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Inclusion & Belonging

Mission and Goals

The Department of Food Science and Technology (FST) commits to strategic engagement and opportunity through fostering an open and welcoming environment for all former, present, and future members and collaborators of the department. 

FST works to:

  • Promote a learning and working climate that acknowledges and celebrates varied backgrounds 
  • Promote acceptance and respect for all members of our community, especially those from underrepresented groups
  • Increase the variety of backgrounds of students, faculty, and staff

We do this by:

  • Empowering the FST Strategic Engagement and Opportunity Committee to lead initiatives that address the above-mentioned efforts 
  • Employing practices that ensure accessible and safe classrooms, labs, and shared department spaces
  • Organizing activities that strengthen our community through shared learning, relationship development, collegiality, and communication
  • Rejecting all forms of injustice, unequal treatment, and intolerance

 

Strategic Engagement and Opportunity Committee Membership

Committee Chair

Members

Opportunity and Belonging Resources at Virginia Tech

Reporting an Act of Sexual Violence or Harassment

Virginia Tech is committed to providing a safe environment, consistent with our Principles of Community, free from harassment and violence of any kind. Through SAFE at VT, you’ll find resources and information about how to report and prevent sexual violence and harassment, along with support and help for survivors.

Reporting an Act of Discrimination, Bias, Harassment, or Misconduct

The Virginia Tech Policy on Harassment, Discrimination, and Sexual Assault applies to all undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty and staff at Virginia Tech. Anyone wishing to report an act of discrimination, bias, harassment, or misconduct can do so formally via the digital complaint form. For those who wish to speak to someone about this process prior to filing a complaint, please contact OEA to schedule an appointment. 

In addition, incidents involving students may be reported to the Office of the Dean of Students via their bias reporting page. This form is not anonymous but the reporter’s identity will only be known by appropriate university staff members, and any action taken as a result of submitting this report is driven by the reporter unless it requires the involvement of other campus resources.

The Graduate School has a form for reporting academic bullying, which is any intentional behavior throughout the academic space targeted at an individual or group that is repeated, hostile or offensive, and creates an intimidating and/or threatening environment which produces a risk of psychological and/or physical harm. More resources on recognizing and preventing academic bullying can be found on their Disrupting Academic Bullying page.