Letter to the Editor: Concerned faculty members
March 5, 2020
To the campus community,
In response to Jay Edwards’ letter to the editor of February 15, we would like to express sympathy and support for his statement regarding the largely unintentional, yet real and undeniable forms of violence to which Black students and students of color regularly face on an overwhelmingly white campus. Living in the South, in what Saidiya Hartman terms the “afterlife” of slavery, or in what Christina Sharpe names as the historic “wake” of the Middle Passage, it is irresponsible to dismiss intergenerational material and psychic damage in the name of academic freedom.
Currently, the policy of Academic Affairs expects a student initially to approach a professor in order to solve a dispute on their own, which disproportionately places the burden on the student and, particularly in Jay’s situation, reproduces unequal power dynamics. The university urgently needs a clear and accessible system for reporting bias and discrimination.
While there is no reason to doubt the lack of malicious intention on the part of the faculty member named in Jay Edwards’ complaint, it is a sad and familiar sight to see the immediate recourse to closing ranks, as opposed to a process of taking responsibility and making amends. The racial divide in America reliably predicts who and who is not expected to face accountability, and it would be inspiring to see some measure of self-awareness on the part of the individual and the institution.Â
With respect to all parties,
Concerned faculty members
Felix D. • Mar 7, 2020 at 4:11 pm
Yes, the university has a process to deal with such issues in a constructive manner. The student chose to take a different approach to purposefully create a firestorm by tearing down a well-respected faculty member with a history of advocating for the African American community. Rather than use formal channels, the student engaged in a twitter bullying campaign that directed sexist, hateful and hurtful comments at the professor and made blatantly false accusations. Note the professor has acted professionally and respectfully during this episode, and she has not said a mean thing about the student or anyone else. And most importantly, the events in question did not suggest that the professor said anything mean or racists towards any person. She read a historical passage that was directly relevant to the course. We must remember that faculty and students are in classes and conduct research to learn, create and disseminate knowledge. This often requires a dispassionate approach because we don’t always like what history or facts teach us. It takes maturity and seriousness. I fear for the future if this generation would rather censor knowledge, art and history because they are unable to separate learning from our history and being hurt by our history. This will undercut the purpose of the university, from art, drama, humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.
Jake • Mar 6, 2020 at 11:33 am
The university actually does have a bias and/or discrimination reporting system, that is easily found when you google “app state bias report.” report.appstate.edu