Case Study:
Alisa– Self-Identified: Lesbian, Latina, And
Full-Time Staff Member
1. Drawing
from your experience at UC Riverside, what is your perspective on the current
state of diversity practices in American Universities?
·
Varies
with culture of institution and demographics
·
Opportunity
to create holistic programs with etst/wmst programs
·
Cultural
Centers provide spaces for students to explore identity
Challenges:
·
Institutions
don’t provide spaces and do not value diversity and social justice education
·
Sole
existence of these spaces does not prevent hate/bias
·
Intentional
well thought out programming is not priority
Complete Response 1:
Diversity
Education or Social Justice Education varies with regard to the culture of the
institution and student/staff/faculty demographics. Campuses with strong ethnic
studies/women’s studies departments that partner with student services can
create holistic educational programs. In addition to that, campuses with
cultural centers (ethnic, gender, LGBT, or multicultural) and spaces for students
to explore identity provide an array of programs and opportunities for
dialogue.
The
challenges arise when institutions do not provide these spaces or do not value
diversity and social justice education. I also want to clarify that the sole
existence of these spaces does not prevent hate/bias from occurring. In my
experience, students choose to engage or disengage from the conversation. Intentional
and well thought out programming must be a priority for the institution. These
factors must converge in order for diversity programs to be effective at any
institution.
2. What
are the strengths and weaknesses that you see in the current diversity programs
at UC Riverside?
·
(+) There’s
a wide array of programs, services, and departments that support diversity
education and engage social justice issues
·
(-)
Faculty who do not value or seek to collaborate with student services
·
Relationships
are important to create campus wide initiatives
·
Diversity
does not equate to conversation about issues
·
Diversity
does not equate community, community is a process
Complete Response 2:
UC,
Riverside has a wide array of programs, services, and departments that support
diversity education and engage social justice issues. Supportive faculty
members who collaborate with student services are able to elevate the level of
discussion and truly contribute to raising the consciousness of students on
critical issues. The challenge comes into play when faculty members do not
value or seek out opportunities to collaborate with students services. Overall
relationships are important at the university level and it takes several
partners to create campus wide initiatives. Our demographics alone are not
enough to push the conversation. The engagement in discussions and
conversations is what is needed to truly build community and understand these
issues deeply.
3. Western
Universities are historically known as sites that reproduce white supremacist
and heteronormative values, how effective are such programs in critically
engaging white supremacy, heteronormativity, racism, gender oppression,
etc.?
·
No
critical conversation about white supremacy outside the classroom
·
Conversations
have been about white student population discomfort
·
We
are a “majority minority” campus that makes administrators nervous
·
The
sole presence of students of color threatens white supremacy
·
Conversation
about white supremacy may be found in queer people of color spaces but not
campus wide
·
Conversations
about heteronormativity primarily take place within the LGBT Resource Center
(white privilege)
Complete Response 3:
I
can honestly say that I have not been present for a critical conversation about
white supremacy outside of the classroom. Sometimes not even in the classroom.
My initial reaction is that this does not happen outside of the confines of the
Humanities. What I have been present for is conversations around the concerns
or discomfort with the dwindling of our white student population and the
increase in students of color. UCR’s designation as one of the most diverse
campuses in the nation means that we are a majority minority campus and this
makes administrators nervous. The sole presence of students of color in large
proportions threatens white supremacy and I can see that some white
administrators feel challenged.
The
conversation around white supremacy is more silenced than the conversation
around heteronormativity. The LGBTRC is celebrating its 20th
anniversary and has done a lot to raise awareness about issues in the
community. Furthermore, our QPOC spaces and organizations do a lot to provide
safe spaces as well. Conversations about white supremacy are more likely to
happen in QPOC spaces, but that is not a campus wide conversation and is often
in response to white privilege in LGBT spaces. As a staff member who navigates
these spaces I am more exposed to these conversation, but cannot say the same
for my colleagues.
4. How
can we critically engage these forms of oppression through institutional
program at UC Riverside? What are the challenges in doing this? How can others
be a part of this?
UC Riverside “Diversity” Programs:
1. Chancellor’s Diversity Education Program –
Making Excellence Inclusive
a.
Lack of
faculty participation
b.
No focus
on critical discussions about white supremacy, heteronormativity, and
institutionalized racism
c.
Termed
“diversity education” over “social justice”
2. Common Ground Collective
3. Ethnic & Gender Program offices
4. Diversity Initiatives
5. IDEAL (integrity, Diversity, Education,
Accountability in Leadership)
a.
Space
issues, funding, limited faculty support, lack of coordinated efforts
b.
Marketing
costs
Complete Response 4:
Staff
and Faculty have an educational series that is part of the Chancellor’s
Diversity Education Program titled Making Excellence Inclusive. The program is
run out of the office of Faculty/Staff Affirmative Action. This is an
institutionalized program that has had difficulty recruiting faculty members to
participate. There is a cost involved and departments must sponsor their
selected participants. The programs are well attended by staff and they begin
to discuss diversity issues with regard to racism, gender oppression,
disability, and sexual orientation. What they do not focus on is critical
discussions about white supremacy, heteronormativity, and institutionalized
racism. In fact these words are rarely utilized in the workshops. Furthermore,
“diversity education” is the preferred term and not “social justice” education.
The latter term makes administrators nervous.
A
program titled IDEAL (Integrity, Diversity, and Accountability in Leadership)
has the promise of becoming the student diversity education track. The pilot
program was first offered to student employees last year and was then extended
to student volunteers and interns. This was a joint venture by Student Affairs
and Diversity Initiatives. In fact, The Diversity Initiatives Office was
created to offer co-curricular support programs for students, but the office
has only existed for a few years. Space issues, funding, limited faculty support,
and lack of coordinated efforts are just a few of the challenges. Campus wide
marketing campaigns are effective in raising awareness of these programs, but
the costs add up quickly. I am not in favor of online education, but do believe
that media campaigns, blogs, videos etc… can do a lot to raise the
consciousness of an entire campus population and give these programs
visibility.
Next Steps:
The
Common Ground Collective, Ethnic & Gender Program offices, and Diversity
Initiatives could really use your help! Social Justice Education is a shared
responsibility and crosses into every nook and cranny of the university. It all
begins with a conversation. Let’s talk!
