Thanks Anyway, President Trump

Dr. Rosetta Romano, Assistant Professor of Information Technology and Systems, the University of Canberra

Dr. Rosetta Romano, Assistant Professor of Information Technology and Systems, the University of Canberra

As an Australian academic, I am free to choose my research topics. My teaching is informed by information systems (IS) research, so my students can expect to hear about the people, the processes and the technology involved in the education of three globally disparate topics for underrepresented groups: Indigenization of the curriculum and sustainability for students, cybersecurity for smaller businesses and technology-facilitated domestic abuse for women.

I maintain that the equity and inclusion of these groups in society are worthy of research attention. In future, the impact on students of Indigenized information technology (IT) curriculum will emerge as attributes of the graduates whose work will be more sympathetic to the hardship and inequity that IT causes for Indigenous people. The impacts of the research for smaller businesses i.e. those employing less than 200 people, will mean an improved cyber security posture for 96% of all Australian businesses. The research impact for women globally could be new ways of detecting, preventing and intervening in domestic abuse using technology. Research about and for students, smaller businesses and women could result in social impacts for all.

For my American peers contemplating the implications of the recent US executive order “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” which restrict federal funding for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) research, the academic freedom I enjoy is being threatened. This order calls an end to all diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility mandates, policies and programs, including grants or contracts, in the US federal government. As funding for educational institutions conducting DEI projects is withdrawn, academics must reframe their research. Not because they are not important, but because they will not be eligible for funding. Academics seeking grant funding are urged to scan their applications for taboo terms that should not be used in a grant application to avoid early elimination from AI sorting algorithms. Even in Australia, the avoidance of these terms in research titles, abstracts and publications may quietly be observed in the next few years.

“Restricting federal funding for DEI research threatens academic freedom and silences vital work on global underrepresented groups—from Indigenous curriculum to small business cybersecurity and technology-facilitated abuse. Let’s not bow to this pressure; research must continue unbowed for society’s benefit”

While I maintain that giving voice to underrepresented groups is important research, I could easily trade my academic freedom by ceasing to research underrepresented groups, reframing my research description or ceasing to submit applications for funding or presenting or publishing at venues that are US-based. I have decided not to bow down to this pressure, to conduct research in what are emerging taboo topics, and to avoid US funding. I will continue to deliver research-informed teaching and cover important DEI issues for the benefit of students, smaller businesses and women. Thanks anyway, President Trump.

Rosetta Romano

I am a non-Indigenous first-generation Australian woman born to Italian migrants. I was born and have always lived on Ngunnawal and Ngambri land, where my mother and grandparents are buried. My grandmother, who was not sent to school, had a last-born child with Down's syndrome who is non-verbal. Ensuring the protection of vulnerable groups and promoting research-led education for underrepresented groups is my calling.

I am an Assistant Professor of Information Technology and Systems at the University of Canberra. My research focuses on education for vulnerable groups, including Indigenization of the curriculum for students, cybersecurity for smaller businesses and technology-facilitated abuse affecting victim-survivors, primarily women and their children.

Information Technology