The New School values equity, diversity and inclusion and expects all faculty, staff and students to be mindful of the effects of their words and actions on others. This is particularly true around issues of identity informed by race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, physical ability, religion, origin, and economic status.
The bond of pluralism is central to the University's mission. Pluralism matters. Educational psychology teaches that diverse classrooms, where students from different backgrounds communicate their different experiences and perspectives, encourage students to think in more complex ways, necessary for an informed and thoughtful community. Thinking in complex ways requires the skills and willingness not to be timid while we ensure academic freedom, inclusion, exploration and experimentation as our mission statement requires.
There is no one way to achieve open and respectful spaces that build on our diversity of background and experience. Questions and challenges about how best to support disagreement while protecting diversity and inclusion pre-date the period in which we find ourselves in the United States. But we must acknowledge our challenging times. Important questions have been raised about what we understand about one another across race, class, geography, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and religion. Many within and outside our community now fear for their physical safety, their ability to remain in the community, and their psychological well-being, threatened by acts of physical violence, hate speech, bullying and intolerance in the classroom and in our communities. We have an obligation to support an inclusive, open and equitable learning environment in which all voices and experiences are valued.
Even those who think of themselves as without bias or prejudice may demonstrate unconscious bias in overt or subtle ways. A male instructor may unconsciously commend the performance of his male students more frequently or fulsomely than those of his female students. A white instructor may prepare a syllabus including mainly white artists with only a smattering of (or no) artists of color and display an inability to speak about them as fully or appreciatively as about the white artists. Faculty are encouraged to develop an awareness of their own implicit biases by being mindful of how their own cultural assumptions affect their speech, interactions with students, teaching choices, even eye contact, in order to develop greater cultural competency to be able to more effectively teach students who do not share their own cultural terrain. Several things faculty can do to increase their own cultural competency:
Become aware of any biases or stereotypes you may have absorbed.
Become aware of the language you use in the classroom, whether synchronous or asynchronous.
Treat each student as a unique person; become aware of patterns of interactions with different types of students.
Monitor the climate in your classroom.
Integrate culturally relevant and diverse role models in your teaching.
Recognize your own culture-bound assumptions.
Hold all students to the same high standards.
We have an obligation to support an inclusive, open and safe community. Be aware of the Student Code of Conduct. Learn how to de-escalate potentially charged discussions. Learn how to help your students have meaningful and respectful dialogue with those with whom they disagree. Finally, with the rise in incivility, hateful language, and disrespect of others, learn to create safe and productive learning environments. Take advantage of these additional resources on difficult dialogue. Women and faculty of color may be particularly interested in the text, available here and below, Surviving and Thriving in Academia: A guide for members of marginalized groups.
Extensive resources specific to The New School LGBTQIGNC community, including understanding pronouns, name change and ID cards, gender inclusive facilities, and wellness programs, are available on the LGBTQ Community website. The site includes significant resources for faculty for both understanding issues LGBTQIGNC students encounter and creating an inclusive environment that respects difference. Faculty looking for assistance understanding issues specific to trans and gender nonconforming students are advised to start with this brief guide.
The Board of Trustees has passed a resolution in support of international and undocumented students. Finally, the AAUP and AFT have jointly issued a list of FAQs for faculty in response to a changed educational climate.