Case Study: Staff Member

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 20^th 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!