.g., Gillette, 1972; O’Connell and rates of racial and ethnic underrepresented
The pain of recent events motivates us to Holmes, 2011; Stokes et al., 2014). GSA can groups in the geosciences are similar to
push harder to advance diversity, equity, and
inclusion in the geosciences. Addressing and must do better, and we all need to take a STEM-wide trends, indicating diversity
systemic oppression requires both immedi- long hard look at our discipline, our Society, issues in the geosciences are not unique”
ate and long-term efforts while humbly and ourselves. (Wilson, 2018). To begin with, Black repre-
acknowledging that the geosciences remain Geoscience is the least diverse discipline sentation is worse in geoscience than other
one of the least diverse academic disciplines in science. There are many reasons why this is STEM disciplines. Secondly, this statement
in the sciences. In the weeks and months
ahead, GSA leadership will be furthering the case, and attempts at solving this issue has been used by STEM disciplines for
our efforts toward building a more diverse, have not been successful (NSF, 2001; Bernard decades to throw up their collective hands
respectful, and inclusive space for all sci- and Cooperdock, 2018; Dutt, 2020). The total and not address the issues. GSA, geoscience
ence, and scientists, to thrive. We ask the number of underrepresented minority (URM) departments, and geoscientists must accept
GSA membership to join us and to challenge
us to make a real difference. geoscientists is unacceptable. Rarely have 20 these facts before we can move forward to
or more Ph.D.s been earned by Black geosci- create real change.
We applaud GSA for making a public entists in any given year nationwide. Rarely The negative health and environmental
statement regarding these painful events; has that number been above 40 for M.S. impacts of geoscience industries, such as
however, we want to focus on two signifi- degrees in a year. Fewer than 4% of tenured or energy and mineral resource extraction, pro-
cant statements in this message. First, the tenure-track faculty are URM in the top duction, and disposal disproportionally fall
acknowledgment that geoscience remains 100 U.S. earth science departments (Nelson, on URM communities. Decades, and in
one of the least diverse science discipline. 2017). We must provide more opportunities some cases centuries, of zoning laws and

GSA Today, v. 31, https://doi.org/10.1130/GSATG472GW.1. CC-BY-NC.

Emails: bradley-cramer@uiowa.edu; david-peate@uiowa.edu; saltzman.11@osu.edu

34 GSA Today | January 2021