Diversity Prize 2023

• Studies/Career
  Research assistant, Chair of Modern History
• What are you being honoured for as an award winner?                          "Sabrina Proschmann creates an open and learning-oriented atmosphere in her seminars. She openly asks about pronouns and how students want to be addressed. This approach creates a space for respect and brings visibility to all students in the seminars taught by Ms Proschmann. I am very grateful to Ms Proschmann for her adaptability and respectful manner, and I am therefore nominating her for the 2023 Diversity Award."
• How long have you been involved in diversity at HHU?
  I would hope that I have been doing so in my teaching from the very beginning. Through the Transculturality programme, I have also come into contact with diversity issues in a different way in terms of content, and from there I have also questioned my teaching. So I have invited people to courses on topics where, based on their experiences, they have different insights than I can have.
• What motivated you to get involved?
  As someone who has experienced discrimination myself, I want to make my courses as non-discriminatory as possible and find new solutions for the discrimination that I have not yet addressed adequately in my courses (e.g. visual impairments, etc.). I hope that students in my courses will feel comfortable, be able to participate and thus achieve better learning outcomes. In addition, when it comes to addressing people by their names and pronouns, I believe it is simply a matter of empathy and respect. After taking courses in university didactics, I decided to address this openly at the beginning. I don't want to out anyone, but I also don't want to address anyone in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable or brings up old pain and wounds for an entire semester. That's why I ultimately decided to suggest to my students that I address them by their first names. Then all students can say which name they want to be addressed by. This allows me to completely dispense with ‘Mrs’ and “Mr”, which I think is important as long as we as a society have not found better words. I also offer to be notified of any changes in person or by email. I don't know if this really falls under ‘commitment’ – it's actually more a question of everyday interaction with each other.
• In your opinion, what can HHU do to continue, expand or support the results of the respective commitments?
  I think that, above all, it is necessary to explain why this is important for everyone and not just for the students affected.
• What would you like to see from HHU in the future with regard to diversity?
  I would like to see more exchange and discussion about the complexity of situations and issues, and more understanding of the central importance of such issues for work processes, working relationships, teaching, research, etc. I think many people lack an awareness of the hierarchies that operate in everyday life and that they either do not see or do not want to see these hierarchies, thereby reinforcing them.
• Why should others get involved? / Why is it worthwhile?
  Because it is the right thing to do and because it will improve collaboration, teaching, research, etc. at HHU.
• What has been the response from colleagues and students?
  The response from students has mostly been positive. At first, not everyone understood what I meant, especially with the pronoun query. However, I have noticed that this has become much less of an issue. I have discussed it with colleagues, mainly in university didactics courses, in order to benefit from the experience of others. There, the idea of thinking about this has been generally well received.
• Is there already a new project that you would like to tackle in the future and that you could tell us about?
  I am very happy to be this year's award winner. I think that the endeavour to make students feel comfortable in my course is never really complete. Ultimately, it is something that needs to be implemented on an ongoing basis. In my teaching, I try above all to incorporate aspects of diversity through topics, texts and authors. However, this is not always very easy on the part of the authors in history. There is always a standard text by a male reader. I try to control myself in this regard and also make it clear to my students that this is a problem.

• Studies/profession

Studied biology, doctorate in biochemistry, head of the Welcome Centre for international scientists at HHU

• Why you are being honoured as a prize winner/excerpts from the nomination text?

`Ms Wegener-Feldbrügge does extraordinary work for new employees who come from abroad. She is committed to helping people from other countries and cultures. She helps with the difficult task of finding accommodation, opening a bank account and obtaining a residence permit; she or her staff accompany them to interpret and protect them from mistreatment. She provides advice in advance. Her commitment goes far beyond what is expected.´

‘She makes various efforts to ensure that foreign employees can work in a better and more pleasant environment at HHU.’

‘She is extremely committed to helping foreign students, employees and refugees. She often works outside her actual working hours, solves problems, looks after the well-being of new employees and is always extremely helpful. An outstanding and unusually committed employee!’

• How long have you been involved in diversity at HHU?

Since I came to HHU in 2009 as a coordinator of a graduate college, I have always worked and had contact with international scientists from all over the world. The problems international researchers face quickly become clear, and unfortunately, there were no support structures at HHU at the time. It brings me great joy to offer this support now as part of my work at the Welcome Center and to be in daily exchange with people from different cultures – I would therefore describe diversity as a completely natural aspect of my everyday professional practice.

• What motivated you to get involved?

I spent a few years as a postdoc in the USA and learned how helpful it is to receive professional support with administrative matters when starting in a foreign country. This motivated me to establish the Welcome Center for International Researchers at HHU. The positive feedback and gratitude from international researchers are the daily motivation for me and my two very dedicated employees.

• What can be done from the HHU's perspective to continue, expand, or support the results of the respective commitments?

Of course, there are still some things that could be done, such as expanding multilingualism in administration or improving the housing situation at HHU for foreign academics, especially those with families.

• What do you hope to see from HHU in terms of diversity in the future?

Generally, an improved welcoming culture and openness for all those who come to HHU new.

• Why should others get involved? / Why is it worth it?

One learns an enormous amount of gratitude, positive feedback, and one always meets nice people.

• What is the response from colleagues or students?

The response is always very positive, especially from the hosting institutions of the international researchers, which is very motivating for the work at the Welcome Center.

• Is there already a new project that you would like to tackle in the future and about which you could already talk?

In the long term, we would like to offer more networking opportunities between international and German researchers, such as a cultural program or networking events.

• Study/Career

Master of Medical Physics (2nd semester)

• What will you be recognized for as a laureate?/Excerpts from the nomination text

`Magdalena is involved in many places (FS, WE-Vorstand, StuPa), always brings up the (especially acute in physics/math/info) topic of equality and organizes events herself.´

`At the beginning of the semester, she organized a networking brunch for FINTA individuals from all status groups in physics, math, and computer science.For the summer semester, she is planning a themed week for MNF students, with several FINTA-exclusive events and others on the topic of diversity in the MINT fields.´

`Addendum: The theme week already mentioned in the justification now also has a complete program, which I think is very successful.Magdalena planned this with the support of four other subject society members.´

• How long have you been involved in diversity efforts at HHU?

It was clear to me from the beginning of my studies that women and INTA* individuals are underrepresented in the natural sciences, particularly in the STEM fields. I have been active in the Physics and Medical Physics Student Council since the 2020/21 winter semester and have repeatedly drawn attention to equality issues there. After a very productive exchange at the Bundesfachschaftentagung der Physik (ZaPF) in the summer of 2022, I am now also proactively advocating for the equality and networking of FINTA* individuals at the Math.-Nat. Faculty. This includes the projects mentioned in the nomination text, as well as contributions to various committees.

• What motivated you to get involved?

Through my involvement in various student and university bodies, I keep hearing that everyone talks about equality, but rarely are measures supported and/or decided to achieve it. I would like to use my membership in the various committees to address and bring up the topic of equality again and again. I also want to motivate young women to pursue a career in science.

• What can be done from the HHU's perspective to continue, expand, or support the results of the respective commitments?

The focus on equality and diversity promotion must be further emphasized. At the events of the topic week mentioned in the nomination text, I noticed that only the people who were already involved in the discussed topics came. Potential perpetrators or bystanders are not reached. If the broad mass of university members is to be informed about the injustices, this must happen proactively.

• What do you hope to see from HHU in terms of diversity in the future?

Events to promote diversity and equality should be firmly anchored in everyday academic life. Both students, as well as lecturers and employees, should be made aware of structural discrimination. Public events on certain days can help to achieve a visible effect, for example on February 11th for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science or on March 8th for International Women's Day.

• Why should others get involved? / Why is it worth it?

Over the past two years, I have heard the following sentence during my work with the student body more than once: "You are the only ones who have complained about this.Therefore, it doesn't seem to be a problem." However, it is often a problem, but not everyone has the courage to say something. Therefore, it is all the more important that people who have this courage speak out. Even though being involved can be exhausting at times, it's nice to see the impact of your own work. Whether the result was just recorded in a sentence in a protocol or people approach you and thank you for organizing the event—these are the moments when I am glad I engaged for my fellow human beings.

• What is the response from colleagues or students?

So far, I have received almost only positive feedback on the events I co-organized. Unfortunately, the response to some events was not as high as hoped for – I will discuss this with my fellow students to find out how to better promote the events. Unfortunately, I have also had some very bad experiences in the departmental environment when it comes to organizing events, as this sometimes ended in a fundamental discussion about why exclusive events for FINTA* people are needed.

• Is there already a new project that you would like to tackle in the future and about which you could already talk?

Currently, I don't have any ideas for a specific new project. However, I want to carry out the previous projects – the FINTA* brunch and the theme week – again. Perhaps I will be inspired at the next departmental conference – that's where the original idea for the theme week came from.