A diverse group of professors are blogging on issues affecting people of color in the academy. Here are some excerpts:
“I have had more students than I care to mention … threaten to challenge grades, speak to colleagues about my/our classes, actually challenge their grades, tell mistruths about our verbal interactions, or flat out curse me out. When I shared this with my incredibly supportive dean, he asked if it was racism and I said no because it was coming from Blacks and Whites. Sexism? Racism? Ageism? I am not sure, but like Duke Lacrosse something is going on.”
— Dr. Emmett Gill is an assistant professor at Rutgers, The State University, School of Social Work.
“We have come to believe that aspiring to greater excellence as an institution of higher education means striving to become the same as other schools. In the pursuit of higher rankings, we have confused excellence with exclusivity. We have forgotten the value of diversity among institutions, even as we celebrate diversity within institutions. Yet the rankings are only an excuse. Even without surveys, too many of us seem to share exactly the same vision for our colleges.”
— Frank H. Wu is the author of Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White and the former dean of Wayne State University Law School. Visit www.DiverseEducation.com to read more.
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