Episode Four: When Women’s Ideas are Co-opted with Sophie Walters

A faculty member offers an idea at a meeting, which is ignored by her colleagues. Later, another faculty member offers a variant of the same idea, and he is praised for his “innovative” idea. What do you do now? In the fourth episode of Advancing Faculty Excellence, we are joined by Sophie Walters, Director of Prevention Education, Assistance & Resources (PEAR) who walks us through how to address this scenario. She dives into how the Eight Levers to Shift Climate for Respect and Inclusion can be used both proactively and reactively to create a climate in your unit where everyone’s voices are welcomed and heard. Featured RISE Case Study: CCS #10 When Women’s Ideas are Co-opted Sophie Walters serves as the Director at the Prevention, Education, Assistance & Resources (PEAR) Office within the Equity, Civil Rights, and Title IX (ECRT) Office. Born and raised in France, Sophie went to law school in Paris and moved to New York City for her Master of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She also obtained her Master in Social Work from the University of Michigan. Previously, Sophie worked at the Prevention, Outreach and Education Department (POE) at Michigan State University and at the Crime Victims Assistance Unit (CVAU) at the Bronx District Attorney’s Office where she gained her expertise in sexual and gender-based misconduct. She is passionate about developing and facilitating prevention programming for faculty and staff on the Title IX regulations, university misconduct policies, and supporting resources in order to build an inclusive, trauma-informed, and violence-free environment for all. Episode Resources: Prevention Education, Assistance & Resources (PEAR) Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) Facilitation Workshops Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2018) An Antidote to Microaggressions? Microvalidations. (Morgan Roberts, L., Grayson, M., & Dennard Rosser, B., Harvard Business Review, 2023) Eight Levers to Shift Climate for Respect and Inclusion. The Respect in Striving for Excellence (RISE) Committee. (2022, August) University of Michigan ADVANCE Program. Find a full episode transcript on the podcast website. Enjoyed this episode? Explore more case studies and resources at https://advance.umich.edu/rise/. Credits:  Hosts: Mike Liemohn, Associate Director, Advance Program & Kelsey Arras, Communications and Project Specialist, ADVANCE Program Producer: Kelsey Arras, Communications and Project Specialist, ADVANCE Program Music: WP Norton & So Say We All! Production Support: Shapiro Library Design Lab