[Factc] SSB 5227 concerns

[Anne Brackett]

Since our next meeting is somewhat distant, I wonder a few things in
response to Jason Nix's message:

   - How many of our colleges have recently offered professional
   development on antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion?
   - How many of our colleges offer antiracism and DEI professional
   development annually and/or require it of their employees?

I suspect that the answer is mixed, indicative of a system with abundant
resources in some regions and scarcity in others.  That concerns me.  This
lack of a statewide approach to increasing employee awareness of antiracism
and DEI means that the chance of experiencing racially unjust learning
and/or working spaces varies by location.  If you are a black student or
employee about to study or work at a WA CTC, it seems reasonable to expect
a level of employee awareness of DEI and antiracism appropriate to a center
of learning.  Our current approach does not support all employees at all
colleges developing such competencies.

In addition I suspect many colleges have put antiracist and DEI
professional development on hold (assuming it was ever initiated) while
they focus on responding to COVID-19 and budget woes due to low
enrollments.  While attention is on other priorities our students and
employees of color, particularly those who are black, continue to
experience acts of racism in their interactions with employees at every
community and technical college in Washington state.  What will it take to
prioritize addressing racism in our campus cultures?  Creating a statewide
expectation of professional development and college assessment for DEI is
one action step to systematically address these issues.

Thanks for reading,
Anne


On Thu, Feb 25, 2021 at 12:39 PM Nix, Jason via Factc <factc at lists.ctc.edu>
wrote:

> The more I read about the details of SSB 5227
> <https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5227&Year=2021&Initiative=false>,
> and the required anti-racism training the original version mandated for all
> college faculty and staff, the more questions I have about what role, if
> any, the state board intends to have in local decision-making when it comes
> to issues of faculty training, instruction, promotion, and (possibly)
> tenure.
> The WEA lobbyist I spoke to told me of the revisions being made in
> committee, which removed the mandatory training (except for new faculty),
> as well as other significant changes to the bill.
> I emailed Ha Nguyen with questions, but she did not return my email.
>
> My concern is that, once something is labeled "antiracist," we seem to be
> expected to accept its claims, world view, and prescriptive policy changes
> without question. While I welcome any opportunity to examine the claims
> made by Kendi, DiAngelo, Coates, and others. I don't believe their work is
> should be immune from academic scrutiny.
> I worry that efforts like SSB 5227 are more about ensuring ideological
> orthodoxy than furthering the efforts to increase access and success among
> disadvantaged students.
>
> There are serious academics (John McWhorter comes to mind), who are
> raising concerns about the role unchecked and largely unvetted antiracism
> ideology is playing on college campuses around the nation, and whether or
> not it is counterproductive to the very important work of ensuring
> opportunity for students of color.
> Once I hear language like "racist assessments," being thrown around as if
> they should be taken for granted, I wonder if we're treading on some very
> dangerous ground here.
>
> While I'm the first to stand up for finding and eliminating sources of
> racism and breaking down barriers to achievement to any disadvantaged
> students, I believe faculty would do well to closely examine what this
> training entails as well as the reasoning behind its claims.
>
> This story in today's NY Times provides us with a cautionary tale.
>
> I'd welcome further discussion of this during the next meeting.
>
>
> https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/24/us/smith-college-race.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
>
> <https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/24/us/smith-college-race.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage>
> Inside a Battle Over Race, Class and Power at Smith College - The New York
> Times
> <https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/24/us/smith-college-race.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage>
> Smith College is an elite 145-year-old liberal arts college, where
> tuition, room and board top $78,000 a year and where the employees who keep
> the school running often come from working-class ...
> www.nytimes.com
>
>
>
>
>
> *Jason Nix Journalism Program Lead Faculty Adviser/ The Communicator
> www.communicatoronline.org <http://www.communicatoronline.org> *
> _______________________________________________
> Factc mailing list
> Factc at lists.ctc.edu
> http://lists.ctc.edu/mailman/listinfo/factc_lists.ctc.edu
>


-- 
Anne Brackett
Chemistry Faculty
Everett Community College
pronouns: she/her
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