When You’re the Only Blank in your Department - PowerPoint Presentation

When You’re the Only Blank in your Department Navigating Microaggressions in the Academy and WorkplaceStaci Perryman-Clark, PhDAssociate Director, Office of Faculty Development

Session Goals Reflect on being the only “blank”Identify and analyze examples of microaggressions in the academy and workplace Identify “sponsors” and allies Provide tips for navigating microagressions Establish p ersonal goals for confronting microaggressions

Origin Story: I’m an Only Blank! University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign’s Annual Faculty Women of Color Conference (2014 and 2015)Guest speaker: Kerry Ann Rockquemore, CEO, National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity What to Do When You’re the Only Blank in Your Department Addressed microaggressions , but focused on tenure and promotion (publishing in the academy)

Origin Story, cont. But isn’t this bigger than getting tenure?What about those not on the tenure track?What about those who are already tenured? What about those who work in higher education, but aren’t necessarily academicians? Most of us who are marginalized have also been micgroaggressed !

Think, Pair, Share, Reflect! Fill in the blank:I am the only _____________ in my department/work unit.

Considering “Blankness” and Marginalization Blankness can be defined by identity politics(e.gs. race, class, gender identity, sexuality, religion, ability, intersections of multiple identities) Blankness can also be defined by disciplinary politics in your department Academic specialization ( e.gs . the only faculty member who does linguistics; the only faculty member who researches workplace organizational leadership) Blankness can also be defined by academic rank or status) ( e.gs . the only faculty specialist; the only faculty member without a Ph.D )

Microaggressions and Higher Ed’s Interest

What are Microaggressions ?Definition: The casual degradation of any marginalized group (Pierce, p. 277, 1970) Intentional Intentional and direct Intentional and indirect (e.g. backhanded compliments) Unintentional Degradation is the key component Normalized, often casually Intersectional Sometimes the lines of casualty are blurred: Micro can become macro! Consequences are still adverse regardless of intent!

Up Close and Personal: A Few Examples of MicroaggressionsMinority ExceptionalismWe are so lucky to have you because recruiting faculty of color is so, so hard!You are so brilliant ! No, but you really, really are! You are so articulate! Your English is impeccable! I can understand you so well! I don’t see your blank as a liability at all! You’re one of us!

Up Close and Personal: A Few Examples of MicroaggressionsNot putting names/signs on office doors of new faculty of color Throwing baby showers for heterosexual couples in the department, but not same sex couples Asking African American male grad students to move chairs and desks into a storage closet and not other grad students Repeatedly calling racial minorities by the same names in a department Consistently mispronouncing the names of racial minority and/or international faculty Casually removing specific furniture from classrooms requested by faculty with physical disabilities

Up Close and Personal: A Few Examples of Microaggressions Making assumptions about the religions of Middle Eastern faculty/coworkers in casual conversationSpeaking condescendingly to faculty specialists and/or PTIs in your department Asking women/women of color about their grooming habits Giving business cards for a male masseuse to single women in the department Asking women or racial minorities about personal finances or purchases and making specific judgements based on these Repeatedly calling transgender faculty by their birth-assigned name prior to the transition Touching a Black woman’s hair!! Just. Don’t. do. It.

Dealing With Microaggressions…

A Few Tips for Navigating Microaggressions Establish clear boundaries and expectations from colleagues“Please call me X … [not Y].” “In my community, [insert blank] is not the preferred way to do X; perhaps you are not aware, but for future reference please do Y.” “Let’s refrain from operating with a deficit theoretical framework; our [insert blank] students CAN succeed.”

Tips on Microaggressions , cont. Identify sponsors and allies for support with navigating microaggressions in the workplace Sponsors vs. mentors ( Rockquemore , “Mentors vs. Sponsors,” 2015) Need for multiple sponsors who will go to bat and advocate! Sponsors vs. allies: Sponsors may or not share your identities, but have achieved status at the institution. Allies often do not share subject position(s) Sponsors have specific roles as allies Walk through strategies for navigating MACRO-aggressions Sponsors across the University Allies across the University Office of Institutional Equity WMU AAUP/TAU/PIO Office of Faculty Development (OFD) consultations WMU Ombud

Tips on Microaggressions , cont.Identify communities and places where you aren’t the only blank! Churches, synogogues , mosques, etc. Social groups/clubs of professional women Fraternities/sororities Exercise/fitness groups or sports teams Parental social groups Radical Self care ( Rockquemore , “Radical Self Care,” 2015)!! Physical and mental health!

Where Do We Go From Here: Personal Reflections Reflections:Identify some of the tips that you currently have not considered for navigating microaggressions in your department.Identify one or two goals that you would like to accomplish with regard to these tips for the next semester.

References Pierce, C. (1970). Offensive mechanisms. In B. Barbour (Eds.), The black seventies (265–82). Boston: Porter Sargent. Rockquemore, K. A. (2015, May 6). Dear Kerry Ann: Radical self care. . Inside Higher Education . Retrieved from http://www.facultydiversity.org/news/230091/Dear-Kerry-Ann-Radical-Self-Care.htm . Rockquemore , K. A. (2015, June 3). Mentors vs. sponsors. Inside Higher Education . Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2015/06/03/essay-difference-between-mentors-and-sponsors-academe .

Questions?