Engineers are problem solvers who use their knowledge to address technical, environmental, health and societal needs. Engineers can change the world, but in moving forward we need to understand the pros and cons of proposed solutions and how they affect all people, and the global environment we share. We need fresh perspectives and creativity to forge innovative solutions to problems. All this speaks to needing diversity of opinions, diversity of experiences, diversity of expertise, and an ability to listen to everyone and build on their ideas.

We need to create a more supportive environment for everyone and stand up and be strong allies when people are being ignored or being treated poorly. We need to be welcoming and encouraging to everyone we interact with, every day. The University needs to look at Purdue’s recruitment strategies and determine how individual biases or institutional biases (in our rules/criteria) may be creating negative outcomes, and then work to correct these problems.