August 2010

Submitted by Whitney Newman, University of Northern Colorado

As we are completing Social Justice and Diversity training at the University of Northern Colorado, the professional staff completed a reading of 35 Dumb Things Well-Intended People Say, by Dr. Maura Cullen a well known Diversity Trainer. With our student staff, we watched a video of her speaking to first year students at Bucknell. Both resources are available on her website www.mauracullen.com. Our students and staff reacted incredibly well to both and people at all levels of social justice understanding found Dr. Cullen’s thoughts both approachable and understandable.

Dr. Cullen will be providing some training at AIMHO College, and at the risk of giving away some of her message, I wanted to include some of the information that our staff found valuable.  Throughout conversations with both our professional staff and our student staff, we found that facilitators were continuously discussing managing triggers. There are several good training tools out there including this one found on Dr. Cullen’s website (http://www.mauracullen.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Navigating-Triggers.pdf) but I haven’t found one more valuable than Dr. Cullen’s Core Concept #9 – Raising the B.A.R.

In this concept, Dr. Cullen discusses the ways in which when we are triggered in life, we sometimes don’t know exactly what to say, and I’ve found that the same thing happens to me when I’m facilitating sometimes. The risk of facilitating social justice conversations is that someone will find one of your personal triggers, and without the benefit of having a plan in place, things can get very emotional – very quickly. That’s why, having a simple technique like B.A.R. can be such a handy tool.

B – Breathe, A – Acknowledge, R – Respond

Many times, when faced with a tough social justice trigger, I am tempted to do what Dr. Cullen calls a reverse BAR – R – React, A – Attack, and B – Breathe (and sometimes have an emotionally challenging moment immediately after). If I had started with Breathe, I probably would have been able to count to 10 (or 30, depending upon the depth of the trigger) before I chose to Acknowledge that they were probably coming from a well-intended place and remembered the importance of intent vs. impact. I would have been able to Respond to their comment rather than React to it. The difference between responding thoughtfully and reacting in anger could make the difference between someone having an enlightening social justice moment with a student or staff member, and them feeling shut down and not moving forward.

Of course, practicing healthy self care and having good preparation can also help with triggering moments. This is just as important as assessing the readiness of the group – and choosing the appropriate risk level of activity.

Hope everyone has a wonderful hall opening! Have a wonderful Fall!

July 2010

Submitted by Whitney Newman, University of Northern Colorado

In May, Bailey Borman, shared some tips for how to make your planned diversity training more effective. Many organizations choose to outsource this training to a professional, but in this time of tight budgets and changing priorities, you might find it difficult to find a diversity speaker or trainer to help with your professional or student staff training who fits in your budget. When reading a blog recently (http://www.identitytheory.com/sjblog/), I was reminded of the power of hearing the story of others. I realized that some of my most transformative social justice educational moments that I had, came when I heard the personal story of others. There are many ways to recreate this environment in both professional and student staff trainings, without needing to compensate a diversity trainer for what can be thousands of dollars.

Not only will incorporating some personal story telling help your budget, but it is likely to help your students or staff to share their personal stories as a way to aid in their identity development. The GLBT community has long since used this as a training tool for communities, classrooms, college campuses, and far beyond. In Speakers’ Bureaus across the country, students and community members tell their story in an attempt to educate others. According to the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (www.glsen.org) participants often find themselves understanding their identity on a deeper level after participating on a speakers’ panel. Many GLBTA offices on university campuses offer this paneling as a resource, and this is a great way to incorporate personal student stories into your training. Some other tips for incorporating personal stories into your training include:

·         Create your own panel which includes students from different races, ethnicities, abilities, etc… and have them take questions from participants about their experience.

·         Asking students or professionals who will be attending your training if they would be willing to read a brief essay about themselves in front of the group.

·         Encouraging training participants to write a This I Believe type essay (http://thisibelieve.org/) which explores what they believe and why.

·         Have participants to write and share “I am” poems (http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/activities/poetry.html) which allow people to share their personal journey. Another option is “I am from” poems (http://www.swva.net/fred1st/wif.htm).

·         Challenge participants to explore their personal journey by asking them to draw a timeline of their social justice experiences including moments of bias, moments of education, and moments of renewed understanding.

·         A quick 5 minute icebreaker that allows participants to explore someone else’s story puts participants into pairs. For two minutes, one person shares their story without interruption, then for the next two minutes, the other person shares their story without interruption. Afterward, the two discuss the experience of sharing their story with no feedback and not providing verbal affirmation to the person speaking.

No matter what you do, make sure to include some reflection exercises so that training participants can explore how activities made them feel. Good facilitation of these types of activities can transform a moment into an educational moment.

 

 June 2010

Belatedly submitted by Adam Beaver, University of Colorado

 

The University of Colorado, while a respected institution, sometimes struggles with associations of marijuana consumption to certain members of the student population. When the opportunity presents itself for a Student Conduct Officer to interact with a student contacted for marijuana consumption, one of the many options in the professional’s tool kit at CU is the following article by writer, Tim Wise. The article makes a comparison of the way that society or government responds to drug users based on the color of their skin or the culture to which they belong. The article can be abrasive, opinionated, and insensitive, but it also has the ability to entice a response from students who may otherwise react apathetically to their sanctions or who may be looking for a way to challenge peers or systems.

 

The article is not used as a response to all marijuana-based incidents, but – depending on what is learned about the student and their greater social perspective – conduct officers can consider it as a sanction. The conduct officer would have the option of asking the student to write a reflection paper after reading the article or respond to specific questions as identified by the officer and based on the content of the initial hearing conversation.

 

As I mentioned before, this is not appropriate for every marijuana sanction. One example of a possible use could result as the conduct officer is looking for a specific way to challenge a student’s perception that police enforcement on marijuana usage is ‘oppressive.’

 

Outside of the context of a hearing, this article could also be used as part of a group facilitated exercise discussing impacts of social movements that occur as a result of privilege or oppression.

 

The article is available on Tim Wise’s website: http://timwise.org/

 

Title: Hey Dude, where’s my privilege? Race and lawbreaking in black and white.

May 11, 2009

 

Envision the following, if you can.

Imagine that a group of black youth were to descend upon a college town, take to an open field and proceed to smoke pot--lots of it--just as they had announced they would, at the very time they had promised to be there. Thousands of them, lighting up, virtually daring police to enforce the law and arrest them.

Now, in such a scenario as this, how long do you think it would take for the cops to call their bluff?

If you've paid any attention whatsoever to the so-called war on drugs, you'll almost instinctively know the answer. It is people of color who have always borne the brunt of drug crackdowns, even though whites use drugs at rates that are equal to or higher than the rates for the black and brown. So, for instance, although whites comprise more than 70 percent of all drug users (slightly higher than our share of the population), and blacks and Latinos combined make up about 25 percent of users (less than their combined share of the population), it is the latter two groups whose members comprise about 9 in 10 persons incarcerated for a possession offense in the U.S. No, black and brown youth couldn't get away with mass lawbreaking of this type for very long.

But when a bunch of white stoners announce their plans for a big pot-fest, known alternately (depending on which of several such events we're talking about) as 420 Smoke-Out, or the 420 Festival (the 420 being a not-so-secret code for cannabis consumption), and then proceed to break the laws against such an event just as promised, nothing happens. No arrests, no citations, no wading into the crowd by overzealous cops intent on bashing the heads of the hooligans arrayed before them. Of course not. 

Just like there is very little in the way of law enforcement response when white college students riot on their campuses, as they have done over 150 times in the past fifteen years, and never over important political matters of social injustice, or war, but rather, because of the outcomes of sporting events or crackdowns on underage drinking. White folks, you see, get pissed when you interrupt our right to party.

And so in Boulder, Colorado and Santa Cruz, California just a few weeks ago (on April 20th, 4/20 get it? No irony here, just maddeningly predictable pothead behavior), thousands of people--statistically speaking, nearly all of them white, and with virtually no black folks, other than perhaps an occasional Bob Marley pic on a t-shirt--showed up to spark up: part of an annual pot pilgrimage that has been going on for several years now, always with the same, unarrested result.

Now don't misunderstand, I've indulged my fair share of weed, and I'm not one to advocate the criminalization of such activity, as I think it both a waste of justice system resources and overly punitive. Yet none of that is the point. The point is this: people of color simply could not get away with such a flagrant disrespect for the law, no matter how stupid that law may be. But white hacky-sack kickin' hippies who continue to believe--against all evidence to the contrary--that patchouli can actually cover up body odor? Well, they can get away with damned near anything. 

Oh sure, to read the headline in the student paper at UC Santa Cruz, you might think there had been some jackbooted overreaction by the cops to such behavior. After all, "UCSC Cracks Down on 4/20 Festival," makes it seem as though perhaps the administration had decided to actually arrest people, or even suspend or expel them for engaging in blatantly illegal behavior. But no. Upon reading the article one learns that by "cracking down" the author meant that the campus would erect barricades, enforce parking rules, limit use of school shuttles and ban students from having friends crash at their dorms overnight. Damn pigs, what a police state! Apparently the folks at Santa Cruz haven't gotten the memo on how to deal with scofflaws such as these. To wit, the reaction by Colorado-Boulder officials who sprayed them down with water from a sprinkler system a few years back. Although some among the assembled may have experienced the dousing as oppressive--after all, it might almost constitute a bath if one were to get wet enough--for most, the occasion was likely viewed as a welcome respite from an otherwise hot day.

Though I tend to agree with those who claim pot has very little negative health effect upon its users, it does appear to have rather serious consequences for cognitive function, which would normally be, ya know, a problem at a college. Indeed, at the big Boulder smoke-out in 2008, white users demonstrated a drug-induced vapidity that would be viewed as culturally pathological were it exhibited by students of color. So, for instance, despite CU Boulder being a highly selective university, they managed to admit the likes of Emily Benson, who told a reporter she actually came to the school "for the weed atmosphere," and to be part of the pot legalization movement. Not for an education, mind you, but to get high. And for this, she took a spot that could have been given to a hard-working black or brown kid instead, or a working class white kid for that matter with more serious daily concerns than the munchies. Call it, stoner affirmative action: a form of preferential treatment extended to many of the whites at Boulder apparently, including one young woman who expressed her disappointment upon learning that the cookies and muffins being handed out by one of her classmates at the 4/20 fest weren't "magical," as in, filled with even more of the drugs she had already ingested. Bummer: now she'll have to make do with that one blunt and some Adderall. How will she survive such an indignity as this?

Meanwhile, as the aforementioned Ms. Benson (from the Kansas City area, and whose parents must be so proud of her) indulges her habit, and as thousands of her white classmates do too--many of them styling each other's hair in dreadlocks, because nothing goes better with white privilege than cultural appropriation--it is students of color who continue to be told they are the unqualified ones, that they are the ones who are unjustly taking up space at elite schools, that their acceptance into such places is "lowering standards" and cheapening the value of a college degree.

The irony of it all couldn't be more perfect: a bunch of white college students clamoring for the legalization of pot, not realizing that for them it already is, in effect, legal. If they really wanted to see the laws change, they would be out demanding an end to the racist and classist war on drugs. They would be engaged in advocacy, not bong hits, the latter of which make the former exceedingly difficult. In fact, the only way the nation's drug laws are likely to change--for everyone--would be if the jails and prisons came to be flooded with bodies that looked a lot like the ones in the meadow at UC Santa Cruz and on the quad at CU Boulder. Only if whites start getting locked up will sufficient pressure be brought to bear to liberalize drug laws. As long as the ones being locked up are black and brown, the very same whites whose kids are blazing up (with taxpayer support, via student loans no less), will say nothing. Perhaps if their little bundles of THC started getting sent to the joint (as in, the penitentiary, not the other kind), things would change. But don't expect any of the weed warriors at the 420 events to volunteer for that kind of thing. Their commitment isn't to social change, after all. It's to getting high, to self-indulgence, to their own narcissism. 

This is perhaps the most blatant example of white privilege imaginable: the ability to do what you want, when you want, without fear of consequence, and then to have that behavior deemed largely harmless, even when, for others, it would be viewed as dysfunctional, destructive, and evidence of a profound cultural flaw. 

Well it's time to flip the script on all that; time to note that it isn't the culture of black and brown youth, or working class youth (of whatever color), that needs changing. They aren't the problem. They aren't the ones with inverted value systems. They aren't the ones whose presence on campus is the problem. It's some among the ones with money and insufficient melanin who are the problem. And it's time we treated them like one, especially when, by their behavior, they literally beg us to do so.

 

 

 

May 2010
Submitted by: Bailey Borman, Colorado Northwestern Community College
As we get swept into the frenzy of end of the year closing it’s hard to think of the summer and…Fall training. But starting to think of fall training now is a proactive approach to a crucial part of the year. Before setting the schedule and printing the RA manuals, it’s a good idea to ask some basic assessment questions. Below are a few questions that might be helpful in assessing the success of your training last year so that your training this year can be even more successful!
1. What is the purpose of social justice and diversity training?
2. Who is your audience? Does your training fit your staff? (Learning styles/getting accommodations ready in advance…etc)
3. What is the desired outcome of your training?
4. How will you measure the success of your social justice and diversity training?
5. What actions would you like your RAs to take as a result of training?
6. How does your social justice and diversity training connect to your department and Institutions strategy/vision/mission?
7. What is the plan for reinforcing your social justice and diversity training throughout the school year (programming, In-services, one on ones…etc)?
8. Do you have returning staff? How can you make social justice and diversity training fresh for them? Do you need to provide a part 2 or even a part 3?
9. Was your training sufficient last year? Were there any new issues that cropped up in this academic year that need to be addressed with training?
10. What was the RA feedback for this section of training during the fall?
Remember training is fun! With a little assessment, we can only continue to improve it and therefore improve the overall student experience. Good Luck with closing!

---

April 2010

Submitted by Kevin Taylor, Western State College of Colorado

As all of you know, the end of the school year is quickly approaching for many of us that work at colleges and universities in the AIMHO region and across the country. April is a great month to celebrate your successes with fellow colleagues, as well as your student staff. Many departments within student affairs hold year-end banquets to celebrate the year of work and time spent together as a working unit. These banquets are a great venue for celebrating diversity and honoring the successes that have been accomplished on your campus, department, etc with regard to supporting diversity and social justice related issues.

During your year-end banquet, consider recognizing a diversity related program(s) or initiative(s) that have had a significant impact on your students, staff, etc. Recognizing the impact a program or initiative has had on students and staff alike will further reinforce the importance of continuing to support diversity in our daily work. Furthermore, it shows that supporting diversity is a departmental priority. And, let’s not forget… people love for their hard work to be acknowledged and rewarded!

June 2009

Submitted by Paul York, Colorado College

Gender plays a role in our lives everyday, but we don’t usually stop to think about it until we are specifically confronted by it. However, there is a group of students and professionals on our campuses that are confronted with gender and what it means for their lives every day. I have devoted this month’s “Diversity Tip of the Month” to give you some recommendations of how to support those students and professionals who identify as transgender (trans).
First, it is probably helpful to provide a list of terms that you usually hear:
GLBT or LGBT: Acronyms for “gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender” or “lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender”.
Biological sex: The sex that is assigned at birth
Gender identity: The gender that a person claims, which may or may not align with the gender assigned at birth
Gender expression: This term refers to how a person behaves or the gender they present to society
Sexual orientation: A person’s sexual or romantic attraction to another
Female-to-male transsexual (FTM): Someone who was born female and transitions to a male gender assignment
Male-to-female transsexual (MTF): Someone who was born male and transitions to a female gender assignment
Transgender: This is an umbrella term that refers to people who experience their gender differently than from what one would expect
Transsexual: This term refers to those individuals who identify and live life as a member of the gender other than the one assigned at birth.

When transgender people make the decision to disclose their identity, they do so at great personal risk. These individuals risk not being accepted, hostile family and friends, harassment, discrimination, or violence, loss of employment, and our transgender students risk loss of financial support from parents.
As we seek to support students and fellow staff members who identify as transgender, it is important that they feel as though the environment they are in is a safe and supportive one. The following is a list of recommendations that can assist you in your support of these important individuals.
 

• Don’t make assumptions! Don’t assume that you know a person’s gender based on their appearance. Also, don’t assume that a student has gender identity issues, just as you wouldn’t make assumptions about a student’s sexual orientation.
• Respect confidentiality. When a student shares personal information about gender identity, that student is giving you a great deal of trust. If you don’t respect this person’s confidentiality, it could have dire consequences in regard to their establishing a healthy gender identity.
• Seek to fully understand gender identity. Gender identity is unique to each person. Gender and sexual orientation are a natural part of us and both can be experienced as a continuum. Keep in mind that sexuality and gender expression are just two pieces of the whole pie… or person.
• Create a safe space for open discussion. As student affairs professionals we are constantly seeking to create affirming environments that don’t support stereotypes and are inclusive. It is important for us to use inclusive, non-presumptuous, nonjudgmental, and gender-neutral language.
  • Just a note about pronouns…
    As someone who loves pronouns this is something that I have struggled with in my own work with students and staff who identify as transgender.
    Transgender people should be identified with the pronoun that corresponds with the gender with which they identify. If you are unsure of someone’s gender, it’s appropriate to respectfully ask their name and what pronoun they prefer to use. I know that this seems counterintuitive, but the person will appreciate the fact that you cared enough to ask. For instance, I recently had to ask someone which pronoun they preferred I use. They requested that I use “Ze” (Zee).
• Be mindful of the gender specifics in policies that you develop. This goes hand in hand with the note about pronouns. Whenever possible, try not to use gender specific language. Gender specific language is restrictive of those individuals who do not ascribe to a particular gender as in the “Ze” (Zee) student I mentioned.
• Know when and where to seek help. Be aware of resources that are available at your institution or in your community for transgender students and staff.
• Be informed and don’t be afraid to examine your own beliefs. As student affairs professionals, we are not immune to the effects of socialization. We’ve been taught what is feminine and what is masculine. Recognize when you are being influenced by that socialization. We also have our own beliefs. We just need to remember to support the student in every way we can. Don’t be afraid to ask questions!
• Train your student staff in ways to support trans students.

The biggest thing we can do as housing officers is to serve as allies to trans students.
Learn about the culture and lives of people with whom you are working as an ally. Learn about their struggles for justice. Build relationships with the people with whom you are working as an ally. Develop friendships where possible.
Are you ready to come out as an ally? <!-- google_ad_section_end -->