VOISES Spring 2022 Summary Report

VOISES (Viewpoints of Inclusive Student Experiences) panels provide a venue for faculty to hear the perspective of students from marginalized identity groups on campus. These moderated panels give faculty members the chance to ask questions while reflecting on issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion at UNCG.

VOISES panels were finally held this semester in April once COVID restrictions were lifted to allow in-person meetings as it was felt a “safe space” for the participants could not be created virtually.  The Teaching Innovation Office and Office for Intercultural Engagement co-hosted  4 panels representing students from Muslim, Jewish, International and LGBTQIA+ populations from UNCG.

Each panel was moderated by a different UNCG staff member the students knew and identified with.  After introductions the moderator asked the students three main questions around the theme of the students’ journey to UNCG, their most positive and challenging experiences here and how faculty can help support them in class and at UNCG more broadly. Then questions written down were passed to the moderator and put to the panel.

Introductions

There was a mix of undergrad and graduate students most were confident and assured young people, eager to share their experiences and thoughts.

Journey to UNCG

All students talked about choosing UNCG because of the feeling of diversity and inclusivity. One common theme was difficulty finding a room mate that would be accepting of their culture and habits e.g. praying five times a day, kosher kitchen for this reason several students opted to live at home.

All the Muslim students chose UNCG because of the close location to family and one for the good fit of her course of study even though she had wanted to venture out of Greensboro. Several students on the panel shared that they lacked a lot of support for going to college both in high school and at home.

The International students chose UNCG because of a friend or family connection who attended the University or lived nearby.  Other draws were a well laid out and informative website, the intensive English teaching program, national ranking of the dept/degree, a supportive IPC, scholarships, graduate assistantship opportunities, overall tuition and living costs.

The Jewish and LGBTQIA+ students in particular were particularly looking for an inclusive environment that openly welcomed and supported their group.  The Jewish students searched colleges for an active and supportive Hillel.  The leadership of and interaction with the Hillel was a swaying factor in their decision making.

LGBTQIA+ students commented on positive vibes from the OIE and especially when visiting the campus they could see other LGBTQIA+ students relaxed and openly queer. One student had offers from R1 and Ivy League Universities but chose UNCG because of its commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Positive experiences

All students but especially the International students commented that the practical learning opportunities and active learning in the classroom was refreshing and engaging after the often “old school” approaches in some of their high school and/or countries where they were “taught” and expected to “learn” aka “memorise” information. Open discussion, active learning and practical classes where they could see the use/application in “real” life were also appreciated. Support from students, faculty and an advisor were also seen as crucial especially to those students at UNCG far from home and access to easy support from family and friends. Open door policy was welcomed.

Muslim students talked about how they found the majority of their faculty engaging and shared how one of his faculty members “confessed” not knowing various aspects of the Muslim faith, but was willing to learn.

Students talked about the opportunity to build a plan of study to suit their interests and needs which included independent studies with faculty who shared their research interests and also the opportunity to take courses from other departments so they had depth and breadth.  They appreciated the ability to run their own research projects and be part of a project where they learned from faculty and there was true collaboration

Challenging experiences or ones you would like faculty to know about

Several students shared that they did not like taking online classes, they missed the moments of engagement, discussions and how the faculty were able to develop relationships with the students. They are happy to be taking in-person classes again.

The Muslin, Jewish and LGBTQIA+ students all talked about the need to feel safe with faculty and students in a class or social situation before revealing their minority identity. There were definite situations where they felt it was and wasn’t safe to do so. Generally as the semester progressed they felt more safe.

A female Muslim student reported that one faculty member asked her “What would you do if I pulled your scarf off right now?” Another student shared that a professor played a Ted Talk in class and a photo of a Muslim person was displayed to convey a negative message and the professor did not address it.

The International Students mentioned the challenges with understanding what the professor was saying in class due to English being their second or third language and the use of high academic language and undefined technical terms outside of their field of experience so far.

The international students also highlighted the administrative challenges they faced starting at UNCG from the visa process, arriving in the country, finding  accommodation, healthcare, getting a SSN, driving license etc and all this before starting classes!  Then at the graduation end the paperwork and bureaucracy involved in securing internships, OPT, CPT in a timely manner was incredibly stressful.  While the IPC is supportive, they felt more support and understanding  from faculty is needed as it all adds additional stress for the student.

Dealing with stress and mental health issues was also discussed. How culturally for International students it is not acceptable to attend counseling sessions. The realization that it was “normal” for students to regularly see a therapist was a shock.  Seeing a counselor was a big step for International students to take and it was often not taken.  Support from friends and family more often sought but sometimes difficult to find here.

LGBTQIA+ students talked about the high financial cost of transitioning and trans affirming care and how it was not supported financially at UNCG.  This added extra stress to the whole process and to an already stressful student life.  They also mentioned some departments were more open to their queer identity than others (Bryan School not welcoming but Peace and Conflict trying to be more accepting)

Noticeable were the comments from the two groups of students that met just before and just after the divisive visit to UNCG of Ben Shapiro organized by the Young Americans for Freedom . The Jewish students were dismayed that he might stir anti-semitic sentiment as his views were so extreme and they felt not representative of the Jewish community. The LGBTQIA+ students  were visibly distressed after his visit as they felt their safe space had been violated and they had been let down by an institution that professed to oppose all that particular speaker espoused. One suggestion was that in the interests of freedom of expression if a person of such polarizing views were to be allowed to speak at UNCG again it should be part of an informed panel  debate/discussion that was moderated so it was a learning opportunity not an unbridled rant!

How faculty can help students feel comfortable in the classroom/Teaching Tips

All agreed that at the start of the semester sending out individual questionnaires asking students about their background, preferred name and pronouns, languages spoken, beliefs,  significant holy days and holidays etc and asking what they are comfortable sharing and not sharing with the class.

Faculty need to be mindful of religious holidays and holy days and what they mean to students especially in terms of fasting and time commitment in relation to days and times of tests and assignment hand in dates.  

Talk to Muslim students about when is the best time for them to take tests and exams as they fast from dawn to sunset. For Jewish students, Shabbat (every sundown Thurs to sundown Fri) means that those observing it strictly cannot hand in assignments during that time let alone work on them so setting reading or work on Thursday to be handed in on Friday is not possible for them to complete. Being mindful of their calendar and giving them an “extra” day to work when it is a holy day like Yom Kippur is not helpful as they cannot work during that day anyway.  

In all cases talk through the syllabus with your students and invite them to comment or come and talk to you privately about any issues they may have with it.

Moderate your speed and your language when you have students whose first language is not English..avoid idioms, metaphors and be sure to define technical terms, maybe produce a glossary of terms for a class.

A safe space has to feel safe for the student, saying it is safe doesn’t make it so for all students.

Do not tokenize minority students in your class and look to them to answer questions about their population/culture.  Identity affects how a student lives their life and remember they have intersecting identities. Do not make any assumptions, instead be well informed and recognise and understand possible intersectionality.

Do not highlight a minority group in the effort of being inclusive, talk about minorities in general terms.

Try and avoid gendered language e.g do  not use husband/wife use partner, instead of sir/ma’am use the students first name.

Do not make assumptions about experiences that have been stereotyped by the media e.g “coming out” stories, when one “realized” they were gay/trans

Remember the classroom is a learning environment and all are there to learn, both faculty and students, open debate, discussion and sharing and acceptance of differing views needs to be enabled. Extreme views need to be checked by the faculty.