The senate advises the President on cabinet-level appointments and then confirms candidates with a simple majority vote. New presidential administrations yield a unique opportunity to effect change within the Executive Branch. A few concerned science graduate students at the University of California, Davis have organized an effort to call upon our senators to approve candidates who have a record of evidence-based governance and decision-making for relevant cabinet positions, especially those pertaining to science, education, energy, public health, and the environment. This is not an effort to undermine, disparage, or oppose any individual, group, or party -- rather it is an effort for concerned scientists and science advocates to remind our representatives how important scientific reasoning and literacy are for cabinet appointees.
We are organizing to: 1. Draft a consensus statement representing the views of the UC Davis Graduate Student Association affirming the importance of science in governance, with the goal of encouraging other universities and scientific advocacy groups to write and distribute similar consensus statements. 2. Provide resources for citizens to write, call, and visit their senators to encourage the appointment of cabinet members who prioritize evidence-based, science-friendly governance. We are hoping for our reach to extend beyond the UC Davis campus and are seeking input, advice, and contacts to build a nationwide network of concerned citizens and scientists willing to work towards science-friendly governance in our executive branch. We have put together a quick survey to gauge interest and recruit new participants for this effort. If you are interested in this issue, we encourage you to fill out the form. Even if you don’t feel that you have time to participate extensively, we would appreciate your support. If you indicate that your interest is only slight, we will only ask you to make a telephone call or sign a letter. Survey link is here: join.scileadership.com We have also built a website with more information, it can be found at scileadership.com <http://www.scileadership.com/> Please freely to forward this to any interested groups. We thank you for your time and consideration! Emilie1 Eric1 Frank1 Frannie3 Jess1 Katy2 Madeline1 Scott1 1Graduate Group in Ecology 2Soils and Biogeochemistry Graduate Group 3Community Development Graduate Group University of California, Davis Science Informed Leadership is a graduate student-led effort to promote the appointment of executive branch leaders with a demonstrated track record of evidence-based governance that is rooted in scientific evidence and consensus. scileadership.com <http://www.scileadership.com/> | [email protected] ------------------------------ Federal employees: This effort is completely nonpartisan, as a result, we think this should be fine under the 1993 amendment to the Hatch Act. That said, it is advisable to work on this exclusively on your own time, and on personal computers and email accounts only.
