Embedded Files
By Abby Koch and Kiki Bennett
By Abby Koch and Kiki Bennett
The college classroom. A space where caffeine-fueled college students come to increase their knowledge and become one step closer to a degree.
The room that lectures, labs, and discussions happen. Also the place where friendships and networking can blossom, helping the future of many students. A classroom can be a space that is safe and not where tyrants await.
For some minority college students, typically people of color or those who identify as LGBT, the classroom can be an environment where they experience bullying, harassment, or constantly feeling uncomfortable. A small group of Morningside students have reported that they have been harassed in the classroom. When incidents happen in the class, a majority of Morningside students do not know how to report them.
College and university campuses across the nation have seen an increase in racial- and LGBT -related harassment, also known as campus bias incidents. Victoria Nelson reported for Center for American Progress that campus bias incidents are any conduct that discriminates, stereotypes, excludes, harasses or harms anyone in the campus community based on their identity.
BY THE NUMBERS
Morningside College conducted a diversity and equity campus climate survey during the Spring semester of 2020, which was compared to other intuitions who also took the survey. 435 Morningside students, faculty, and staff took part in the survey. Part of the survey pertained to incidents of discrimination and harassment occurring on campus in the last year.
From the survey, members of the Morningside College Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEI) analyzed the results and presented them to others. “We saw that students in particular find a very home like or family oriented community here,” said Professor Mitch Keller, a member of DEI.
Within the 281 undergraduate student responses, 22% felt neither satisfied nor dissatisfied to the extent of a sense of belonging or community at Morningside College.
Students of color are less likely than white students to describe their university as inclusive according to Nelson. In addition, Nelson reported that Black students in particular are more than twice as likely as white students to say the racial climate on their campus is poor.
“We did find that there are differences between [Morningside’s] students of color, our predominantly white student population, and also our LGBTQ student population. [They] generally have positive reactions to statements like do you agree it’s a good community here sorts of statements. [Students of color and LGBT students] were on the agree end but less strongly than the white heterosexual population in particular,” said Keller.
Professor Mitch Keller
People at Morningside recognize that they do interact with those who are different compared to themselves. 50% of 283 student responses stated that they interact with others who have a different sexual orientation than their own on a daily basis. Plus, 70% of 281 student responses stated they have daily interactions with others who have a racial or ethnic identity different from their own.
Charisse C. Levchak, an assistant sociology professor at Central Connecticut State University, wrote in her book Microaggressions and Modern Racism: Endurance and Evolution the number of racial harassment complaints relating to postsecondary institutions more than doubled during the eight years of the Obama administration.
LGBT students have experienced a similar rise in hateful experiences as those of students of color. Communiqué, a legal magazine for the Clark County Bar Association (CCBA), reported a nationwide survey found 75% of LGBT students have reported experiencing verbal harassment in school, including threats of violence. 74% of LGBT students in the survey said they were verbally harassed due to their gender expression and high percentages reported being cyberbullied and being physically harassed.
A portion of that harassment comes from professors. Bullying in University Between Peers and by Personal, a research paper, described that the number of students who reported having been bullied by a professor was 4.2% and 0.5% reported that it happened frequently.
Morningside students have experienced discrimination and been harassed on campus, at college related events, and programs. Thirty four students reported that the discrimination and the harassment they faced happened in the past year. Majority was from students, but 21% reported that discrimination and harassment came from faculty members. 29% reported that they faced discrimination and harrassment within the classroom.
FROM THE SEATS
Olivia Christensen, a junior interdisciplinary major and student of color, has faced instances in Morningside classrooms where she has been bullied or harassed by fellow classmates or the professor within the classroom environment. The bullying by a classmate continued throughout the semester.
Christensen said that the class itself was discussion based which touched on sensitive subjects, like abortion or the subject of athletes using steroids, and that it was made clear that arguments must be healthy. She had been in multiple classes that touched sensitive topics and with the same professor. The only thing different was a particular male student that targeted her and a couple other minority students.
Olivia Christensen
“I knew every day I was going to be defending myself to him and he wasn’t even a teacher, but he still kind of took over the class and made other people feel uncomfortable,” said Christensen “He still continues to do stuff like that to this day. I’ve heard several instances of him being homophobic and racist.”
The individual made it a goal to repeatedly cut off and “belittle” Christensen and classmates who held the minority opinion in the class. The student would ridicule her and others to the point where they felt invalid and that their voices did not matter because they had “no knowledge in the matter.”
The harassment of the minority opinion did not stay within the classroom but was posted on social media. The individual would recount the classroom discussions on social media and talk about how he found Christensen and others unintelligent. He would never use their names, but it was identifiable in his posts the students he was referring to.
Repeated targeting by a fellow classmate led Christensen to have a breaking point. She ran out of class in emotional distress. The cycle of being mentally diminished lasted the entire semester. “I wouldn’t even want to go into class,” said Christensen “It was just knowing he was going to be there and basically contradict everything I had to say.”
Summer Kramer, like Christensen, has had a fair share of uncomfortable situations within the classroom. Kramer, a junior psychology counseling major and a student of color, has been vocal against fellow classmates who have made racially insensitive comments in her classes.
Summer Kramer
“When I tell people about racism, I don’t want pity. I kind of want anger because that’s what I feel in the moment,” said Kramer “A lot of times when minorities experience this kind of thing, especially when it’s in the classrooms, we can’t talk about it.”
Kramer has heard Caucasian classmates have discussed themselves using variations of the N-word. She has argued with these students about the word and if it was protected under the first amendment, the constitutional right of freedom of speech. Kramer was upset that classmates wanted to use the word and that it was a “tone deaf” moment.
In addition to incidents with classmates, Kramer has had a situation with a professor making racial insensitive comments that romanticized living in the Civil War and Reconstruction Era. The professor went as far as asking her how great it would live in that time. Shocked that a faculty member would ask that to a student of color, Kramer took the situation to a professor that she trusted to help address it.
Christensen has also had a situation, which felt racially charged according to her, where a Morningside faculty member made making up a test a hassle. Christensen said that there were a number of fellow students who did the same thing as her, but it was only herself that had to jump through hoops.
By the end of the situation, Christiansen was “yelled at” by her professor and had to defend her performance in the class to the administration due to being reported by the professor.
Counselor Bobbi Meister
CONSEQUENCES AND REPORTING
Bobbi Meister, the personal counselor for Morningside College, says there are effects when a student feels uncomfortable or unsafe within the classroom. “It is individualized, but I think some of the general things that I hear is just a lot of anxiety. A lot of being on edge, which also then impacts the ability to concentrate and focus, to retain information, and to even hear the information to begin with,” said Meister “It can snowball and lead to I’m so uncomfortable in this study, I may avoid going to class.”
Meister added students may possibly isolate themselves, struggle with self-confidence, and develop depression from situations in the classroom that don’t feel safe.
According to the Morningside Campus survey, 31% of students disagree or strongly disagree that they would know who to report to if they experience or witness a harassment situation. Almost half of Morningside students admitted in the survey that the process of reporting acts of discrimination and harassment is not clear.
Keller stated that there needs to be clearer instruction for students and faculty on who to turn to. Keller explained, “It’s almost like what [Morningside] needs is a bullet point executive summary of ‘I think I’ve experienced discrimination of some form, who should be the first person I go talk to about this.’ I think for students, it’s to give them a good range of resources to talk to. I think on the faculty and staff side is making sure we’re all aware of what these [reporting options] actually say.”
Both Christensen and Kramer have had varying experiences with reporting their situations to others.
“It’s hard and that’s the other thing too, is that a lot of times when you are a minority in a majority, like in a white space, sometimes shit gets a little racist and you feel uncomfortable bringing it up,” said Kramer.
Kramer took her situation with the faculty member making insensitive comments to a professor she trusted. She explained that the situation was handled appropriately and that she thanked the professor that helped her. “I don’t want any other students to have to go through that kind of awkward situation,” Kramer explained.
Despite that situation being handled seriously, Kramer has had frustrations taking her situations to Morningside administration. “That’s the problem with the Morningside faculty or administration in general is that people who are diverse go to these figures and lay out their situation. And then it’s not either taken seriously or no action takes place,” said Kramer.
Christensen did not report what was happening with the classmate situation to administration or faculty members. “I don’t even know if there was anything that I could have done because faculty is not very supportive in that kind of stuff in some cases,” said Christensen.
Christensen has had similar situations, like Kramer, where she was unhappy in how cases were handled. “I did approach [faculty] and they told me basically that my own experience didn’t matter pretty much and that I needed to find more people to support that [a faculty member] was treating students like crap. So that was frustrating because they basically just shut you down. Basically invalidates everything,” said Christensen.
Professor Brandon Boesch
Professor Brandon Boesch, who teaches philosophy at Morningside, said students can get help.
If bullied and harassed by a classmate, Boesch says the first step is to talk to the professor. From there, faculty members can stop the issue by confronting the student or figuring out if they need to take it to administration.
For issues involving professors, taking the situation to the head of that professor’s department can be a first step. Again, this situation possibly could lead to the administration and talking to Chris Spicer, the Vice President of Academic Affairs.
“It’s so serious in my mind because there’s this strong power dynamic relationship in the classroom, where the professor holds a lot of power and the students don’t,” Boesch said.
GETTING THE HELP
Students wanting to take a report of bullying or harassment to a higher level should refer to information from Morningside’s Title IX page where it states “Morningside College is committed to providing a workplace and educational environment, as well as other benefits, programs, and activities, that are free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.” There are five reporting options: waiting until you are ready to share, confidential reporting like talking to the campus chaplain, report to the college like talking to a faculty member, report to law enforcement, and reporting to the college and law enforcement.
Title IX itself is a federal law under the Department of Education’s 1972 amendment, amending the Higher Education Act of 1965. Dr. Karmen Ten Napel is the Title IX coordinator for Morningside College with Spicer and Human Resources Director Cindy Welp as deputy coordinators.
Pastor Andy Nelson
Taking cases to those in authority, specifically ones that are trusted, can result in a change of tone or actions of those who do not realize the harm.
“I don’t necessarily think that [people] are intended to be hurtful, unwelcoming or unaccepting, but they may come across that way in ways that people don’t realize simply because they haven’t had a great deal of experience, like any of us in talking to people who are other faiths,” explained Andy Nelson, the Morningside campus chaplain.
Nelson mentioned that it was necessary to recognize and start the discussion in order to better understand those around us.
The recently formed DEI committee is hoping to help start the discussion in order for the Morningside community to better understand each other. They hope to develop events and programming that will help facilitate diversity, equity, and inclusion. On top of helping educate the campus, the DEI committee will help check on the campus culture frequently and help make changes to policy.
Education and recognizing issues will be the first step to make changes to the campus community. In turn, it will help improve the overall climate of the classroom to what it should be. A place of learning and not one that causes anxiety for students who can’t change who they are.
The room to be in to be one step closer to earning a degree.
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