Caucasian Only!

Recently, I gave a talk about my experiences living in South Korea at the LGBTRC Quench presentation. I discussed the effects of color-ism within the Indian community and within my family to provide context.  I discussed in details about the interactions with students and teachers who were apprehensive at first. I openly talked about how I was treated for being a person of color in Korea while providing context of accepted norms of beauty and body image.

Although South Korea is rather new to the international stage, although this can be contested, there are a lot of advertisements for English teachers that require one to be Caucasian only. Things became so bad that the recruiters required a Skype/video interview along with having to attach a picture with your resume.  The media's distinction of people of color is not a pretty one.

Here is a video in Korean with subtitles attempting to describe the meaning of using black face followed by some examples in how black face has been portrayed in the media:

Korea Black Face

This next video depicts a nationally aired "documentary." The documentary talks about the immoral behavior of foreigners (Americans). They basically say that we (Americans) date/rape/manipulate Korean women and give them HIV.  FYI, by Korean Law you must have an HIV and Drug test completed in country.  If tested positive for HIV and/or Drugs you must fund your own ticket back to your home country. Because clearly, people with HIV cannot teach English properly (sarcasm).

Foreigners in Korea

To add to the constant harassment of not being white enough to be a qualified English teacher, there are now more and more White recruiters of English teachers in Korea that run "Caucasian Only Ads."  Today's post/vent was brought on by this article that is circulating among my English teaching friends in Korea.  To them, this is nothing new. To the recruiter, this is nothing new.  Nothing he will challenge, and by his attitude an adjustment everyone must make when coming to Korea or not come at all.

Presidents in Indiana Decry 'Religious Freedom' Law

Presidents of 3 universities in Indiana have publicly criticized Indiana's "Religious Freedom" law, which opponents of the law view as an avenue for discrimination among groups of people, mainly the LGBT community. Indiana U, Butler U, and DePauw U Presidents all made public statements that reinforced their university's commitment to anti-bias and nondiscrimination, as the law could have negative effects on views of higher education institutions. It will be interesting to see if any other universities follow suit, and how this law might affect higher education institutions in the state of Indiana. Full story here.

Your Not Alone, It Is All Part of the Process...

"A Common Time to Get Stuck"

By Julie Miller Vick and Jennifer S. Furlong

Julie Miller Vick is senior associate director of career services at the University of Pennsylvania, and Jennifer S. Furlong is director of the office of career planning and professional development at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York Graduate Center. They are the authors of "The Academic Job Search Handbook" (University of Pennsylvania Press).  

I received the following message and email from a professor in the EPOL department and thought it was an important reminder to what not only Ph.D. graduate student face or endure during their graduate program, but that any graduate students in general who is in the mist of course work and/or research projects can use some REMINDING THAT THEY ARE NOT ALONE AND THAT IT IS ALL PART OF THE PROCESS...

Professor writes....I think you might find the following link from the Chronicle of Higher Education to be of particular interest.  It speaks to a common point during the doctoral program, after coursework and during dissertation research, where students might feel "stuck" in a variety of ways.  Please check it out.  

http://chronicle.com/article/A-Common-Time-to-Get-Stuck/137851/

In general, the articles talks about how the third year in graduate school is reported to be one of the toughest years for Ph.D. students. It talks about the different stories and situations graduate students may face and how working independently can seem over whelming and challenging for some. In reading this article, it right away gave me a reminder to what being a graduate student is and how at time we can get caught up in the process. I hope you find it inspiring as I found it to be a reminder to breathe and enjoy the process of growth!!

Podcast from This American Life

A couple weeks ago, the episode of This American Life started off telling about a high school exchange program between a PS in the Bronx and tony private school Fieldston. But quickly it turned into a story about college: going, not going, and a little bit in between. The Posse Foundation is featured heavily, so I was personally very interested. One of the highlighted students is pretty excellent to hear from, and as always, the storytelling is compelling.

If you've got extra time some morning, it would be great to listen to in the background. Or, you can read through the transcript.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/550/three-miles

"A Black Student, Bloodied"

A photograph of a black male student bloodied by police at the University of Virginia reignited debate regarding race and police brutality. According to the article on Inside Higher Ed, the Black Student Alliance on the campus of Virginia posted the photo on social media.  Martese Johnson, the student in reference, received 10 stitches after he was "brutalized" by officers with Virginia's Alcoholic Beverage Control division, which works extensively on student drinking. Johnson (age 20) was turned away from a bar before the incident took place. While the story seems very one-sided on Inside Higher Ed, there is still no need, as is appears, for the amount of force that was used to be deemed appropriate. The full article can be read here: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/03/19/photo-black-uva-student-leader-bloodied-renews-debate-about-police-and-race

RACE...TOGETHER?

Starbucks is proposing a #racetogether campaign, where baristas selectively engage with customers in a conversation about race relations in the United States. This has been met with some...shall we say 'resistance.'   

What are your thoughts? How would you respond to such a request?

The Impact of Flipped Classrooms on Students with Disabilities

Trends in technology have made their way into classrooms over the past decade or so, providing more creative and convenient methods of teaching and learning. Some of these tools have become regularly integrated into college classrooms such as iClickers, online webinars, or even heavy readings that have been posted to online discussions. As institutions of higher learning, colleges pride themselves on being at the forefront of developing and utilizing advanced methods of teaching, however, this same pressure to be a leader in education requires institutions to consider the impact such advances can have on its students.

In her article, "As High-Tech Teaching Catches On, Students with Disabilities Can Be Left Behind, Casey Fabris discusses the implications that online tools have on students with mental or physical disabilities. The issue became a hot topic this past month after Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology were sued for failing to provide closed captioning for online courses and materials (Fabris, 2015). This creates a dilemma for the increasingly popular method of "flipped-classroom" teaching where students are asked to watch video lectures outside of class. A recent study showed that 46% of professors surveyed have tried this technique.

The article highlights the particular challenges for students who are deaf, encouraging professors to caption their videos so they are not leaving out an important student group. Aside from online captioning, the increased use of Clickers creates a problem for students who are blind. Many classrooms use these tools as a competition to earn extra points in class, but there can often be a lag time when a student is lacking the ability to see the questions posted for the class.

Other topics that were a concern involved PDF versions of texts and class readings, as well as class blogs and discussion boards. This article raises important questions about how we can continue making educational tools more efficient and accessible to all populations. I felt that this was an extremely important topic once I began to think about all the ways in which I use my vision or hearing to accomplish my required assignments for class. Technology can be a wonderful classroom tool, as long as it is accessible.

http://chronicle.com/article/As-High-Tech-Teaching-Catches/190341/

An Open Letter to ACPA Leadership

Last week, I attended ACPA: College Student Educators International's Annual Convention. This was the 10^th ACPA Convention I have attended over the past 11 years. I have always felt at home in ACPA and had the opportunity to serve on the Convention Planning Team this year.  Logistically, things went wrong that were out of our control – our closing speaker, Laverne Cox, cancelled 2 weeks before Convention and then our replacement speaker, Michael Sam, cancelled 1 day before. What emerged as a result of this unexpected situation still has me and many others in a state of cognitive dissonance – thinking, reflecting, and challenging ourselves to do better.

As student affairs educators, we strive to create inclusive communities on our campus, within our departments, and for our students. But what happens when members of a professional association that claims equity and inclusion as one of its core values speak out that the association is not doing that? What happens when we “think” that we are creating an inclusive environment but are then challenged to see that is not the reality for all members? What happens when we publicly acknowledge that we are great advocates for some but not great advocates for all? 

Members of the T*Circle, a community for trans* and gender queer educators, wrote An Open Letter to ACPA Leadership and the 2015 Convention Planning Team. I am proud of ACPA for sharing this letter with members and addressing these concerns during the closing session, directly from our President, Executive Director, and speakers. To see two prominent scholars and educators (Dr. Stephen John Quaye and Rev. Jaime Washington) on stage openly expressing that we are not perfect, we make mistakes, but that we all need to do better was a powerful message. I just hope that those messages continue to shape our work and aren't forgotten now that Convention is over. 

Here is an interesting blog reflecting on these closing messages, ultimately that we must do better: http://mika-nicole.blogspot.com/2015/03/we-all-hurt.html

Racism in post-racial America 

We've all probably heard it by now, the Sigma Alpha Episilon's (largest fraternity in U.S.) racial chant at University of Oklahoma was captured on video and uploaded to Youtube. Even though the president of the university shut down the chapter, and is in the deliberation of disciplinary actions against these students, this incident evoked a national discussion on the racism on college campus, and in the younger generation of Americans.

I think there is a certain set of stereotype and prejudice that people maintain in their everyday lives, it's deeper within our psyche that evolve with our experiences and our worldview. Normally it's only manifested behind closed doors, but sometimes, like on this occasion, it comes out, usually in a way that rages through media and demands attention in a negative way. It's not surprising to see this, but it serves to remind us that we are far from a racially and discriminatory free campus, especially within the Greek system.

There is something that must be done, but what? President of University of Oklahoma has expressed his determination to ban SAE from the campus, at least until after he leaves the university. He also proclaim to expel the students that were involved in this incident, but that remains to be seen as the first amendment may prohibit him from doing so (Apparently, as I was writing this, two students have been expelled by the university). Other reports of SAE’s racist chant has surfaced from chapters within the state of Texas, apparently, it is a well-known chant that members rehearse and, despite the national headquarter claiming that it is not a racist, sexist or bigoted fraternity.

I believe that the focus on the Greek systems may not be the right approach to this. True, this happened at SAE, but by only focusing on sororities and fraternities, we lose an opportunity to have the whole campus involved and engaged on this topic of diversity.

University proposes legislation to change financial aid rules for undocumented students

As it currently stands, undocumented students are allowed to receive in-state tuition based on 2003 legislation but they are not eligible to receive any financial aid (state or federal). The University of Illinois (students and administrators) are working on state legislation that if passed, would allow undocumented students access to state financial aid.

I found this article timely as we have been reading about access and the impact of not having the financial resources to attend college

The University of Texas, Austin, similar to UIUC a few years ago, is embroiled in an admissions scandal:

"William C. Powers Jr., the university’s president, intervened on behalf of well-connected applicants, sometimes overruling the admissions office to grant "must have" students a spot, the report found. Mr. Powers said in each instance he had acted in 'the best interest of the university.' He described the process as similar to those 'at virtually every selective university in America.'"

On our Campus: Daily Illini

I picked up Monday and Tuesday's Daily Illini yesterday. Mainly, to see if the bashing of SORF had begun because it always happens this time of year, but I was struct with two articles that really ring home for class. While the national scale brings light to a lot of issues, I thought it was telling that we at times overlook the journalism and stories that come right from our own backyard.

1. Parisa Tabriz: Security Princess, hacker, role model
http://www.dailyillini.com/lifeandculture/article_bc704de6-c07a-11e4-accc-2fe0586da7bf.html

This article about a 2007 alumna in computer science gives hope to women in STEM. She is a role model and loves where she is currently. She knows and understands the privlege that comes with being a women in STEM but also understanding the limitations. I thought this was powerful.

“The fact that I’m a woman in tech and that there are so few women, I’m sure, has given me some advantage in that people pay attention for better or for worse,” Tabriz said. “It’s a really interesting time now. I think there’s a lot of public discussion around women in tech, why there are so few and why the numbers are actually decreasing.” - Daily Illini

The article goes on to mention that Illinois is lagging greatly behind other states for women in tech. With that said, the University of Illinois isn't doing so bad with the largest percentage of women in our Computer Science program. 

• Are we, or those around us, not doing a good enough job of identifying positive stories? 
• Is the U of I doing a good enough job in all areas or just in computer science to recruit and retain women.

2. Black Activits call for more a more diverse university. 

http://www.dailyillini.com/news/article_a9216f08-c07b-11e4-b50c-171fc11918bb.html

This article was also in Monday's Daily Illini and focuses on the very real issue we have with diversity as it related to race. Activists spoke with students and have written an open letter to Chancellor Wise about how short the University is falling in terms of recruiting and maintaining African american students particularity. The charts are what did it for me. Looks at pie charts of how our university faculty and our student population look is actually quite appalling. 

I also went to a Coffee and Conversation talk with Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Renee Romano on Monday. She has been doing these for student affairs units to make sure our voices are heard. In this talk she mentioned that there will be campus conversation about Inclusive Illinois and Diversity that will be taking place soon. It probably will not happen soon enough and our campus issues on diversity will not be fixed with just one conversation or really even several. 

• Do you believe that more conversations or activism like this will continue to pop up? (There wis an article in the DI today about conversations that are coming  http://www.dailyillini.com/news/article_92e2be94-c21b-11e4-8fc2-9f30a039f2d7.html)
• Will this type of activism and letter to the Chancellor do any good? Will there or could there be change that can come from this? 

Don't forget to vote (those of you that can) Vote.illinois.edu. 

- Melissa

Discrimination of Asian applicants in the name of diversity

Princeton has been using 'bonus points' for incoming freshmen based upon their ethnicity, and being Asian isn't helpful at all. Asian slots have been limited, while White and Black spaces have been increased.

This article asks some important questions:

To be born in a racial demographic that happens to statistically score higher academically in the U.S. is now cause to be discriminated against?

Is this really the great vision of post-racial America Dr. King dreamed of?

How about we simply take people as individuals and reward them as such?  Is that so hard?

http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/top-u-s-universities-discriminating-asian-applicants-name-diversity/