0
0
Currently, CSNOW is the only association directly affiliated with a department. Other associations, such as Limes, phimale or WiNS, are not part of their respective departments. Do you think that should change?
Julia Dannath: Many initiatives are directly affiliated with departments. CSNOW addresses gender diversity, which is an issue of great importance within all departments, albeit approached in different ways.
The central administration doesn’t enforce rules; each department has autonomy in how it addresses diversity. It’s commendable that the Department of Computer Science recognises the importance of this issue. The gender diversity situation varies from department to department; therefore, I think it would be wrong to apply a one-size-fits-all approach.
As you mentioned, there is a certain level of autonomy between the institution, the departments, the professors and the students. Thus, we wonder, who is responsible for promoting diversity at our university?
Julia Dannath: We all are. Every individual at our university – from professors to staff to students – must act respectfully, as we expect from our Code of Conduct. This responsibility can’t be delegated, nor enforced top-down or bottom up. It is individual. This responsibility includes creating an atmosphere of inclusion and diversity, ensuring that no one in our community feels disrespected or discriminated against.
At a departmental level, it becomes more strategic. Departments need to consider, for example, what they can do at the departmental leadership level to attract more female students or increase the diversity of the faculty. That responsibility lies with the department, but it also involves coordination with us – the central administration – to ensure that such initiatives are implemented. We provide the framework and necessary support, such as setting targets for female representation in new hires and providing resources for diversity programmes.
And last but not least, the federal government, as the owner, has specific requirements for non-discriminatory interactions that we have to implement.
Have there been any initiatives that you wanted to implement where you’ve got some pushback?
Julia Dannath: There have been times when we’ve disagreed with certain approaches, so we’ve had to push back and rethink our strategy. For example, we often discuss whether to make measures mandatory or to offer choices. The ideal scenario is that people act on their own because they find it important. But that’s not always the case. The challenge is to balance cultural acceptance. If people feel they’re being watched too closely or treated like children, it could lead to resistance rather than openness. We would then spend time debating the merits of mandatory measures rather than addressing the real issues. This can distract us from our main goals.
In a perfect world, everything would fall into place, but that’s not the reality. So sometimes we must look for compromises and handle things differently than initially intended.
Günther Dissertori: Another example from a different perspective is the appointment of female professors. I don’t necessarily want to call it a pushback, but rather an example of the inertia of the system: for years, it was demanded that there should be a certain percentage of female candidates on the list of invitees and on the shortlist that goes to the president. It was only when Joël Mesot became ETH president and insisted that proposals be accepted only if certain criteria were met, such as the presence of at least one woman on the list, that this approach was implemented.
This pressure has begun to bear fruit – last year more women than men were appointed professors. But it shows how long it can take to change the system and how much persistence is sometimes needed.
Finally, we have a question about how diversity guidelines “trickle down” to the teaching level. There are plenty of suggestions from ETH Diversity which are still not implemented in lectures.
Günther Dissertori: This is also a complex issue. As Julia has just explained, it’s about balancing surveillance versus awareness. Rather than imposing strict regulations, we focus on raising awareness within the institution. Mandating changes could infringe on academic freedom, which is constitutionally protected, so we aim to encourage best practices in other ways.
For instance, we recommend, or strongly encourage, all new professors and those with permanent appointments to take our didactic courses, where we discuss topics like this. Another example is the introduction of anonymous grading. It’s easy to implement. I’ve been doing it in my exams for the last few years – grading the written exams anonymously, so you don’t see the name, which helps to eliminate bias. These practices are gradually catching on, but it takes time and consistent reminders to keep the focus on these issues.
CSNOW: The Network of Women* in Computer Science is an interest group of the Department of Computer Science at ETHZ. Our goal is to abolish gender-based barriers and prejudices, and to create a study and work environment that is comfortable for all.
