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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
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The results of a recent campus climate survey indicate that 54 percent of all faculty of color reported not feeling treated equally to their white colleagues – a troubling trend for a university that prides itself on diversity.
SURVEY SHOWS A MAJORITY OF NON-WHITE FACULTY FEEL THEY ARE TREATED UNEQUALLY
Timothy Lewis, an assistant professor in the political science department, said he took part in the survey. Lewis is a Black faculty member and offered his thoughts on the results of the survey. “That’s more than half, and when you just take into consideration about 23 percent of all employees at SIUE are not white, that’s over 500 people, [and] the majority of those people don’t feel like they’re being treated equally,” Lewis said. “So either hundreds of people are experiencing the exact same hallucination at the exact same time, or there is some validity to the differential treatment on campus experienced by minority faculty and staff versus white faculty and staff.” One of SIUE’s “points of pride,” as listed on the university’s website, is a commitment to anti-racism, equity, diversity and inclusion. Despite SIUE’s diversity awards, its faculty have differing opinions on the university’s commitment to inclusion. “It is very evident that there is a prevailing culture at SIUE that doesn’t even see the need for diversity,” Lewis said. “[When] you look at some of the narratives written by people who identify themselves as white … The focus on diversity is offensive to them, or it’s unfair to them.” Florence Maätita, professor of sociology, said she noticed the common theme of “diversity fatigue,” or an overemphasis on diversity on campus. “I don’t know what to make of that,” Maätita said. “As a sociologist who teaches a wide variety of students, I know there are students that are going to walk into these classes and are not going to be convinced that racism is an issue in 2022.” Maätita said it is important for all faculty and administration to come together to have discussions about race and racism. “[There is an] argument that racism exists because we continue to talk about race, but who are the folks who are most vocal in that argument? They tend to be white people. It requires a great deal of buy-in from everybody,” Maätita said. “It’s not just about the racial and ethnic minorities waving the banner … It requires buyin from more of our white allies [and] it requires buy-in from the administration.” Maätita is half-Indonesian and half-Mexican, and said that though she has not experienced any major discrimination due to her racial identity, she has witnessed it in the classroom and with other colleagues.
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“I’m kind of in the unique position chairs of departments. where a lot of folks don’t know where I sit. “I haven’t seen a lot of instances where I would imagine that a lot of folks see me the chairs or the deans have supported as being white-adjathe faculty,” Maätita cent,” Maätita said. “I said. “Rather than just don’t mind … using talking about diversity, my own biography as rather than just talking a lens to understand about the campus cliracial dynamics withmate survey, do somein the classroom, thing about it.” outside of this classSnipes described room, outside of himself as a racial rethis campus.” alist and said he hopes The results of the the university will work campus climate survey with faculty to promote showed that white facinclusive programs. ulty reported feeling “A part of being much more welcomed a racial realist is an acthan faculty of color. knowledgment that 80 percent of white racism will always be faculty felt “very” or with us,” Snipes said. “somewhat welcome” “I hope it goes away compared to 65 per… but the historical cent of Black faculty, record, to me, speaks and even lower figures otherwise. I think what for Asian and Hiswe can do as an institupanic/Latin faculty tion of higher learning at 64 percent and 31 is focusing on educatpercent, respectively. ” ing faculty, staff and J.T. Snipes, an asstudents to create more Timothy Lewis, assistant professor of sistant professor with inclusive communities, political science the School of Educaso our vice chancellor tion, said racism is a of diversity, equity, and tightly interwoven asinclusion, Dr. Jessica pect of American society. Both Snipes and Harris is creating programming, workLewis said SIUE is a small-scale represen- ing with faculty … To help them think tation of wider American society, and this about ways to make the classroom more applies to racism. inclusive to students across areas of “I come from a philosophical tradition social difference.” that says racism is endemic to American soVice Chancellor for Anti-Racism, Diciety, and it is not occasional or random, versity, Equity and Inclusion Jessica Harris but it is the status quo,” Snipes said. “Our said she wishes to take action on these issues. campus is a microcosm of the world. Rac- Harris also said the results were troubling ism exists in our world, [and] it exists on and thanked the faculty who spoke up. our campus … It’s a part of the normalized “I was concerned when I saw those experience of Black faculty on campus.” numbers, and I’m really grateful for the initiative of some of our Hispanic faculty and staff in terms of their wanting to develop EXPERTS CITE PAST INCIDENTS AS the group,” Harris said. “My job is to supEXPLANATION FOR SURVEY RESULTS Snipes recalled the experience of re- port them and listen and do all that I can tired faculty member Patrick Long, who along with others to improve their experiSnipes said had to go to extreme lengths to ences on campus.” Harris said her duties generally involve get university administration to take action against a white colleague who spat on his working with other departments within the university to ensure that diversity and vehicle. Lewis said there is too much tolerance inclusivity are maintained. “I wanted to know how I could, based at SIUE for bigotry and that many faculty of color no longer view bias incident re- on the results, do something and act acports as worth their time due to inaction cordingly,” Harris said. “There were some of the results that were heartbreaking, and on the university’s part. “It’s gotten to the point where Black I would say disappointing, but they were faculty and staff do not even want to go real, and the whole goal of the survey was through the process of issuing bias reports to assess people’s perceptions and to learn … because nothing comes of them,” Lewis more about people’s experiences.” said. “Even if the investigation is in favor of the Black faculty, nothing is done. That FACULTY OFFER POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS person is not fired, that person is not termi- TO IMPROVE CONDITIONS nated [and] there are very little disciplinary Some of the faculty also suggested consequences.” potential solutions for creating a more Maätita said she has seen several stu- welcoming and inclusive environment on dents over the years take complaints about campus. In addition to a zero tolerance for faculty and staff directly to the deans and racism policy, Lewis suggested mandatory
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About 23 percent of all employees at SIUE are not white, that’s over 500 people, [and] the majority of those people don’t feel like they’re being treated equally,
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diversity and inclusion training for all faculty, alongside other mandatory trainings that are already in place. “We have several trainings as faculty that are mandatory, everything from ethics to sexual harrassment … I do not understand what is the barrier to making diversity and inclusion training mandatory,” Lewis said. “I’m not saying that would fix things, but it would prevent the common excuse given by people who exemplify racism that they didn’t know what they were doing was racist.” Maätita said she tries to foster a climate where race can be discussed freely in the classroom, often using analogies to communicate a broader point. “We live in this culture of colorblindness where we’re not supposed to talk about race and we’re not supposed to notice difference, and I think that damages so many aspects of our culture where we have to have these conversations to understand, to make connections,” Maätita said. “If I don’t want to pay my bills, and I don’t talk about them, I still have the bills. It doesn’t solve the problem.” Maätita also said that if the university has a commitment to retaining students, faculty and staff of color, it should actually set aside room in the budget for following through on promises of diversity, equity and inclusion. “If there is a true commitment to keeping faculty, to keeping staff, to keeping students, in my mind, there are ways to find that money,” Maätita said. Harris said any response to the climate survey to improve the experiences of nonwhite faculty would require a lot of collaboration. One example of such collaboration is work being done to form a Hispanic Faculty and Staff Association. “One of the things that I’m doing, along with Lindy Wagner in the Hub, is we’re supporting the creation of a Hispanic Faculty and Staff Association, which I think will be really helpful in terms of creating community and bringing members of the Hispanic faculty and staff together to not only voice their concerns and share more about their experiences, but I’ll be able to work directly with them to try and address some of these issues and concerns,” Harris said. “I was concerned when I saw those numbers, and I’m really grateful for the initiative of some of our Hispanic faculty and staff in terms of their wanting to develop the group … My job is to support them and listen and do all that I can along with others to improve their experiences on campus.” Harris said the survey results indicate a number of successes on SIUE’s part, but also point to areas that need a lot of work. “There is always room for improvement, and I think the campus climate survey is evidence of that,” Harris said. “There’s things that we are doing well, but there’s things we can be doing better.” The results of the SIU system campus climate survey can be viewed online.
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