Equity and Inclusion
Our Commitment
The Department of Psychology at the University at Buffalo is committed to creating a supportive and inclusive environment for all people and a community where people respect and trust each other enough to have difficult conversations. We promote diversity because every individual has inherent worth, and diversity, equity, and inclusion are intrinsic to this core belief. We expect members of our department to strive towards these same goals by being courteous to others, by being willing to listen to differing viewpoints and opinions, and by recognizing the essential value in all human beings.
Creating an equitable and inclusive environment starts by recognizing our current limitations in this regard. As psychology researchers and instructors, we are not immune to prejudice, bias, and partiality. We comprehend the need to examine our own motives, experiences, and interpretations, as well as the need to include marginalized voices. Sometimes, we make mistakes. However, we strive to seek reconciliation with those we have harmed and to learn from our previous errors. We further recognize that systems of oppression and bias have led to unequal opportunities and unequal outcomes for some groups of people, and seek to change those systems when it is in our power to do so.
The Department of Psychology welcomes the Department’s Equity and Inclusion Committee’s guidance to align departmental policy, practices, and culture in support of the stated goals. This includes the full range of departmental activities including undergraduate education, graduate training, research, delivery of psychological services, hiring and promotion, and community outreach.
Resources and Funding Opportunities
- Check out our local UB resources, which may benefit individuals from a variety of diverse backgrounds and experiences.
- We also have funding opportunities to assist with the professional development of students from underrepresented backgrounds and those pursuing the scholarship of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Equity and Inclusion Committee
Psychology's Equity and Inclusion Committee will advise the department chair on ways to enhance diversity in hiring, recruitment, admissions and retention. The committee will also liaise with UB administrators who oversee diversity, equity and inclusion, and will engage in outreach with the local community consistent with the committee's mission.
Faculty Representatives
- Joyce Lacy, PhD (Committee Co-Chair and Diversity Officer)
- Kenneth DeMarree, PhD (Committee Co-Chair)
- Andrés Buxó-Lugo, PhD
- Paul Meyer, PhD
- Rebecca Schwartz-Mette, PhD
- Scott Wersinger, PhD
Graduate Student Representatives
- Chihiro Honda
- Samantha Johnstone
Undergraduate Representatives
- Kayla Anderson
- Salwa Nadeem