Day 2: Check in and Reflect by Aris Winger

Reflection

ariswinger — 2023-06-12 19:08:40 UTC

The shooting of an unarmed Black man by a white police officer in a town neighboring your campus has made national news. The university President sends an email to all faculty saying that they are not to make any statements relating to the incident publicly, including in classes. A junior faculty member in your department, who is Black, tells you that they have no intention of being quiet on this issue.

What would you do?

2023-06-14 16:17:41 UTC

That this wouldn't happen at my school. We have strong faculty governance. No matter what a faculty member thought about the incident described in the scenario, we'd be united in telling the president to stick it.

And it scares me to realize how lucky I am to be able to say that.

Revising my mission?

2023-06-14 16:17:58 UTC

Hearing Michael's story about the letter and Aris's talking about mission made me think about re-evaluating my priorities to ensure I have enough time to do the most important things.

2023-06-14 16:20:06 UTC

figuring out how to simultaneously support the faculty in question while getting my documents in order to re-enter the job market because this institution is not the place for me.

Direct orders

2023-06-14 16:20:27 UTC

I would found it difficult to balance my ingrained habit of following direct orders with the fact that these orders from the President further harm a vulnerable member of my department. I would have to work through that- hopefully very quickly and with other people!

Invigorating!

2023-06-14 16:20:27 UTC

It is always uplifting to be around like-minded people as I grow my network of support for making change.

2023-06-14 16:20:50 UTC

That I'm more concerned about how the people I perceive as allies will react. I'm in a position not to care about the others. Managing their perceptions to the extent that makes sense and letting go of the rest is going to be hard.

Great atmosphere

2023-06-14 16:21:45 UTC

Appreciate the chance to speak freely with each other and get to the heart of leadership

2023-06-14 16:22:37 UTC

Balancing my need to be in a position to help them later down the line with providing the support that would help now.

Courage

2023-06-14 16:23:08 UTC

We have had other academic freedom issues in our system that were not racial issues. I would contact the system president and remind her of the statements she has made in the past that would support my colleague and his rights to free speech.

2023-06-14 16:24:12 UTC

I don't remember the last time I felt this instantly supported in a group of new people. Hello friends! <3 I hope everyone else feels the same way.

2023-06-14 16:24:12 UTC

What's the most difficult about this for me? This sounds EXACTLY like what would happen at my institution. We have had similar type situations in the past and regardless of the blow back from faculty, staff, and students, the administration just keeps on acting like we're "a small town" school. Thankfully this has allowed me to find groups on campus to support that speak out against the lack of response, and support the junior faculty member.

2023-06-14 16:46:12 UTC

We have had several situations like this (both racialized and sexualized violence) at my former university where upper admin has tried to silence faculty AND students. What stood out to me was that it was primarily faculty of color (of whom there are very few in our rural, white majority community) who vocalized dissent in these situations. Where were their white colleagues? The other thing I noticed was that tenured faculty took the lead in order to protect lecturers with less job security.